The Reds narrowly missed out on a place in the final by virtue of not scoring a fourth try against their lower-league opposition.

Playing with a strong wind at their backs, James Ferguson kicked the hosts in front with an early penalty, before prop Kenny Harper got his first 1st XV try after a barreling run close to the Dunbar line.

Not 10 minutes had gone and the hosts had sped into a 10-0 lead.

Dunbar came back into the game, former Haddington Colt Gary Peebles and Scotland age-grade international Karl Main prominent in their best spells of attacking play.

However, the visitors were without experienced stand-off Jamie Peters - another ex-Red - and could not capitalise on their extended pressure in the first half.

Amidst tricky conditions, the game was dominated by the referee's whistle as both sides struggled to get continuity in their attacking play.

Callum Champion showed up well against his old club at the base of the Haddington scrum, while Ben Laing and Isaiah Mamea also put in sterling performances for the hosts.

HALF-TIME: HADDINGTON 10-0 DUNBAR

Into the second half, and it wasn't long before the home side struck again. Quick hands from the reliable Stuart Miller and returning Neil Watt allowed Kyle Adams to scamper in at the corner.

Ferguson was wide with a difficult touchline conversion, but at this stage, the Reds were looking good for that place in the final vs Preston Lodge.

The visitors began to use the wind, and good work by their pack allowed Ewan Patrizio to free Ally Brown, who scored. Blair Mills knocked over the extras and reduced the hosts' lead to 15-7.

Almost instantly, the hosts struck back through former Dunbar man Champion, who was on the end of a well-crafted move that allowed the barnstorming number eight to crash over in the corner.

Post-match, head coach Bryan Craig said: "Technically and tactically our performance wasn't as good as we would have liked but we ultimately won a tough game in difficult conditions."

The head coach also hailed the future of the club, having handed Gavin Stewart his 1st XV debut, as he joined Paul McClung on the field in a young Haddington side.

"Gav (Stewart) showed up well when he came on and Paul did well despite not having much ball. I can't fault the commitment of all the players and that's why we got the win."

The club miss out on a place in the final, but do take second place in the pool, and can look forward to their final league game of the season with two good wins in the bag.