By Damien Donnelly
A RESPITE from the arctic weather we have been experiencing will be welcomed by Ulster Vocational Schools fixture makers as the most significant section of the season approaches.
Pre-Christmas snow held up some county finals, with Fermanagh one of those behind schedule at present. Hopefully conditions will improve from the start of next week and Ulster action can then begin to unfold.
Tyrone representatives are currently focused on the knock-out phases of the Markey U-18 Cup competition plus Arthurs U-16 and McDevitt U-14 events are waiting on the green light to proceed in terms of weather and other fixture catch-ups.
The Tyrone team bowed out of the inter-county race by a slender margin before Christmas but Red Hand hopes still survive in the three inter-school grades at 'A' category level.
Markey Cup quarter-finals feature both St Ciaran's College of Ballygawley and Cookstown's Holy Trinity College, with Dungannon St Patrick's already through to the final four following a pre-Christmas success over Carrick VS from Donegal.
Holy Trinity take on Virginia from Cavan and St Ciaran's meet Ballybay of Monaghan in two remaining quarter-final contests due to be played within the next couple of weeks.
St Patrick's then play either St Ciaran's or Ballybay in the semis and the winners between Trinity/Virginia subsequently face title holders Castlewellan St Malachy's.
Loreto from Milford tried hard in defeat against St Malachy's in their quarter contest and now a three-pronged Tyrone bid must try to make an impression on a competition that has been the mainstay of Cavan and Down sides in recent seasons.
Tyrone U-16 champions Holy Trinity are intent on making progress in the Arthurs Cup, domestic U-14 winners St Ciaran's looking forward to competing for McDevitt Cup honours. But it won't be until Fermanagh and Monaghan divisions get back on track that that the Tyrone teams learn who exactly they meet some time before the end of the month.
It all adds up to an interesting few weeks on the football horizon as local sides do their utmost to break the unwanted mould set last year when Tyrone failed to get amongst the 'A' vocational competition winners in any of the categories.
Ulster Bank Championships Overview
Markey Cup (U18) Quarter Finals
Ballybay CC v St. Ciaran's, Ballygawley
Virginia College v Holy Trinity, Cookstown
Earlier Results
St. Patrick's College, Dungannon 2-3 Carrick VS 0-6
St. Malachy's,Castlewellan 0-12 Loreto CS, Milford 0-5
Semi finals
St. Malachy's (Holders) v Holy Trinity/ Virginia
St. Patrick's College, Dungannon v Ballybay CC / St Ciaran's
McDevitt (U14) Quarter-Finals
Derry v Donegal, Down v Monaghan, Armagh v Antrim, Tyrone (St Ciaran's) v Fermanagh/Cavan
Arthurs Cup Quarter-Finals
Derry v Donegal
Down v Monaghan
Armagh v Antrim
Tyrone (Holy Trinity) v Cavan/Fermanagh
McDevitt & Arthurs Semis
Derry/Donegal v Down/Monaghan
Armagh/Antrim v Tyrone/Fermanagh/Cavan
