Rugby Extravaganza @ City of Derry Rugby Club
City of Derry Rugby Club are hosting a Rugby Extravaganza over the next week at Judges Road that will embrace the Mini and Youth Sections of the Club. The Mini Section will welcome Primary School Teams from around the City and County while the Youth section welcome teams from England and Scotland.
The action kicks off on Saturday when the City of Derry Under 14’s welcome Loughborough Grammar School to Judges Road on Monday evening for a 4.30pm Kick-off. Loughborough are on a short weekend tour of N Ireland playing in Belfast on Saturday and coming to Derry on Monday for a Civic Reception and a Tour of the City at lunchtime. The Under 14’s will be organised and Coached by Paddy O’Hagan.
The Primary Schools in the City and County connect with the Rugby Club on Tuesday for two big events. The first event runs from10.30am to 12.30pm and will be organised by Derry City Council under their Active Community Program in Primary Schools with Ryan Deegan and Kevin Gallagher the main drivers. The schools with boys and girls participating are Holy Family, Model, Drumahoe, Chapel Road, Groarty and St Eugenes with 250 pupils.
Tuesday afternoon has the Londonderry Primary School Blitz starting at 12.30pm and will be organised by Brian Gutherie from Eglinton Primary School. The Primary Schools participating are Liasnagelvin, Drumahoe, Eglinton, Limavady Central, Spires Integrated Magherafelt, Milburn Coleraine and Hezlett Castlerock.
Wednesday sees the Annual Mowbray Shield Competition which is being run again by Foyle College with David Barnett from the school the organiser. The schools participating will have a number of teams involved and they are Foyle College, St Columb’s College, Oakgeove, Castlederg High School and Strabane Academy. The Tournament starts at 10.30am with the finals are at 1.30pm.
Thursday will be a big day at Judges Road when Girls Rugby at Secondary Schools Level takes centre stage for the first time. This follows on from City of Derry Rugby Club introducing rugby to girls in Thornhill, St Marys and Lisneal for the first time last year through their Development Officer Nathan Deeney. The Ulster Branch are now doing sterling work in these schools through their Community Development Officer Glenda Mellon who is organising this Tournament. The teams participating are Lisneal, Oakgrove, Thornhill, St Ceclias, St Marys, Limavady High School and Limavady Grammar School with the action starting at 10.30am
The week of Under Age Rugby comes to a close on Friday when once again Whitecraigs Rugby Club from Scotland are the visitors. City of Derry Rugby’s Under 13’s and 15’s will take on their Scottish counterparts at 6.30pm and bring the curtain down on a unique rugby week at Judges Road. The week long rugby extravaganza is supported by Ulster Rugby with their North West Coordinator Shaun Bloomfield supplying Development Officers including City of Derry Club Captain David Funston and Nathan Deeney and Glenda Mellon to help with the organisation of proceedings.
