The tournament takes to the pitch on 11th February and will see Under 18 players from 11 clubs compete every Wednesday evening at Chambers Park, the home of Portadown RFC. The first round fixtures, drawn by John Kinnear, President of Ulster Branch (IRFU) will see three matches including last year’s semi-finalists Banbridge who will take on Omagh. This year, five teams including home side Portadown, Ballynahinch, Dromore, Randalstown and last year’s runner up Malone received a bye into the quarter finals.
Round 1 Fixtures:
Wed 11th Feb - Ballymena v Larne
Wed 18th Feb - Clogher Valley v Rainey
Wed 25th Feb - Omagh v Banbridge
Byes - Ballynahinch, Dromore, Malone, Portadown, Randalstown
Irwin’s Bakery has been supporting the tournament since the first match was played 36 years ago. Brian Irwin, Chairman of the tournament’s primary sponsor, Irwin’s Bakery, explained.
“The much-loved tournament is a fantastic opportunity for young talent to hone their skills and play competitively at a high level against their peers from across Northern Ireland. Irwin’s has a long history of supporting grassroots sports development in a range of different disciplines - and it’s been rewarding over the years to have seen young players progress from the tournament to the highest level in the sport. I would like to mention the organisers and officials who commit their time to the tournament every week - a big thank you to them - and I would encourage the whole family to come along to Portadown RFC every Wednesday at 7.45pm to support the teams and get involved!” Mr Irwin concluded.