TUESDAY saw day two of the FMC Appliances Ulster Schools’ Sevens competitions in Portglenone, with 16 teams entered at junior level.
St Dominic’s High School, Belfast emerged as the overall winners, making up for defeat in last year’s decider to Assumption, Ballynahinch.
The girls from the Falls Road were pushed closely in several games and only made it through to the semi-finals after a 2-5 to 2-2 play-off victory over Gaelcholáiste Dhoire after the pair had drawn in an earlier group game.
They followed that up with a narrow 1-2 to 1-1 semi-final victory over Aquinas Grammar, the decisive goal coming from Aoife Fitzsimons in the first minute.
2022 champions St Mark’s Warrenpoint came through the other side of the draw with wins over St Genevieve’s, Belfast and St Columba’s, Portaferry, followed by a two-point derby victory over Sacred Heart, Newry in the semi-finals.
St Mark’s made the early running in the final with points from Clíodhna Finnegan and Therese Cowan. But a goal before the break from Fitzsimons put St Dominic’s in front and another in the second half from the Lámh Dhearg player clinched a first-ever trip to the All-Ireland sevens for the Falls Road side.
In the Development Shield derby semi-finals, there were wins for St Columba’s, Portaferry over St Colmcille’s, Crossgar and for Coláiste Feirste over Dominican, Fortwilliam.
Portaferry started the final well with a goal from Orna Savage and a point from Anna Masterson, but a goal from Róisín Ní Bhrádaigh put Coláiste Feirste back in the game.
A second-half goal from Ayesha El Ouahta was enough to see the Gaeilgeoirí over the line on a 2-0 to 1-2 scoreline.
