The second round of Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup this weekend will see All Ireland Junior Cup representatives Portadown, Clogher Valley and Donaghadee entering the competition. Clogher Valley are the current holders after narrowly defeating Ballynahinch 2nds in the final at Ravenhill last season.
Banbridge 2nds v Donaghadee
After suffering a heavy home league defeat to Ballymoney last Saturday, coaches Stuart Hennessey and Paul McKenzie will hope the availability of several key forwards ...
The second round of Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup this weekend will see All Ireland Junior Cup representatives Portadown, Clogher Valley and Donaghadee entering the competition. Clogher Valley are the current holders after narrowly defeating Ballynahinch 2nds in the final at Ravenhill last season. Banbridge 2nds v Donaghadee After suffering a heavy home league defeat to Ballymoney last Saturday, coaches Stuart Hennessey and Paul McKenzie will hope the availability of several key forwards will provide the platform for the talented 'Dee backline to get back to winning ways. Ulster Juniors open side Chris Hamilton is such a key player for the North Down side, who will look to his dynamic play to give his team the all important win at Rifle Park. Banbridge 2nds recorded a 42-19 win over City of Derry 2nds in the previous round. Banbridge have ever improving squad depth but Donaghadee should win. Instonians 2nds v Coleraine (Fri 11th Sep, 7.30pm) The Shaws Bridge side recorded an impressive 12-9 win at Carrick in the previous round. There is a real buzz amongst the players and the coaching team at Instonians, led by William Leacock. They feel their 2nds have the ability to defeat Qualifying One side Coleraine, who have had a tough start to the season. The North coast side have suffered two recent league defeats to title contenders Bangor and Portadown, but Coleraine captain Stephen Douglas would be confident his team should win this tie. There is always potential for an upset though. Ballyclare v Omagh What a tasty encounter between these two Qualifying Two sides with both having ambitions of securing league and Cup success this season. Ballyclare have had the upper hand over Omagh in recent cup fixtures and their dominance of the league would make them firm favourites to win this game. But this is the Cup and anything is possible and Omagh coach Phil Marshall will have his side 'fired up' for this game. Ballymoney v Dromore Two weeks ago both teams met in the league at Barban Hill with the game ending up 15-15. Dromore suffered a 44-10 defeat at home to a strong Bangor side last Saturday, with Ballymoney recording an emphatic 39-18 win at Donaghadee, scoring five tries in the process. In Captain and prop Alex Houston, Ballymoney have a strong pack that includes second row Aidy Graham along with number 8 Jonny Hanna and the impressive Ryan Clyde. Dromore coaches Dewet Bekker and Jeremy Ogle have much work to lift their team for this difficult cup tie. Ballymoney should win with home advantage. Ballynahinch 2nds v Limavady Last season's Cup finalists, Ballynahinch, will start as strong favourites in this game at Ballymacarn Park. When it comes to the MMW Junior and Powerade Towns Cup competitions, 'Hinch are always serious contenders for silverware. Limavady had an encouraging 20-10 win at Enniskillen in the first round and they will travel with confidence after winning the North West derby league game at Strabane 25-6 last Saturday. Ballynahinch are the likely winners. Bangor v Portadown This game at Upritchard Park has received much attention since the draw was announced with a large crowd expected at this cup tie. Portadown recorded a narrow 26-24 league win on the opening day at the North Down venue. Bangor will be seeking to overturn their narrow loss. With two points separating the teams at the top of Qualifying One - Portadown have the advantage even though Bangor have played a game less than the current league holders. Despite Portadown having lost key back row forwards Stuart Lamb and Gareth McCoy to injury, the Mid Ulster side continue to impress in their quest to retain the title. Despite their success last season, the Chambers Park team were disappointed they were not able to mount a challenge for either the Junior or Towns Cup. Bangor will go into this game as favourites following impressive league wins at Coleraine and Dromore. A fascinating game for followers of club rugby in Ulster to attend. It should be a cracking game and the winner is too tough to call. Randalstown v Grosvenor Grosvenor recorded an impressive 32-27 win over Ballymena 2nds in the previous round with promotion a realistic goal for the Belmont side after winning 25-23 at home to Omagh. But heir expectations were seriously dented after Enniskillen beat them 32-12 last Saturday. Randalstown recorded an excellent 25-10 win at Rainey 2nds in the previous round and lost a recent home league game to a strong Academy side (23-20). Both coaches Gary Longwell and Peter Lowry will be plotting their teams' progress to the next round. Grosvenor should win but expect the home side to make it very difficult. UUC v Clogher Valley The students will have to contend with the current holders who will be smarting from their 31-24 defeat at CIYMS last Saturday. They inflicted an 53-3 defeat on Ards 2nds in the previous round. The students were expected to build on this win but have suffered league defeats to Coleraine, Dromore and Cooke in recent weeks. The men from the Cran will not want to slip up in this tie and should progress with relative ease.
The second round of Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup this weekend will see All Ireland Junior Cup representatives Portadown, Clogher Valley and Donaghadee entering the competition. Clogher Valley are the current holders after narrowly defeating Ballynahinch 2nds in the final at Ravenhill last season. Banbridge 2nds v Donaghadee After suffering a heavy home league defeat to Ballymoney last Saturday, coaches Stuart Hennessey and Paul McKenzie will hope the availability of several key forwards will provide the platform for the talented 'Dee backline to get back to winning ways. Ulster Juniors open side Chris Hamilton is such a key player for the North Down side, who will look to his dynamic play to give his team the all important win at Rifle Park. Banbridge 2nds recorded a 42-19 win over City of Derry 2nds in the previous round. Banbridge have ever improving squad depth but Donaghadee should win. Instonians 2nds v Coleraine (Fri 11th Sep, 7.30pm) The Shaws Bridge side recorded an impressive 12-9 win at Carrick in the previous round. There is a real buzz amongst the players and the coaching team at Instonians, led by William Leacock. They feel their 2nds have the ability to defeat Qualifying One side Coleraine, who have had a tough start to the season. The North coast side have suffered two recent league defeats to title contenders Bangor and Portadown, but Coleraine captain Stephen Douglas would be confident his team should win this tie. There is always potential for an upset though. Ballyclare v Omagh What a tasty encounter between these two Qualifying Two sides with both having ambitions of securing league and Cup success this season. Ballyclare have had the upper hand over Omagh in recent cup fixtures and their dominance of the league would make them firm favourites to win this game. But this is the Cup and anything is possible and Omagh coach Phil Marshall will have his side 'fired up' for this game. Ballymoney v Dromore Two weeks ago both teams met in the league at Barban Hill with the game ending up 15-15. Dromore suffered a 44-10 defeat at home to a strong Bangor side last Saturday, with Ballymoney recording an emphatic 39-18 win at Donaghadee, scoring five tries in the process. In Captain and prop Alex Houston, Ballymoney have a strong pack that includes second row Aidy Graham along with number 8 Jonny Hanna and the impressive Ryan Clyde. Dromore coaches Dewet Bekker and Jeremy Ogle have much work to lift their team for this difficult cup tie. Ballymoney should win with home advantage. Ballynahinch 2nds v Limavady Last season's Cup finalists, Ballynahinch, will start as strong favourites in this game at Ballymacarn Park. When it comes to the MMW Junior and Powerade Towns Cup competitions, 'Hinch are always serious contenders for silverware. Limavady had an encouraging 20-10 win at Enniskillen in the first round and they will travel with confidence after winning the North West derby league game at Strabane 25-6 last Saturday. Ballynahinch are the likely winners. Bangor v Portadown This game at Upritchard Park has received much attention since the draw was announced with a large crowd expected at this cup tie. Portadown recorded a narrow 26-24 league win on the opening day at the North Down venue. Bangor will be seeking to overturn their narrow loss. With two points separating the teams at the top of Qualifying One - Portadown have the advantage even though Bangor have played a game less than the current league holders. Despite Portadown having lost key back row forwards Stuart Lamb and Gareth McCoy to injury, the Mid Ulster side continue to impress in their quest to retain the title. Despite their success last season, the Chambers Park team were disappointed they were not able to mount a challenge for either the Junior or Towns Cup. Bangor will go into this game as favourites following impressive league wins at Coleraine and Dromore. A fascinating game for followers of club rugby in Ulster to attend. It should be a cracking game and the winner is too tough to call. Randalstown v Grosvenor Grosvenor recorded an impressive 32-27 win over Ballymena 2nds in the previous round with promotion a realistic goal for the Belmont side after winning 25-23 at home to Omagh. But heir expectations were seriously dented after Enniskillen beat them 32-12 last Saturday. Randalstown recorded an excellent 25-10 win at Rainey 2nds in the previous round and lost a recent home league game to a strong Academy side (23-20). Both coaches Gary Longwell and Peter Lowry will be plotting their teams' progress to the next round. Grosvenor should win but expect the home side to make it very difficult. UUC v Clogher Valley The students will have to contend with the current holders who will be smarting from their 31-24 defeat at CIYMS last Saturday. They inflicted an 53-3 defeat on Ards 2nds in the previous round. The students were expected to build on this win but have suffered league defeats to Coleraine, Dromore and Cooke in recent weeks. The men from the Cran will not want to slip up in this tie and should progress with relative ease.