MacRory / MacLarnon Cup draws
Danske Bank MacRory Cup
Michael Donnelly, coach to the St Ronan’s Lurgan side that won their first Senior title at the end of November had a sharp intake of breath after his team came out first in the Danske Bank MacRory Cup draw that took place at Malone House in Belfast yesterday.
The Danske Bank MacCormack Cup champions will be up against one of the two schools that took the silverware away from the Athletic Grounds in Armagh on St Patrick’s Day.
MacRory Cup champions St Patrick’s Maghera and reigning MacLarnon Cup champions Patrician High Carrickmacross have a play-off at the end of January and the winners will then face St Ronan’s.
“Look, anybody you get at this stage is going to be a huge obstacle, but to be drawn against the winner from that quarter-final, well it is as hard a draw as we could have got.”
Even before the draw, the Aghaloo clubman was debating the merits of their situation.
“This year we qualified directly into the quarter-finals, which was great in that it gave us the opportunity to go on and win the MacCormack Cup.”
“But now the team that comes through a play-off at the end of January will probably be at an advantage to us come the quarter-finals in mid-February. Last year we had a play-off and that helped us immensely to build momentum to go right through to the semi-final, which in hindsight was a big achievement in our first year.”
“Now we are the team sitting waiting. Yes, we get to see the other two play, but when we play the winner we will have gone over ten weeks without a competitive game.”
Neither of Donnelly’s potential opponents were looking any further than their own play-off.
“Patrician is going to be a very tough challenge for us and it would be foolish to look any further,” said Maghera manager Dermot McNicholl.
“Patrician are a serious opponent and we need to respect them and that means closing out what may lie ahead until after that play-off.”
Carrickmacross manager Joe Duffy agreed.
“Yes, the draw is what it is, but we are a new team, first time in the MacRory, and we only have one game on our mind at the moment. We are playing the holders, a school that is there or thereabouts every year. So we have enough to think about.”
Elsewhere there is a potential derby quarter-final. Should St Paul’s Bessbrook defeat St Mary’s Belfast, the “Noisy Neighbours” will be taking on Abbey CBS in Páirc Esler.
The other Newry side, record 19 times champions St Colman’s have a play-off against 2015 champions St Patrick’s Cavan at the end of January, but should they win that they will be travelling to the Athletic Grounds to play St Patrick’s Armagh.
The final pairing sees Omagh CBS at home to either St Michael’s Enniskillen or St Mary’s Magherafelt.
Only three of the eight teams left in the Bank of Ireland MacLarnon Cup have their names on the trophy – and two of them, 2014 champions St Eunan’s Letterkenny and 2015 winners Our Lady’s Castleblayney came out of the Cup together yesterday.
They were in the same league section and St Eunan’s won the head-to-head by a three points’ margin although not playing that day was James Wilson, who has just been called into Malachy O’Rourke’s Monaghan senior panel for the McKenna Cup.
Danske Bank Ulster Colleges All Stars
Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.
2009 winners St Pius X Magherafelt have a tough challenge in a team that is the first ever from St Malachy’s Castlewellan to reach the knock-out stages, while Loreto Coleraine are also through for the first time, after an extra-time play-off over the weekend, and they face St Louis Ballymena, who lost last season’s semi-final.
The last pairing is St Ciaran’s Ballygawley v Our Lady’s & St Patrick’s Knock.
The draw for the Danske Bank O’Doherty Cup has been deferred until the first committee meeting of 2017, while the quarter-final draw for the Danske Bank Ward Cup threw up some interesting ties for the first week of February.
Danske Bank MacRory Cup Quarter-final play-offs (Wednesday 25th – Sunday 29th January)
W St Colman’s v St Patrick’s Cavan
X St Patrick’s Maghera v Patrician Carrickmacross
St Mary’s Magherafelt v St Michael’s Enniskillen
St Paul’s Bessbrook v St Mary’s CBS
Danske Bank MacRory Cup
Quarter-finals (Wednesday 8th – Sunday 12th February)
Omagh CBS v St Mary’s Magherafelt/St Michael’s Enniskillen
Abbey CBS v St Paul’s Bessbrook/ St Mary’s CBS
St Ronan’s Lurgan v St Patrick’s Maghera/Patrician Carrickmacross
St Patrick’s Armagh v St Colman’s Newry/ St Patrick’s Cavan
Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup quarter-finals (on or before Saturday 11th February)
St Malachy’s Castlewellan v St Pius X Magherafelt
St Ciaran’s Ballygawley v Our Lady’s & St Patrick’s Knock
St Eunan’s Letterkenny v Our Lady’s Castleblayney
St Louis Ballymena v Loreto Coleraine
Danske Bank Ward Cup Quarter-Finals: (week beginning 6th Feb)
Lumen Christi Derryv St Bricin’s College Belturbet
De La Salle Downpatrick v SWC Dungannon
St Mogue’s Cavan v Edmund Rice Glengormley
Coláiste Feirste v Coláiste Oriall, Monaghan
