THERE was a real winning finale to the weekend’s Festival of Sport at Coleraine Rugby and Cricket Club.
The fantastic two day event to celebrate the opening of the new changing facilities was rounded of in glorious style on Sunday afternoon when Coleraine knocked the much fancied Dublin side, Clontarf, out of the Irish Senior Cricket Cup.
It was a dramatic and fitting finish to a weekend of competitive sport which saw the Ulster Junior rugby squad lose out 14-32 to Leinster in the final stage of the Junior Rugby Inter-Provincial series on Saturday.
The events got underway at 1.30pm on Saturday when president of the IRFU Ulster Branch, Cecil Watson, officially opened the new changing room complex at the club. Club president Brian Fillis and the Mayor of Coleraine, Sandy Gilkinson, assisted.
Prior to the main event on Saturday the mini rugby section put on a great display of rugby as a warm up for the Inter-Pro. The stars of tomorrow lined up with this year’s Junior Ulster side for joint pictures before the main match.
In glorious sunshine, a large crowd watched as Ulster fought hard to secure a win and by half time, although trailing 7-10, Ulster had everything to play for. In the second half Leinster asserted their authority and despite another converted try to Ulster , the visitors kept up the pressure to win 14-32.
Two Coleraine players were on the Ulster side. Nigel Hall had to leave the field after a severe gash to the forehead left him concussed and needing several stitches. Paul Roxborough came on at scrum half in the second half of the match.
It was on to Cricket on Sunday morning as Clontarf took to the pitch at Rugby Avenue and a dramatic game ensued. In the end Coleraine won with only three balls remaining and now progress to the next round of the All-Ireland competition I June.
The Festival of Sport was the final step in the modernisation of Coleraine Rugby and Cricket Club. The opening of the state of the art changing faciltities marks another milestone in the life of the club.
The project, which has been ongoing for several years, sees the complex consisting of changing room, showers, treatment rooms, committee rooms and gym formally declared open. The facilities have been in use for some time and, as several speakers noted during Saturday’s event, the facilities are the envy of sporting groups across the province.
The building work was carried out by H Taggart and Sons, Ballymoney and the design was carried out by GM Design Associates, Coleraine.
Coleraine RFCC is now looking forward to the rest of the cricket season and, in the autumn, to a new season of rugby.
