The much-anticipated Danske Bank Ulster Schools' Cup gets properly underway this weekend, with seven first round ties...
Carrickfergus Grammar School negotiated a tricky preliminary round game with Strabane Academy last month and takes its place in an intriguing series of matches – with all the players and coaches dreaming of a place in the St. Patrick’s Day Final at Kingspan Stadium.
CAMBRIDGE HOUSE v LIMAVADY GRAMMAR SCHOOL (Friday, Eaton Park, kick-off 7.30 p.m.)
Friday night sees the first match of the weekend when Cambridge House of Ballymena takes on Limavady Grammar School at Eaton Park.
John Nicholl and his coaching assistants Matthew Harkness and Maurice Bell have been nurturing a relatively inexperienced group of players but one which has worked hard in the course of the season. Hooker Kane McBride is the team captain and with Harry Spiers provides an experienced base. The team has lost more games than they have won so far this season but the turnouts at training have been excellent and a recent training camp close to Dublin has further developed the positive team spirit. Back-row Reuben Russell has impressed with his try scoring performances this season, James Bovill is the top points scorer, and he has formed a good midfield partnership with Sam Millar. another player who has produced some eye catching performances this season. The Cambridge House coaching staff recognises it’s dealing with a very spirited group of mainly young players hoping for their best performance of the season in this Ulster Schools’ Cup game.
Limavady Grammar School made it to the third round last year and will at the very least hope to replicate that, staring with a win at Eaton Park.
Coaches Chris Nash and Brian Hughes have seen their young charges play well in many games this season but not able to close things out in the final quarter of the game. In players such as Ethan Sherrard, Gareth Kee and Aaron Rathfield Limavady Grammar School team has the ability to ask questions of any opposition, with captain Mark Woods sharing the top try scoring accolade with Sherrard, while Jim McCartney has been very accurate with his trusty kicking boots.
This is a young Limavady GS squad with just five Year 14 players in the squad, while other Year 12 players such as James Scott, Robbie Hunter and Alistair McKee are all regular 1st XV selections and keen to express themselves against Cambridge House.
LARNE GRAMMAR SCHOOL v ROYAL SCHOOL ARMAGH (Saturday, kick-off 11a.m.)
Larne Grammar School will be delighted to be playing at home when they meet the Royal School, Armagh team. Working hard under the experienced eyes of coaches Jonny Lowe and Barry Kirkpatrick the players had achieved some impressive results, its back-row trio of captain Al Black, Matthew Magarell and Adam Maguire each impressing.
John Hyndman is a key player and top try and points-scorer, while younger players such as Steven Topping and Micah Stevenson have really come through this year.
Season-ending injuries have been a scourge but the players and coaching staff still feel there is enough ability within the squad to make a Schools’ Cup impact with an upset win over Armagh.
Royal School, Armagh team has experienced difficulties in terms of consistency this season, and injuries have played their part. However the younger members of the squad have been working really hard, and coaches, David Dougherty and Chris Parker will be hoping all their hard work will pay off in Larne.
Despite their injury difficulties the team has recorded a number of impressive victories, most notably against Coleraine Grammar School earlier in the season, while at a recent training camp in Enfield the Royal School defeated Leinster Schools’ Cup holders Cistercian College, Roscrea.
Christopher Jennings, a player equally adept at full-back or wing shares the leading try-scorer crown with Matthew Reaney. Skipper Josh Agnew represented the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ team in the Inter-Provincial series of games in September. James McSorley was also a member of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ U18 squad while top points scorer Michael Reaney, as well as Jack Cairns, have been involved with the Ulster Schools’ U17 squad.
With seven Year 12 players in the squad one of whom, Archie McAlpine, is displaying tremendous potential, the Royal School will see their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup match at Larne as an opportunity to really launch its season.
LURGAN COLLEGE V PORTADOWN COLLEGE (Saturday, kick-off 10.30 a.m.)
Lurgan College’s ‘derby’ clash with Portadown guarantees a partisan and noisy Saturday morning!
This very talented Lurgan College team, guided by Master-in-Charge Brian Hanna and coach Geoff Caldwell, set out to substantially improve their fixture list for this season and that seems to have had the desired effect with not many visiting teams coming away from the Lough Road venue with a win. Trevor Carruthers’ coaching skills have been used to develop a young backline which loves to play with ball-in-hand.
Skipper captain Jamie Hunter is joined by his brother Ben in the Lurgan team, boys with real rugby pedigree as their grandfather Ray is a former Ulster, Ireland and British and Irish Lion. No.8 Reuben McCreery is fast emerging as a very talented player, and he’s joined by his brother Joel in the side.
The leading points scorer is full-back Robbie Norton, a player whose trusty boot has landed a near-perfect record so far this season. current season. Lurgan College prop Harry Simpson represented the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ team earlier in the season and has scored five tries, with fellow prop Ryan Emerson scoring four.
Portadown College, coached by Andrew Symington who’s assisted by Paul Heasley, has already recorded a win against Lurgan College this season and will be keen to repeat that and progress to the next round at the expense of its neighbour.
Possibly carrying the ‘favourites’ tag into this tie Portadown, captained by energetic out-half Michael Orr, has a mixture of youth and experience in the ranks with nine Year 12 pupils, six Year 13 and eight Year 14 pupils involved in the extended 1st XV squad.
The season started strongly with a deserved victory over Bangor Grammar, and entering the Cup-tie Portadown has gone on to win nine of its fourteen games. Scrum-half Brett Flack is a son of Ian Flack, a Schools’ Cup winner with Grosvenor Grammar School in 1983, while Brett’s grandfather, Willie Gribben, has been a legendary player and coaching innovator.
Matthew Neill, Peter McKeeman, James Hewitt and skipper Orr are key players in an attack-minded Portadown College back division, and Richard Gilpin, David McClelland, James Wright and Sam Whyte, bring Schools’ Cup experience to the pack.
WELLINGTON COLLEGE v FRIENDS’ SCHOOL LISBURN (Saturday, kick-off 10.30 a.m.)
Wellington College, Belfast, will know it has a mighty task on its hand with the visit to Carolan Road of Friends’ School, Lisburn.
Wellington coach Peter Chambers, assisted by Stuart Smith and Gareth Montgomery, takes great pride in the fact he has built up a senior squad of over forty players in the school, the reason perhaps why the College will enter the tie with a great degree of confidence.
The team is captained by Jason Lyons, while his vice-captain Glen Higgins has achieved great success in another sporting sphere, swimming, in which he’s a winner of multiple Ulster Schools’ Championships – a success he’d love to bring to rugby!
Top points scorer is Jamie Hewitt, a member of the famous Hewitt rugby family.
Former players from Wellington College are now making an increasing impression in the adult game, and be assured many of these ex-pupils will be urging their successors on against the Lisburn visitors.
The Friends’ team has experienced a good deal of success in the course of the current season, but at something of a cost with a number of established players now missing due to injury, amongst them Gareth Hill, an astute lineout operator in both attacking and defensive lineouts.
Coach Stephen Robinson, who is assisted by the evergreen Norman Gamble and Ivor Monaghan, has received great help from Peter Weir who is looking after the Strength and Conditioning of the Lisburn school’s squad. They will all be hoping that their batch of Ulster Schools’ U16 squad members, Ben McCaughey, Bradley Mulholland, George Pringle and Ross Stewart recover sufficiently well from injury setbacks to be available for selection.
Skipper James Maxwell missed a number of games but he is now back leading a very workmanlike pack from the front. It has been dominant throughout the season with Kirk McGrady and Adam Milligan key to the success up front.
A supply of quality possession will release a Friends’ School backline, with David Stewart, Curtis Dundas and David Newell among a number of key players, to ask questions of the Wellington College defence, though an early-season win over the College will count for nothing in the Schools’ Cup.
ROYAL SCHOOL DUNGANNON v CARRICKFERGUS GRAMMAR SCHOOL (Saturday, kick-off 10.45 a.m.)
The Royal School, Dungannon squad will be aware its proud Ulster Schools’ Cup tradition when it takes on Carrickfergus Grammar School.
Dungannon has been away to Portugal to prepare for a game packed with interest, and with the sun on their backs, players had the opportunity to work on individual as well as unit skills, tactical awareness and the strength and conditioning aspects of the game. RS Dungannon coach Gareth McClintock will be well aware of the talents of a number of the players his team will play against as he taught in Carrickfergus GS before taking up his post in Dungannon a few years ago!
Gareth is assisted by the experienced Gareth Lucas and Jason Hunniford, all three determined to guide the team deep into this year’s Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup.
Having won the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Trophy in each of the last two seasons, and the main tournament is now most certainly the focus. Captain Peter Doran brings a wealth of representative experience to his squad as he was a key member of the Ulster U19 squad and is looking forward to being involved with the next Ulster U20 squad.
Joseph Cashel, Aaron Perry and Josh Fegan have been amongst the tries this season, with Aaron kicking quite a few points with his trusty boot.
In the pack there are a number of emerging players who have caught the eye as well, including Josh Patton, the Year 12 No.8, a nephew of Keith Patton, the former RS Dungannon, Ulster and Ireland Schools’ Coach. Also in the back row Calvin Nelson is a youngster renowned for his pace and tenacious tackling, and a cousin of one of the rising stars of Ulster Rugby, Peter Nelson.
The Carrickfergus Grammar School side, coached by Neal Kennedy, Peter Martin and Paul Baxter, came successfully through their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Preliminary Round game against a spirited Strabane Academy team by 10-3, and that should perhaps settle a few nerves on Saturday morning in Tyrone.
Carrickfergus GS had a successful cup campaign last season but lost quite a few of the starting XV from that campaign. Indeed, only Fionn McCormack remains from that side and he is a player the RS Dungannon team will need to monitor closely, being at the centre of all that has positive for Carrickfergus this season. He is the leading points scorer for his team and the player whose game management skills got his team over the line in their preliminary round game.
Skipper Nathan Fugard made his presence felt against Strabane Academy and he got great support from players such as Nathan Doherty, Aaron Stevenson, Josh Boys, Ian Woodside, Jeremy Addley and Peter Mitchell, and it is in them that much will be invested against Dungannon.
Fugard forms an effective half-back partnership with McCormack, everyone associated with the Carrickfergus Grammar School team will be hoping that their hard-working back-row Mark Snoddy will be available for selection. His appearance after injury could prove be a major psychological boost for his team-mates.
BANBRIDGE ACADEMY v ANTRIM GRAMMAR SCHOOL (Saturday, kick-off 10.30 a.m.)
Banbridge Academy will be hoping for an improvement in fortunes when it plays Antrim Grammar School, the Academy finding difficulties difficult to come by this season.
The squad is coached by Brian Leslie, assisted by Roy Stevenson, and is a mixture of youth and experience. Nine Year 14 players, ten Year 13 and six Year 12 players are in line for selection for the Cup-tie.
Nine of the squad, including the experienced half-back partnership of Jordan Mount and Ben Thompson, played in the same fixture last season and the entire Banbridge Academy squad will be hoping for a similar outcome! Captain and winger Michael McGaffin will be looking to players such as Tom Lyttle, Timmy Beattie, Ethan Cromie and Peter Heaney in the Banbridge Academy pack to lay the foundations for a victory.
Jordan Mount and Timmy Beattie have been the leading try-scorers and both these players have been involved in Ulster Age Grade Development squads. Ben Thompson will hope to add to his growing reputation as a points scorer, while Ben Russell and Jack Dologhan, in the back division, will hope to take advantage of any scoring opportunities.
The Antrim Grammar School squad has been working hard under the coaching team of Robin McKenna, Mark Hermin and Michael Duncan who have seen their young charges improve week on week.
Team captain Daniel McGrandles is a player who leads his team well, and demands and commands support. .There have been close contests with Belfast High School, Larne Grammar School and Lurgan College, and its hard work will see it approach the game in Banbridge with a great degree of confidence.
JJ McKee, a member of the Ulster Schools’ U18 squad, is a player to be watched and has been among the top try-scorers, as are Adam Johnston and McGrandles. Banbridge Academy team will also have to carefully watch Josh Battishill, Andy Craig and Jack Francis, if there is not to be what would be seen as an upset on the cards.
Brothers John and Patrick Adair are vital members of the Antrim Grammar School squad and if the players can continue with their positive approach to this game it could prove to be more than an interesting encounter.
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL v FOYLE & L’DERRY COLLEGE (Saturday, kick-off 11a.m.)
Belfast High School will hope for a change in fortunes when they host Foyle and Londonderry College, like a number of other schools the team lost a large number of players at the end of last season and is currently in rebuild mode. Team coaches Michael Rainey and David Scott are experienced personnel who realise that this phase can take a few seasons to bear fruit, but they have a group of talented young players with which to work.
High School captain Harry Burbidge realises he has to get his colleagues into a positive frame of mind for the Cup, and will look to the experiences gained by Tyler Arnold who was involved with the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ U18 squad earlier in the season. Tyler has been among the top try-scorers this season and he will be keen to add to his total.
Simon White is another key player, keen to punish any infringements from the opposition. He has built up an impressive points tally already this season and will be only too willing to add to that.
Emerging talents such as Sam McBride and Ryan Gibson, allied to the skills of Arnold and White, could be key to the eventual outcome of this game.
The Foyle and Londonderry College team would seem to have an indifferent season so far in terms of results. However, closer analysis suggests it has never been too far off.
Foyle College coaches David Barnett and Ian Orr have worked hard to ensure their players are well ‘up’ for this game, and a recent victory in against a very good City of Derry RFC U18 team will have given the side a great deal of confidence for the Cup game.
Matthew Orr has emerged as a key player for the team throughout the current season as an effective try-scorer with the ball in hand and an outstanding place-kicker.
Reece Hughes, Matthew Alford, Thomas Cole, Cameron McCracken, Stephen Mills and Killene Thornton are other College players whose performances will need to be closely watched by the Belfast High School defence in what could be an intriguing encounter.
Carrickfergus Grammar School negotiated a tricky preliminary round game with Strabane Academy last month and takes its place in an intriguing series of matches – with all the players and coaches dreaming of a place in the St. Patrick’s Day Final at Kingspan Stadium.
CAMBRIDGE HOUSE v LIMAVADY GRAMMAR SCHOOL (Friday, Eaton Park, kick-off 7.30 p.m.)
Friday night sees the first match of the weekend when Cambridge House of Ballymena takes on Limavady Grammar School at Eaton Park.
John Nicholl and his coaching assistants Matthew Harkness and Maurice Bell have been nurturing a relatively inexperienced group of players but one which has worked hard in the course of the season. Hooker Kane McBride is the team captain and with Harry Spiers provides an experienced base. The team has lost more games than they have won so far this season but the turnouts at training have been excellent and a recent training camp close to Dublin has further developed the positive team spirit. Back-row Reuben Russell has impressed with his try scoring performances this season, James Bovill is the top points scorer, and he has formed a good midfield partnership with Sam Millar. another player who has produced some eye catching performances this season. The Cambridge House coaching staff recognises it’s dealing with a very spirited group of mainly young players hoping for their best performance of the season in this Ulster Schools’ Cup game.
Limavady Grammar School made it to the third round last year and will at the very least hope to replicate that, staring with a win at Eaton Park.
Coaches Chris Nash and Brian Hughes have seen their young charges play well in many games this season but not able to close things out in the final quarter of the game. In players such as Ethan Sherrard, Gareth Kee and Aaron Rathfield Limavady Grammar School team has the ability to ask questions of any opposition, with captain Mark Woods sharing the top try scoring accolade with Sherrard, while Jim McCartney has been very accurate with his trusty kicking boots.
This is a young Limavady GS squad with just five Year 14 players in the squad, while other Year 12 players such as James Scott, Robbie Hunter and Alistair McKee are all regular 1st XV selections and keen to express themselves against Cambridge House.
LARNE GRAMMAR SCHOOL v ROYAL SCHOOL ARMAGH (Saturday, kick-off 11a.m.)
Larne Grammar School will be delighted to be playing at home when they meet the Royal School, Armagh team. Working hard under the experienced eyes of coaches Jonny Lowe and Barry Kirkpatrick the players had achieved some impressive results, its back-row trio of captain Al Black, Matthew Magarell and Adam Maguire each impressing.
John Hyndman is a key player and top try and points-scorer, while younger players such as Steven Topping and Micah Stevenson have really come through this year.
Season-ending injuries have been a scourge but the players and coaching staff still feel there is enough ability within the squad to make a Schools’ Cup impact with an upset win over Armagh.
Royal School, Armagh team has experienced difficulties in terms of consistency this season, and injuries have played their part. However the younger members of the squad have been working really hard, and coaches, David Dougherty and Chris Parker will be hoping all their hard work will pay off in Larne.
Despite their injury difficulties the team has recorded a number of impressive victories, most notably against Coleraine Grammar School earlier in the season, while at a recent training camp in Enfield the Royal School defeated Leinster Schools’ Cup holders Cistercian College, Roscrea.
Christopher Jennings, a player equally adept at full-back or wing shares the leading try-scorer crown with Matthew Reaney. Skipper Josh Agnew represented the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ team in the Inter-Provincial series of games in September. James McSorley was also a member of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ U18 squad while top points scorer Michael Reaney, as well as Jack Cairns, have been involved with the Ulster Schools’ U17 squad.
With seven Year 12 players in the squad one of whom, Archie McAlpine, is displaying tremendous potential, the Royal School will see their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup match at Larne as an opportunity to really launch its season.
LURGAN COLLEGE V PORTADOWN COLLEGE (Saturday, kick-off 10.30 a.m.)
Lurgan College’s ‘derby’ clash with Portadown guarantees a partisan and noisy Saturday morning!
This very talented Lurgan College team, guided by Master-in-Charge Brian Hanna and coach Geoff Caldwell, set out to substantially improve their fixture list for this season and that seems to have had the desired effect with not many visiting teams coming away from the Lough Road venue with a win. Trevor Carruthers’ coaching skills have been used to develop a young backline which loves to play with ball-in-hand.
Skipper captain Jamie Hunter is joined by his brother Ben in the Lurgan team, boys with real rugby pedigree as their grandfather Ray is a former Ulster, Ireland and British and Irish Lion. No.8 Reuben McCreery is fast emerging as a very talented player, and he’s joined by his brother Joel in the side.
The leading points scorer is full-back Robbie Norton, a player whose trusty boot has landed a near-perfect record so far this season. current season. Lurgan College prop Harry Simpson represented the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ team earlier in the season and has scored five tries, with fellow prop Ryan Emerson scoring four.
Portadown College, coached by Andrew Symington who’s assisted by Paul Heasley, has already recorded a win against Lurgan College this season and will be keen to repeat that and progress to the next round at the expense of its neighbour.
Possibly carrying the ‘favourites’ tag into this tie Portadown, captained by energetic out-half Michael Orr, has a mixture of youth and experience in the ranks with nine Year 12 pupils, six Year 13 and eight Year 14 pupils involved in the extended 1st XV squad.
The season started strongly with a deserved victory over Bangor Grammar, and entering the Cup-tie Portadown has gone on to win nine of its fourteen games. Scrum-half Brett Flack is a son of Ian Flack, a Schools’ Cup winner with Grosvenor Grammar School in 1983, while Brett’s grandfather, Willie Gribben, has been a legendary player and coaching innovator.
Matthew Neill, Peter McKeeman, James Hewitt and skipper Orr are key players in an attack-minded Portadown College back division, and Richard Gilpin, David McClelland, James Wright and Sam Whyte, bring Schools’ Cup experience to the pack.
WELLINGTON COLLEGE v FRIENDS’ SCHOOL LISBURN (Saturday, kick-off 10.30 a.m.)
Wellington College, Belfast, will know it has a mighty task on its hand with the visit to Carolan Road of Friends’ School, Lisburn.
Wellington coach Peter Chambers, assisted by Stuart Smith and Gareth Montgomery, takes great pride in the fact he has built up a senior squad of over forty players in the school, the reason perhaps why the College will enter the tie with a great degree of confidence.
The team is captained by Jason Lyons, while his vice-captain Glen Higgins has achieved great success in another sporting sphere, swimming, in which he’s a winner of multiple Ulster Schools’ Championships – a success he’d love to bring to rugby!
Top points scorer is Jamie Hewitt, a member of the famous Hewitt rugby family.
Former players from Wellington College are now making an increasing impression in the adult game, and be assured many of these ex-pupils will be urging their successors on against the Lisburn visitors.
The Friends’ team has experienced a good deal of success in the course of the current season, but at something of a cost with a number of established players now missing due to injury, amongst them Gareth Hill, an astute lineout operator in both attacking and defensive lineouts.
Coach Stephen Robinson, who is assisted by the evergreen Norman Gamble and Ivor Monaghan, has received great help from Peter Weir who is looking after the Strength and Conditioning of the Lisburn school’s squad. They will all be hoping that their batch of Ulster Schools’ U16 squad members, Ben McCaughey, Bradley Mulholland, George Pringle and Ross Stewart recover sufficiently well from injury setbacks to be available for selection.
Skipper James Maxwell missed a number of games but he is now back leading a very workmanlike pack from the front. It has been dominant throughout the season with Kirk McGrady and Adam Milligan key to the success up front.
A supply of quality possession will release a Friends’ School backline, with David Stewart, Curtis Dundas and David Newell among a number of key players, to ask questions of the Wellington College defence, though an early-season win over the College will count for nothing in the Schools’ Cup.
ROYAL SCHOOL DUNGANNON v CARRICKFERGUS GRAMMAR SCHOOL (Saturday, kick-off 10.45 a.m.)
The Royal School, Dungannon squad will be aware its proud Ulster Schools’ Cup tradition when it takes on Carrickfergus Grammar School.
Dungannon has been away to Portugal to prepare for a game packed with interest, and with the sun on their backs, players had the opportunity to work on individual as well as unit skills, tactical awareness and the strength and conditioning aspects of the game. RS Dungannon coach Gareth McClintock will be well aware of the talents of a number of the players his team will play against as he taught in Carrickfergus GS before taking up his post in Dungannon a few years ago!
Gareth is assisted by the experienced Gareth Lucas and Jason Hunniford, all three determined to guide the team deep into this year’s Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup.
Having won the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Trophy in each of the last two seasons, and the main tournament is now most certainly the focus. Captain Peter Doran brings a wealth of representative experience to his squad as he was a key member of the Ulster U19 squad and is looking forward to being involved with the next Ulster U20 squad.
Joseph Cashel, Aaron Perry and Josh Fegan have been amongst the tries this season, with Aaron kicking quite a few points with his trusty boot.
In the pack there are a number of emerging players who have caught the eye as well, including Josh Patton, the Year 12 No.8, a nephew of Keith Patton, the former RS Dungannon, Ulster and Ireland Schools’ Coach. Also in the back row Calvin Nelson is a youngster renowned for his pace and tenacious tackling, and a cousin of one of the rising stars of Ulster Rugby, Peter Nelson.
The Carrickfergus Grammar School side, coached by Neal Kennedy, Peter Martin and Paul Baxter, came successfully through their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Preliminary Round game against a spirited Strabane Academy team by 10-3, and that should perhaps settle a few nerves on Saturday morning in Tyrone.
Carrickfergus GS had a successful cup campaign last season but lost quite a few of the starting XV from that campaign. Indeed, only Fionn McCormack remains from that side and he is a player the RS Dungannon team will need to monitor closely, being at the centre of all that has positive for Carrickfergus this season. He is the leading points scorer for his team and the player whose game management skills got his team over the line in their preliminary round game.
Skipper Nathan Fugard made his presence felt against Strabane Academy and he got great support from players such as Nathan Doherty, Aaron Stevenson, Josh Boys, Ian Woodside, Jeremy Addley and Peter Mitchell, and it is in them that much will be invested against Dungannon.
Fugard forms an effective half-back partnership with McCormack, everyone associated with the Carrickfergus Grammar School team will be hoping that their hard-working back-row Mark Snoddy will be available for selection. His appearance after injury could prove be a major psychological boost for his team-mates.
BANBRIDGE ACADEMY v ANTRIM GRAMMAR SCHOOL (Saturday, kick-off 10.30 a.m.)
Banbridge Academy will be hoping for an improvement in fortunes when it plays Antrim Grammar School, the Academy finding difficulties difficult to come by this season.
The squad is coached by Brian Leslie, assisted by Roy Stevenson, and is a mixture of youth and experience. Nine Year 14 players, ten Year 13 and six Year 12 players are in line for selection for the Cup-tie.
Nine of the squad, including the experienced half-back partnership of Jordan Mount and Ben Thompson, played in the same fixture last season and the entire Banbridge Academy squad will be hoping for a similar outcome! Captain and winger Michael McGaffin will be looking to players such as Tom Lyttle, Timmy Beattie, Ethan Cromie and Peter Heaney in the Banbridge Academy pack to lay the foundations for a victory.
Jordan Mount and Timmy Beattie have been the leading try-scorers and both these players have been involved in Ulster Age Grade Development squads. Ben Thompson will hope to add to his growing reputation as a points scorer, while Ben Russell and Jack Dologhan, in the back division, will hope to take advantage of any scoring opportunities.
The Antrim Grammar School squad has been working hard under the coaching team of Robin McKenna, Mark Hermin and Michael Duncan who have seen their young charges improve week on week.
Team captain Daniel McGrandles is a player who leads his team well, and demands and commands support. .There have been close contests with Belfast High School, Larne Grammar School and Lurgan College, and its hard work will see it approach the game in Banbridge with a great degree of confidence.
JJ McKee, a member of the Ulster Schools’ U18 squad, is a player to be watched and has been among the top try-scorers, as are Adam Johnston and McGrandles. Banbridge Academy team will also have to carefully watch Josh Battishill, Andy Craig and Jack Francis, if there is not to be what would be seen as an upset on the cards.
Brothers John and Patrick Adair are vital members of the Antrim Grammar School squad and if the players can continue with their positive approach to this game it could prove to be more than an interesting encounter.
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL v FOYLE & L’DERRY COLLEGE (Saturday, kick-off 11a.m.)
Belfast High School will hope for a change in fortunes when they host Foyle and Londonderry College, like a number of other schools the team lost a large number of players at the end of last season and is currently in rebuild mode. Team coaches Michael Rainey and David Scott are experienced personnel who realise that this phase can take a few seasons to bear fruit, but they have a group of talented young players with which to work.
High School captain Harry Burbidge realises he has to get his colleagues into a positive frame of mind for the Cup, and will look to the experiences gained by Tyler Arnold who was involved with the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ U18 squad earlier in the season. Tyler has been among the top try-scorers this season and he will be keen to add to his total.
Simon White is another key player, keen to punish any infringements from the opposition. He has built up an impressive points tally already this season and will be only too willing to add to that.
Emerging talents such as Sam McBride and Ryan Gibson, allied to the skills of Arnold and White, could be key to the eventual outcome of this game.
The Foyle and Londonderry College team would seem to have an indifferent season so far in terms of results. However, closer analysis suggests it has never been too far off.
Foyle College coaches David Barnett and Ian Orr have worked hard to ensure their players are well ‘up’ for this game, and a recent victory in against a very good City of Derry RFC U18 team will have given the side a great deal of confidence for the Cup game.
Matthew Orr has emerged as a key player for the team throughout the current season as an effective try-scorer with the ball in hand and an outstanding place-kicker.
Reece Hughes, Matthew Alford, Thomas Cole, Cameron McCracken, Stephen Mills and Killene Thornton are other College players whose performances will need to be closely watched by the Belfast High School defence in what could be an intriguing encounter.