Randalstown RFC will host their 40th 15 a side tournament this Saturday (25th August) from 1.00 pm sharp at Neilsbrook.
This year 8 teams will compete initially in 2 groups in a round robin contest with the top 2 teams in each group going forward to contest the semi-finals and ultimately the final.
Group A will be Randalstown, Ophir, Civil Service and Holywood and the first match between Randalstown and Civil Service will kick off on Pitch 1 at 1.00 pm sharp. Ballymena, Cookstown, Lurgan and Carrickfergus will contest Group B with Ballymena and Carrick taking to Pitch 2 first at 1.00 pm.
Group games will be 10 minutes each way and the final will be 15 minutes each way. Replacements may be used at any time with the referees permission. Normal 15 a side rules will apply throughout. Teams should report to the clubhouse no later than 12.30 pm.
The principal sponsor of the tournament this year is Blackbourne Interegrated M & E and Randalstown RFC would like to thank them for their interest and support. The Managing Director of Blackbourne, Morris Cairns, presented a sponsorship cheque this week to club officials.
Blackbourne Integrated M&E offer a fully co-ordinated service for mechanical and electrical Contracting and Maintenance and environmental solutions. We have a vast knowledge base, built up through over 50 years experience in the industry.
The company operate in many different sectors such as, education, health, commercial, industrial, community and amenity. Some examples of these projects include: the McClay Library Building at Queens University and the new Critical Care Centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
Blackbourne’s maintenance division provides an efficient means of keeping buildings safe and operational, we are always ready to deliver an efficient and effective maintenance service to clients such as Translink, Lidl and CPD.
Blackbourne are committed to doing business in a responsible way which helps them impact positively on their People, the Planet and the Place where they’re located by encouraging active lifestyles, promoting environmental stewardship and encouraging youth development.
Managing Director at Blackbourne, Morris Cairns explains; “Small businesses play an important role in the fabric of any community, large or small, and bear a portion of the responsibility for making sure the community remains healthy and whole.”
As active members of Business in The Community, they support communities through volunteering, fund-raising, sponsorships, gap programmes and apprenticeship schemes.
Derek Waddell club President also welcomed both players and spectators, to this, the 40th anniversary of our 15-a-side tournament. He was able to recall the history of the Randalstown Tournament which he was happy to share.
The first Randalstown 15-a-side tournament took place in September 1972 and it has been a feature of the start of the season rugby calendar every year since. At this time there was a similar competition for senior teams which was held at Deramore Park, the home of Collegians RFC (now Belfast Harlequins RFC) in Belfast.
The original participants in the Randalstown tournament were Antrim 1st Ballyclare 1st, Ballymena 2nd, Ballymoney 1st, Carrick 1st, Larne 1st, Rainey 1st and of course ourselves as the host club. A number of those clubs are with be with us again on Saturday and we thank them for their support over the years.
Early winners of the competition include Rainey, Ballymena, Antrim and Ballyclare. Randalstown’s only two successes came in 1982 when the hosts won the subsidiary competition beating Ballymoney in the final of the McCarroll Shield, and last year when we were joint overall winners with Grosvenor HS (FP).
The original tournament winners were presented with the Moore Cup with the runner up getting the McCarroll Shield, both trophies being named after former club presidents However over the years both of these trophies have gone missing so this year the winners will receive a new Moore Cup, with a new trophy being presented to the player of the tournament. The winner of this will be selected by the panel of referees on duty at the tournament.
As we approach this season’s 40th Anniversary we look back on the success not just on the field but the fact that Randalstown RFC now host the only 15-a-side tournament in Ulster.
Any event such as this takes a great deal of organisation and our thanks is due to all those club members involved in the organisation of this years’ tournament.
There will be refreshments available throughout the day from the bar and the BBQ and everyone is warmly welcomed to come and enjoy an afternoon of rugby and hopefully kind weather conditions.
