The All Ireland Schoolboys Tournament is back in Ulster this year with the tournament set to commence on Wednesday 24th October with 16 teams battling it out for the Tasmanian Shield. The action gets underway at 3 venues (Queen’s, Shaw’s Bridge and Deramore) at 1.45pm.

All Ireland Schoolboys Tournament 

Group A Group B Group C Group D
Kilkenny High School St Andrews Newtown
Bangor Sullivan Upper Wallace Friends School
Wesley Newpark Ashton Villiers
Banbridge Regent House RBAI MCB

Match Schedule

Wednesday 24th October
Deramore Shaw’s Bridge QUB 1 QUB 2
1.45pm MCB v Friends’ RBAI v Wallace Banbridge v Bangor Sullivan Upper v Regent House
3.30pm Newtown v Villiers St Andrew’s v Ashton Wesley v Kilkenny Newpark v The High School

 

Thursday 25th October
Deramore Shaw’s Bridge QUB 1 QUB 2
9.45am Newtown v MCB Regent v The High School Newpark v Sullivan Villiers v Friends’
11.15am Wallace HS v Ashton RBAI v St Andrew’s Kilkenny v Banbridge Bangor v Wesley
2.00pm MCB v Villiers The High School v Sullivan Newpark v Regent Friends’ v Newtown
3.30pm Bangor v Kilkenny RBAI v Ashton Banbridge v Wesley St Andrew’s v Wallace

 

Friday 26th October
Shaw’s Bridge QUB 1
9.30am Semi-Final 1 Semi-Final 2
2.30pm Final

 

Finals Reports

Banbridge Academy will be Ulster’s sole representatives in Friday’s Crowne Plaza All Ireland Schoolboys Championship semi-finals in Belfast.

Academy’s Eddie Rowe scored twice in the last six minutes to put the Co Down school though ahead of Wesley with a 2-1 win. Bann though face a daunting task as they now face holders St Andrews in the last four with the latter’s Dublin rivals High School taking on Waterford side Newtown in the other tie.

Newtown reached the semi-final for the first time as they beat Friends School Lisburn 2-0. Isaac Johnson netted both times, meaning that all seven goals from the Waterford school came from the same family with older brother Ben netting four and Isaac’s twin Sam got the other. That success added to earlier wins over Limerick’s Villiers and RBAI saw them top Group D.

They were joined by High School in the final four, the Dublin side reaching this phase for the second year in a row as they hope to win the Tasmanian Shield for the first time.
Banbridge Academy and St Andrew’s have shared the trophy for the last eight years and the winners of their semi will be the favoured outfits.
Jamie Pullen’s penalty stroke put Andrew’s through with a 3-2 win over main Group B rivals Wallace HS.

All-Ireland Schoolboys Championships – Thursday results and final standings
Group A: Kilkenny 3 (M Neill 2, E McClure) Bangor 1 (H Dow); Wesley 1 (A Galbraith) Banbridge 2 (E Rowe 2)
Standings: 1 Banbridge Academy 9pts (+6) 2. Wesley 6pts (+4) 3. Kilkenny 0pts (-4) 4. Bangor 0pts (-6).

Group B: High School 2 (H Lynch, E Breen) Sullivan Upper 2 (P Rose, S Anderson); Newpark 5 (E Rankin 2, T Hudson-Fowler, L Adams, M Fahy) Regent House 1
Standings: 1. High School 7pts (+3) 2. Sullivan Upper 7pts (+2) 3. Newpark 3pts (+2) 4. Regent House 0pts (-7)

Group C: St Andrew’s 3 (S McCann 2, J Pullen) Wallace HS 2 (T Chambers 2); RBAI 0 Ashton 1 (E O’Dea)
Standings: 1. St Andrew’s 9pts (+9) 2. Wallace 4pts (+4) 3. Ashton 4pts (-1) 4. RBAI 0pts (-12)

Group D: Friends 0 Newtown 2 (I Johnson 2); MCB 3 (M Campton 2, P Jack) Villiers 5 (Q Eacrett 2, C Ryan, S Lilburn, C Sparling)
Standings: 1. Newtown 9pts (+4) Friends 6pts (+5) 3. Villiers 3pts (-3) 4. MCB 0pts (-6)

 

Banbridge Academy’s bid to lift the Crowne Plaza all-Ireland schoolboys hockey title for a record eighth time failed when Newtown defeated the Ulster side 1-0 in the final at Shaw’s Bridge.

It was the Waterford outfit’s first triumph in the annual showpiece and they deserved their narrow victory which was based on an industrious work ethic and no little skill. In a game of few chances, the Academy tried their best to break down the southerners’ defence but were unable to do so.

Their normally lethal penalty corner routine got little change from a well-organised defence and they didn’t manage too many shots on target either from open play or set-pieces. After a cagey opening quarter, in which both teams swapped corners, Newtown grabbed what turned out to be the crucial goal on the stroke of half-time. From their second corner of the game, and after some pinball in the circle, Isaac Johnson fired the ball past Bann keeper Scott Dale.

The second half also produced little in the way of goalmouth action with Newtown defending well when they had to. Banbridge managed very few chances once again with one effort after Newtown had turned over possession flashing just wide.

Earlier in the day the Academy staged a smash and grab act to beat holders St Andrew’s 3-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the semi-final.

Eddie Rowe scored both goals from corners as the Ulster side came from 2-1 down to force the shoot-out with the equaliser arriving with the last play of the regulation 60 minutes.