Ulster Minor Club Championship
ULSTER minor club champions Carrickmore begin the defence of their title with a preliminary round tie at home against Donegal side Dungloe on Sunday.
The tournament will be run off over the next few weekends with the quarter-finals scheduled for Sunday week and the semi-finals on Sunday December 4.
Not all county competitions have been completed with the Derry championship still to be decided, that final taking place this weekend as well.
Carrickmore clinched provincial honours with victory over Monaghan’s Emmet Og in last year’s final and they will certainly be out to retain their title but will be under no illusions as to how difficult that will be in this extremely tough competition.
The Tyrone champions have had to wait almost four months for this to begin having clinched the Tyrone title back in July, their third successive title, with victory over Omagh St Enda’s to complete a league and championship double for the season.
However, with a mix of U16 and senior involvement on the panel and senior, the players have been getting plenty of football to keep them going until now. They will look to the likes of Sorcha and Caitlin Gormley, Aoibhin Daly, Clodagh Munroe and Ciara Gormley to set them on winning ways.
Carrickmore, as defending champions, will start as favourites but they come up against a very good Dungloe team who needed extra-time to see off St Eunan’s, Letterkenny in the final at the beginning of September.
They have had a hugely successful year with ladies football titles at all underage levels while their senior team, with a strong representation of minor players, missed out on the Donegal junior title after losing to Gaoth Dobhair in the final. They are also the Division One champions having completed the season’s double. For Dungloe they can call on the experience of midfielder Ulitah Boyle and forwards Rihanna McCready, Tara Geoghegan, Eimear McCoyle as they go in search of victory.
The winners of this preliminary round game will face Fermanagh champions Kinawley in the quarter-finals.
The other three last eight games will see Carryduff (Down) at home to Armagh’s Clann Eireann, Cavan champions Lurgan will travel to the Derry champions and last year’s beaten finalists Emmet Og welcome Antrim champions Moneyglass.
