Dromore kicked off, sending the ball towards the Nevin Spence stand, setting the stage for a tense battle. Early on, Enniskillen's Daire Hill displayed impressive attacking prowess, but it was Dromore who initially showcased their strength with a powerful maul. However, it was Enniskillen who drew first blood. In the 7th minute, Eddie Keys slotted a penalty through the posts, giving his side a 3-0 lead.
Enniskillen's momentum continued as James Ferguson made a spectacular line break in the 10th minute, surging deep into the Dromore 22. Strong phases, spearheaded by Angus Keys and James Carleton, culminated in Niall Keenan crashing over the whitewash for a try, extending Enniskillen's lead to 10-0.
Dromore, however, responded strongly. In the 13th minute, they threatened the Enniskillen 22, with Adam McDonald and Andrew Rutledge making significant inroads. In the 22nd minute, Adam Keating reduced the deficit with a successful penalty, making it 10-3.
The tit-for-tat nature of the match continued, with Eddie Keys adding another penalty for Enniskillen in the 23rd minute, taking the score to 13-3. Dromore responded, with Keating again finding the posts in the 27th minute, closing the gap to 13-6. Dromore missed a penalty attempt in the 36th minute, but Keating was successful in the 38th minute, leaving the halftime score at 13-9 in favour of Enniskillen.
HT: Enniskillen 13 - 9 Dromore
The second half began with a scrum inside the Enniskillen 22. In the 45th minute, Eddie Keys added another penalty to extend his side's lead to 16-9. In the 48th minute, Niall Keenan scored his second try of the match off a powerful maul, with the conversion pushing Enniskillen's lead to a commanding 23-9.
Dromore refused to surrender, with Dean Dillon making a threatening break in the 51st minute, only to be thwarted by a resolute Enniskillen defence. Tim Harte of Enniskillen also launched an attack in the 52nd minute, but was met with an equally strong Dromore defence.
In the 65th minute, Dromore skipper, Ryan Hughes, scored a crucial try, converted by Adam Keating, bringing the score to 23-16. Dromore pushed hard in the final 15 minutes, making several attempts to breach the Enniskillen defence, but Enniskillen held firm, securing a deserved 23-16 victory and the 2024/25 Ulster Junior Cup title.
FT: Enniskillen 23 - 16 Dromore
Teams
Enniskillen
Tadgh Hambly 15, Sam Balfour 14, James Ferguson (C) 13, Daire Hill 12, James Trotter 11, Eddie Keys 10, Matthew Dane 9, Michael Rooney 8, Angus Keys 7, Henry Keys 6, Jack Rutledge 5, James Carleton 4, Matthew Graham 3, Niall Keenan 2, Neil Rutledge 1
Replacements
Oisin Timoney 16, Nathan Cullinan 17, Simon McIlveen 18, Ben McLaren 19, Tim Harte 20
Dromore
Adam McDonald 15, Jack Dillon 14, Andrew Rutledge 13, Dean Dillon 12, Brian McClearn 11, Adam Keating 10, Sam McElroy 9, Jonny Maguire 8, Ben Carey 7, Ryan Hughes (C) 6, Richard Dickson 5, Ross Bingham 4, Matthew Miller 3, Rory Stewart 2, Mark Hylands 1
Replacements
Andrew Black 16, Ross Stewart 17, Gary Dillon 18, Jonny Hunter 19, Aaron Stewart 21
Scorers
Enniskillen
Try: Niall Keenan (2)
Conversions: Eddie Keys (2)
Penalty: Eddie Keys (3)
Dromore
Try: Ryan Hughes
Conversion: Adam Keating
Penalty: Adam Keating (3)