County Derry Post

The age-old district competitions formerly played under the auspices of the North and South Derry Boards will remain intact this year but there are sweeping changes to all six cups, while the shape of promotion and relegation will change slightly for the coming year. By Cahair O’Kanesport@derrypost.com  

Having experimented with five eight-team leagues in 2007, the county board have decided to stick with the same basic structure but the one-up, one-down format will change slightly. 

The top team in each of the top four divisions will be automatically promoted, while the bottom team will automatically be relegated.

 

However, those who finish second from top will be this year rewarded with a playoff against the side second from bottom in the league above them.

 

The same applies in principle to Division Five, provided that neither Bellaghy, Ballinderry nor Glen Thirds win the league.

The three will continue to compete in the league and can win it but cannot gain promotion to Intermediate football.

The promotion spots will be decided among the senior teams (i.e. Lissan, Drum, Dolan’s, etc) based on points accumulated against each other.

The points accumulated against the Thirds sides will not be counted in the battle for promotion.  Nothing complicated about that at all…

 

The leagues begin slightly later this year, with the Reserves throwing in on Friday 4 April and Divisions 3, 4 and 5 starting on April 6.

The top two leagues will start on April 20.  The league fixtures will be announced on February 7, the night on which the draws for the first round of the Championship will be made at Owenbeg.

 

Reserve football this year will be played a separate division from the seniors, with all games due to be played on a Friday night, beginning on April 4.  Divisions One and Two will be 13-a-side with the option playing with 15, while Division Three will be a compulsory 13-a-side, 16-team, one round league.  Reserve Hurling this year will also be 13-a-side.

 

The Dr. Kerlin, O’Hagan, Neil Carlin (North) and Larkin, Dean McGlinchey and Graham (South) cups will all find major changes this season, with the cups split into senior, reserve and junior / intermediate.

 

The Dr. Kerlin Cup will comprise the top eight teams from North Derry, with Banagher, Dungiven, Glenullin, Craigbane, Claudy, Coleraine, Faughanvale and holders Foreglen all in the hat.

 

The South Derry equivalent, the Larkin Cup, will be contested by Ballinascreen, Ballinderry, Bellaghy, Castledawson, Loup, Slaughtneil, Kilrea and Lavey.

 There has been some controversy around the reformation of the O’Hagan Cup though, with the cup’s donators Glenullin unhappy at being barred from playing for a cup donated by a founder member and former club president.

The restructuring will see the O’Hagan contested between seven Intermediate teams as opposed to all those in North Derry, as both it and the Dr. Kerlin had previously been.

 

Ardmore, Ballerin, Limavady, Drumsurn, Doire Trasna, Steelstown and Slaughtmanus will be the seven names whose names will be in the ring for the cup which the Mitchel’s have won for the last three years.

 

The Dean McGlinchey Cup will comprise Glen, Magherafelt, Swatragh, Desertmartin, Greenlough, Moneymore, Newbridge and Ballymaguigan.

 

The Neil Carlin Cup will, as usual, feature the North Derry teams from Division Five but added to the list of Doire Colmcille, Drum, Glack, Magilligan and Séan Dolan’s will be the reserves of Ballerin, Limavady, Faughanvale, Steelstown, Claudy, Drumsurn and Foreglen.

 The Graham Cup will contain the senior sides of Lissan and Ogra, the thirds of Glen, Bellaghy and Ballinderry and the reserves Ballymaguigan, Kilrea, Newbridge, Moneymore, Desertmartin, Swatragh, Magherafelt and Lavey.