Third Waddell Cup win in row completes trophy quadruple for Duns Amateurs

Their 3-0 defeat of association A division champions Langlee Amateurs at Greenlaw’s WS Happer Memorial Park is the Dingers’ fourth silverware success of the 2024/25 football season, following on from winning the Border Cup seven days earlier in Eyemouth, along with, both in Hawick, the South of Scotland Amateur Cup in April and the Colin Campbell Cup in March.

Friday’s final was a re-run of 2024’s, Langlee having been their last opponents too and that one going Duns’ way by 4-3 last May, also in Greenlaw.

Their latest Waddell Cup win is their seventh, having also come out on top in 1997, 1998, 2004 and 2007’s finals, as well as 2023 and 2024’s.

They’re only the second club ever to win that trophy three times on the trot, the others being Greenlaw in 1977, 1978 and 1979.

Jonny Simpson scored twice against Langlee this time round, taking his tally of goals for the season in all competitions to 44, with Gregor Watson also netting.

The route taken by manager James Brydon’s New Hawthorn Park side to this year’s final consisted of a 4-0 first-round knockout of Chirnside United at home in November, an award of an away round-two walkover win versus Stow in March, a 3-0 quarter-final victory at Hawick Waverley in April and a 2-1 last-four dismissal of Earlston Rhymers at home at the start of May.

Langlee, given a first-round bye, got there via wins by 4-2 at Eyemouth United Amateurs in round two in February, 3-0 against B division champions Gala Fairydean Rovers Amateurs in the last eight in April and 6-1 hosting Tweeddale Rovers in May’s semi-finals.

This year’s quadruple is the Dingers’ third – and only the ninth in the history of the association – after previous four-way wins in 1998 and 2004 and they’re the only club to have pulled that feat off more than once.

Friday’s finalists finish the 20-fixture league campaign as the association’s top two teams, Langlee having been confirmed as A division champions for the second year on the trot at the end of April and Duns ending up as runners-up again. Langlee’s final points total was 55, with Duns on 52 and third-placed Highfields United on 32.

That final was the penultimate match of the season, with the last, an A division relegation play-off at New Hawthorn Park, following on Saturday.

Langholm Legion won that one 8-4 to retain their top-flight status for a sixth successive season after finishing third from bottom of the table on 24 points, with Stow, fourth-placed finishers in the league below on 53 from 26 fixtures, missing out on promotion in their comeback season after a year out.

The Dumfries and Galloway outfit’s scorers were Greig Cartner at the double, Scott Collins, Craig Cuthbert, Daniel Winter, Callum Ireland and Brian Mattinson, with an own goal also going their way.

Jordan Steele twice, Kieran Crawford and Matty Dalgleish got Stow’s goals.