Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Round Up Saturday 18th November 2023.
In the lead up to the 2nd Round of Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Group Stage games, played on Saturday 18th November, a number of games took place during the week in the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Shield and Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ 3rdxv Cup competitions.
On Tuesday 14th November Ballymoney High School played Limavady Grammar School in the 1st Round of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Shield. The final result was Ballymoney High School 7 Limavady Grammar School 24
On the same afternoon Wellington College played Bangor Academy in the 1st Round of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Shield. Bangor Academy won this game by 45-24.
On Wednesday 15th November Banbridge Academy 3rdxv played Methodist College, Belfast 4thxv in the 1st Round of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ 3rdxv Cup.
At the end of an exciting game the Methodist College, Belfast 4thxv emerged as 17-10 winners.
On the same afternoon Sullivan Upper School 1stxv hosted the Terenure College SCT from Dublin. This was another exciting game which saw the Terenure College team record a 36-21 victory.
The Sullivan Upper School team scored three tries with Nathan Noble, Sam Harper and Jake Scott each touching down for one try. Harry McKeown was successful with all three of his conversion kicks.
The Terenure College team scored six tries with Dan Martin running in for a brace, and Louis Moran, Caspar Gabriel, Elliot Mallon and Adam Cooper each touching down for one try. Caspar Gabriel added the extras to three of the Terenure College tries.
On Thursday 16th November Ballyclare Secondary School hosted Strabane Academy in the 1st Round of Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Shield.
Following a closely contested game it was the Ballyclare Secondary School team that came away with a 12-7 victory.
On Saturday 18th November twelve Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 2 Group Stage games were scheduled to have taken place.
However, the heavy rainfall, in the lead-up to Saturday 18th, impacted on one game in Group A when Enniskillen Royal Grammar School was to have played Royal School, Armagh. This game was postponed and has been rescheduled for Wednesday 22nd November at 2-30pm.
In the other Group A game Lurgan College played Omagh Academy in an exciting game the Omagh Academy team won by 26-12.
The Lurgan College team scored two tries through Daniel Wilson with Ben Maxwell adding one conversion.
The Omagh Academy team scored four tries through Gareth Short, Sam Busby and Jamie Mitchell, who touched twice. Sam Busby added three successful conversions.
In Group B Dromore High School played Down High School and won the game by 28-19. This Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Group Stage game was refereed by Mark Orr and marked the 40th consecutive season for Mark refereeing Ulster Schools’ Cup games. Quite an achievement!
Chris McBride, Jonny Beckett, Callum Bradley and Sam McElroy scored the Dromore High School tries with Daniel Ennis-McManus adding the extras to all four tries.
Lewis Connolly, Joe Doherty and Ryan Halpin scored the Down High School tries with Josh McCaughey adding two successful conversions.
Friends’ School, Lisburn entertained Belfast High School in a game which saw the Friends’ School, Lisburn team go to the top of the group following their 38-13 win.
The Friends’ School team controlled both territory and possession for long periods of the game.
They scored six tries through Conor Hall, Joel Collins, who ran in for two, Scott Henderson, Tadhg McMaster and Joel Barron. Harry Moore added successful conversions to four of the tries.
The Belfast High School points came through two penalties from Archie Cruickshank, one try from Joey Ashby and one conversion from Leo O’ Loingsigh.
In Group C Foyle and Londonderry College played Belfast Royal Academy in a game the Belfast Royal Academy won by 32-7.
The Foyle College points came through a try from Robbie Patterson which was converted by Darwyn Nutt.
The Belfast Royal Academy points came through tries from Josh McLaughlin, Frank Davis, Adam Hewitt, Nathan Rossal and Ethan Pavlovic, who touched down for a brace.
Frank Davis was successful with one of his conversions.
Grosvenor Grammar School played Rainey Endowed School in a game the Rainey Endowed School won by 40-0.
The Rainey Endowed School try scorers were James Cappell, who scored two, Paul McCloskey, Rossa Bell, Billy Allen and Tom Pitts. Owen O’Kane added the conversions to five of the tries.
In Group D Royal School, Dungannon played Bangor Grammar School in a game the Royal School, Dungannon team won by 35-12.
The Royal School, Dungannon tries came through two from Josh Ferguson, two from John Carroll and one from Nathan Hamilton. James Gibson added the extras to all five tries.
The Bangor Grammar School points came through tries from Callum Moore and Shay Ritchie with Adam Bickerstaff adding one successful conversion.
Portadown College played Larne Grammar School in a tense game that finished as an 18-18 draw.
Bobby Newell and Jack Todd each scored one try for the Portadown College team with John Speers adding one successful conversion as well as two successful penalty kicks.
The Larne Grammar School team scored three tries through Reuben Marsden and Ethan Anderson, who touched down for a brace. Ethan Duncan converted one penalty kick opportunity.
In Group E Banbridge Academy played Ballyclare High School and won the game by 21-0.
The Ballyclare High School team started the game in all out-attack mode but could find no was past a resolute Banbridge Academy defence.
The Banbridge Academy team then took control of the game and, on the back of some great game management from their scrum half, Fergus Always, went on to score three tries.
Joey Mackrell, Darragh Knox and Connor Magee scored the tries with Andrew Jackson adding all three conversions.
Carrickfergus Grammar School played Limavady Grammar School in a game the Limavady Grammar School team won by 34-7.
The Carrickfergus Grammar School team scored a try through Ellis Branagh to which he added the conversion.
The Limavady Grammar School team scored six tries through James Rhodes, Scott Hawthorne, Odhran Clenaghan, Calum Watts, Ben Moore and Freddie Gault. James Laird added two successful conversions.
In Group F Coleraine Grammar School hosted Regent House School in a game the Regent House School team won by 37-7.
The Coleraine Grammar School team points came through a try from Joshua Hawe which was converted by Jordan McAuley.
For the Regent House School team, Lewis Robinson, Matthew Callaghan, with two, Nathan Bell and Jack Sharpe were the try scorers. Evan McGonigle added the extras to two of the tries as well as converting three penalty kicks.
Dalriada School played Cambridge House Grammar School in a very tense game from which the Dalriada School team emerged as 13-3 winners.
The Dalriada School points came through a try from Adam Bustard, and one conversion, as well as one penalty, from Gabriel Stubbs-Carton.
The Cambridge House Grammar School team points came as a result of a Josh Dobbin penalty.
The Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Committee was delighted that all the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Group stage games, played on Saturday 18th November, were refereed by members of the USRFR.
Despite not being involved, at this stage of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup competitions, Strabane Academy played Antrim Grammar School in a great game of schoolboy rugby with the final score reading Strabane Academy 28 Antrim Grammar School 24.
The Strabane Academy team had built up a 28-0 lead by the interval with tries from Ryan McCauley, Felix Foley, Tom Logue and Cahair McGrath. Jonathan Orr added the extras to all four tries.
The Antrim Grammar School rallied strongly in the course of the second half of this game. They got rewarded for their endeavours with a hattrick of tries from Jack Quigley, one try from Eoin Byrne, as well as two successful conversions from Boris Lestiansky.
Campbell College, Belfast hosted Royal Belfast Academical Institution in a game the Belfast Inst won by 24-0.
Alex Place, James Kerr, Milo Carter and James Clark scored the Royal Belfast Academical Institution tries with Alex adding two successful conversions.
Methodist College, Belfast and Clongowes Wood College met in a high scoring game the Clongowes Wood College team won by 36-26.
Jack Tindal, Tyrese Abolarin, with two, and Lewis Doherty scored the Methodist College tries with Jack Tindal adding three successful conversions.
The Clongowes Wood College tries were scored by Gavin Keane, Thomas Strickland, Callum McDonald, Rossa Williams and Conor Lysaght. Ross Doyle added three successful conversions.
Blackrock College hosted Wallace High School in a game which finished with a 36-36 scoreline.
The Blackrock try scorers were Conor Nel, Alex Doorly, Luke Fitzpatrick and Michael Carolan, with two. Declan Cadden converted two tries, as well as one penalty, with Rudy O’Reilly adding two conversions.
The Wallace High School team scored five tries through Matthew Dickson, James Gould, with two, Daniel Wilson and Daniel Hearne. Lewis Stevenson added the extras to four of the tries as well as converting one penalty.
