The first final of the year in Ulster takes place on Sunday with Armagh and Tyrone set to contest the Ulster Minor Shield decider at the Mid Ulster Sports Arena, Cookstown at 12 noon.
FIXTURE:
Sunday April 1st
Ulster Minor Shield Final
Armagh v Tyrone
at 12.00pm
Mid Ulster Sports Arena, Cookstown
Admission £3.00
Eoghan Rua defender Maria Mooney and Down forward Laura Hughes are the stand-out names in the ninth annual Ulster Colleges’ All-star camogie team announced yesterday by Colleges’ secretary Sr Mairead Ní Fhearain.
Both Laura and Maria picked up their third successive All-stars to add to a growing collection of team and individual awards garnered by the pair over the past couple of seasons.
It is a welcome boost for Maria as she heads to Croke Park this weekend with her club-mates to defend the All-Ireland Intermediate club title.
Maria captained the Colleges’ All-star team last year to a first-ever inter-provincial title and she will have no fewer than 5 team-mates back from that historic achievement.
Laura’s Down senior team-mates Niamh Mallon and Colleen Murtagh also get call-ups for the second successive season, as do Cara Fitzgerald from St Patrick’s Academy and Maedhbh Laverty from St Louise’s Belfast.
Niamh became the first player from St Columba’s Portaferry to be selected when she was included last year, but she has now moved to Assumption Ballynahinch whom she helped reached the Senior C decider this season.
Also moving schools during the past year was Bronagh McGillian who received her first award with St Colm’s Draperstown and now plays with St Mary’s Magherafelt.
St Mary’s have 3 players in the selection, including Ruby Marie Rice who missed out 12 months ago, having picked up an award in 2010. Ruby Marie was earlier in the year selected on the Colleges’ All-star football squad.
Also back into the selection for a second All-star, having missed out last season, is Colleen Patterson (below right) from St Killian’s Garron Tower who – along with Ruairi Óg team-mate Orlagh O’Hara – has been impressing Antrim senior team manager Joe Baldwin this year.
Eoghan Rua defender Maria Mooney and Down forward Laura Hughes are the stand-out names in the ninth annual Ulster Colleges’ All-star camogie team announced yesterday by Colleges’ secretary Sr Mairead Ní Fhearain.
Both Laura and Maria picked up their third successive All-stars to add to a growing collection of team and individual awards garnered by the pair over the past couple of seasons.
It is a welcome boost for Maria as she heads to Croke Park this weekend with her club-mates to defend the All-Ireland Intermediate club title.
Maria captained the Colleges’ All-star team last year to a first-ever inter-provincial title and she will have no fewer than 5 team-mates back from that historic achievement.
Laura’s Down senior team-mates Niamh Mallon and Colleen Murtagh also get call-ups for the second successive season, as do Cara Fitzgerald from St Patrick’s Academy and Maedhbh Laverty from St Louise’s Belfast.
Niamh became the first player from St Columba’s Portaferry to be selected when she was included last year, but she has now moved to Assumption Ballynahinch whom she helped reached the Senior C decider this season.
Also moving schools during the past year was Bronagh McGillian who received her first award with St Colm’s Draperstown and now plays with St Mary’s Magherafelt.
St Mary’s have 3 players in the selection, including Ruby Marie Rice who missed out 12 months ago, having picked up an award in 2010. Rubymarie was earlier in the year selected on the Colleges’ All-star football squad.
Also back into the selection for a second All-star, having missed out last season, is Colleen Patterson from St Killian’s Garron Tower who – along with Ruairi Óg team-mate Orlagh O’Hara – has been impressing Antrim senior team manager Joe Baldwin this year.
Slaughtneil defender Aoife Ní Chaiside is the second member of her family to pick up this honour and one of three players from Ulster Senior champions St Patrick’s Maghera. St Louis Ballymena also have 3 awards, including Ulster minor winning captain Shauna Devlin.
Half the 22 player squad that will contest the inter-pro series on March 19th come from just four schools – 3 each from Maghera, Ballymena and Magherafelt with 2 from Loreto Coleraine – Maria Mooney and Eoghan Rua forward Megan Kerr.
The others represent 11 individual schools with St Malachy’s, Castlewellan picking up a first award in 6 years.
Ulster Colleges’ Chairperson Catriona Scott congratulated the 22 players selected and wished them and their mentors every success in the upcoming inter-provincial.
“To achieve an Ulster Colleges’ All Star Award is to rightly earn a place in camogie’s hall of fame. Although the scheme is just 9 years in operation, already we have seen one of our girls go on to earn a National All-star and several others play at full inter-provincial level for Ulster.”
“This year our team has a wide base in terms of schools and the overall standard of player at the trials really challenged our selectors. It reflects well on the coaching these young girls have encountered at all levels in their formative years.”
“May their achievements inspire greater effort from their team-mates and lead to further honours for their schools in the years to come.”
Ulster Colleges’ All-stars 2012
Bronagh McGillian, Aine McAllister and Rubymarie Rice (St Mary’s, Magherafelt)
Shannon Kearney, Maeve Quinn and Aoife Ní Chaiside (St Patrick’s, Maghera)
Shauna Devlin, Lauren Elliott and Shari Carey (St Louis, Ballymena)
Maria Mooney and Megan Kerr (Loreto Coleraine)
Cara Fitzgerald (St Patrick’s Dungannon)
Ursula McCotter (St Louise’s, Belfast)
Laura Hughes (Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s Knock)
Colleen Patterson (St Killian’s Garron Tower)
Niamh Mallon (Assumption, Ballynahinch)
Ursula McParland (St Catherine’s, Armagh)
Michelle Morgan (St Patrick’s, Keady)
Maria Higgins (St Malachy’s, Castlewellan )
Maedhbh Laverty (St Dominic’s, Belfast)
Orlagh O’Hara (Cross and Passion Ballycastle)
Colleen Murtagh (St Mark’s, Warrenpoint)
Ulster U16 Championship- Saturday 25th May
Armagh v Antrim @ 2pm Madden
Derry v Down @ 2pm Eoghan Rua Coleraine
NWP Recycling Ulster Championships
Sunday 26th May 2013
Ulster Senior Championship Semi-Final
Down v Antrim Ballycran @ 1.45pm
Ulster Intermediate Championship
Down 2 v Tyrone @ 12.00pm Ballycran
Ulster Junior Championship
Armagh 2 v Cavan 2pm Middletown
