Schools’ Cup fever took over again last week- but this time it was the girls of the province fighting for a position in the final. The local qualifiers were gone and a place in the Ulster Schools Cup Final was at stake as 35 schools battled it out at Ballymena Rugby Club and Omagh Rugby Club in the regional finals.  Not only did this year’s competition see a large increase in teams having entered, but also the standard of rugby was second to none. 

Eastern Region Qualifiers
In the Eastern Finals it was the same high quality faces who reached the Quarter Finals, with Sullivan, 2 teams from Larne Grammar, Carrick Grammar, Antrim Grammar, Grosvenor Grammar, and Wellington College, along with new finalists, Coleraine High School.  The mouth-watering tie was Sullivan (past tournament winners) against Larne; both teams have made it to the regional semi-finals and finals in every year of the tournament.  In the end Sullivan came out on top in a fiercely competitive match and progressed to the semi-finals. 

Grosvenor were drawn against Sullivan in one semi-final and Larne 2nds played against last year’s Ulster finalists, Antrim Grammar.  Grosvenor pushed Sullivan to their limits and eventually came out as 3-2 winners to reach the Regional Final for the first time in tournament history, while Antrim out-classed the spirited Larne 2nds team (in their first outing to the competition) to reach their second Regional final appearance in two years. 

The final began with a bang, with Antrim breaking through the line and looking to take an early lead, but an infringement brought the play back, and a startled Grosvenor soon found their rhythm. There were some surging runs from both sides and by the end of the game, like many of these finals, extra time had to be played.  It was golden try time and the nerves and tension began to rise not just on the pitch but also throughout the crowd.  Everyone knew that one mistake could decide the outcome of the game.  Luckily it did not come from an Antrim mistake, but rather, some excellent continuity from Grosvenor, which saw them score the Golden Try and take their place in the Ulster Girls Schools’ Cup Final. 

Western Region Qualifiers
The Western Final took place two days later with teams from Enniskillen, Armagh, Omagh, Londonderry and Donegal descending on Omagh Rugby Club.  Last year’s tournament champions, Foyle and Londonderry College arrived in strength this year, having two teams qualified and both reached the semi-final stages.  Joining them was a strong contingent from Enniskillen in the form of Mount Lourdes and Enniskillen Collegiate.   The Girls where lucky enough to have a visit from current Ulster and Ireland ‘A’ star Declan Fitzpatrick, who was present on the day to show support from the professional Ulster team for the girls’ game.

After the Pool stages, the semi-final draw ironically saw both Foyle teams drawn together and a local derby between Mount Lourdes and Enniskillen Collegiate. Last year’s winners proved too strong for their younger counterparts, although the game was still played in great spirit, as it was obvious Foyle had just reached their third final in three consecutive years.  Mount Lourdes came out on top in their match and it was a re-run of last year’s Western Regional Final with Foyle taking on Mount Lourdes. 

The game started like the weather on the day, with both teams playing some erratic rugby, but Mount Lourdes struck quickly in the first few minutes of the game and went ahead in the tie.  Moments later they pounced on a mistake by the Foyle girls and went two scores ahead, much to the Foyle team’s dismay. At half time, both teams received strong advice from their coaches. Foyle came out with a renewed vigour and put pressure on the Mount Lourdes girls early on.  Unfortunately for Foyle, Mount Lourdes’ defence held strong and the lock could just not be picked for that crucial score.  As the minutes ticked away, the pressure began to mount on last year’s champions, and the passes started to drop. The final whistle blew shortly after to conclude the tournament and see a new team reaching the Ulster Final to contest against Grosvenor Grammar. 

The final will now take place between Mount Lourdes and Grosvenor, with venue and times still to be confirmed. Confirmation will be posted on the website soon. 

Thanks must go to all the schools for travelling to the venues and taking part in the competition, and to the development officers for giving their time to referee the matches and allowing the events to run smoothly. Thanks also to Declan for coming along to support the girls and to both Ballymena and Omagh Rugby Clubs for providing their facilities for the event.