The opening weekend of action in the Ulster rugby Premiership and the Ulster rugby Championship did not disappoint followers of Domestic rugby in Ulster. In Division 1 of the Premiership Ballynahinch made a statement by defeating current Stevenson Shield Holders City of Armagh at Ballymacarn Park. Malone and Banbridge could not be separated in their 18 -18 draw at Gibson Park. Spectators were treated to a nine try spectacle at the Dub with the students outscoring visitors Ballymena by five tries to four in their 33 – 26 win to make a statement of their intentions this season.

In Div 2 of the Premiership their were wins for Rainey OB over Omagh at the Thomas Mellon Playing Fields with City of Derry securing a morale boosting win over Bangor at the Craig Thompson stadium. Belfast Harlequins continued their winning streak by defeating Dungannon at Deramore Park.

In Div 1 of the Ulster Rugby Championship all eyes were on the games involving Dromore and Instonians and Enniskillen and Ballyclare. Would it be a case of last seasons top two Instonians and Ballyclare dominating the league. At Barban Hill - Dromore 1st xv boosted by the presence of former Ulster prop Jonny Simpson took their opportunities to defeat an Instonians side that included John Andress and former Ulster scrum half Paul Marshall. Ballyclare picked up an important bonus point in their 23 – 13 win at Mullaghmeen over Enniskillen. Cooke secured a crucial win over Coleraine at Shaws bridge as they look for a strong start to their league campaign. The opening fixture in this league was played on Friday night at Gibson Park as newly promoted Grosvenor overcame a determined CIYMS side to win 36 – 27 outscoring their opponents by five tries to four. Despite Grosvenor building up an early 19 – 0 lead CI fought back to level the scores at 22 – 22.

In Div 2 Limavady did not disappoint in their opening game at the John Hunter Playing Fields scoring seven tries as they sweept aside Ards 48 -0. Nelisbrook in Randalstown was another venue where the home side were made to work hard for their 31 – 26 win against Academy with both sides expected to be in the promotion mix this season. Relegated Clogher Valley faced newly promoted Lurgan at the Cran as their forwards proved too strong in scoring three tries in their win over the County Armagh side.

This weekend the action moves to the 1st Round of the First Trust Senior Cup with four ties down for decision. First time winners City of Armagh open their defence at the Palace Grounds against Bangor with last years finalists Ballymena travelling to Stevenson Park to play Dungannon. These four sides lost their opening premiership matches last weekend and will all be seeking a win to build momentum going forward to the start of the All Ireland league. In the other two ties we have a Belfast Derby involving Malone and Belfast Harlequins at Gibson Park. At the Dub - Queens University play the first of back to back games with Banbridge in the Cup and league. Head coach Derek Suffern has been busy off season assembling a strong squad as the students look to challenge for promotion in Div 2A of the AIL.

Last weekend highlighted the difficulties faced by clubs playing at venues where the home town was hosting parades. Ards were the unlucky side having faced an early start to play their match at Limavady. It is something those organising fixtures should take into consideration when scheduling fixtures in the future.

Promoting Domestic rugby in Ulster has always been the goal of my preview. Now in my sixth season I have witnessed the dramatic increase in numbers following and taking an interest in Club rugby. Much of the progress has been built on the work done by clubs in building platforms using their websites and social media links to connect supporters and keep them informed and updated on what is happening at their local community rugby club. This week I went round the websites of the 32 clubs in the Premiership leagues and Div 1 and 2 of the Rugby Championship to see the progress being made. Sadly there are a small number of clubs who have little or no Digital presence. I am told it is difficult to get volunteers to undertake these Digital roles in their clubs. We now have over 100.000 followers of Domestic Rugby in the province. Banbridge and Ballynahinch on their own have over 10.000 followers. Talking to Marc Eadie at Banbridge – They find that their sponsors love having their names out their on the clubs social media links. Their Digital platform is also essential for supporters who are unable to attend matches to keep in touch with match updates. Despite the work they are doing they are striving to keep improving their service to their supporters and the wider community in the Banbridge area.

Several examples of clubs catching my attention with their Digital platforms are Omagh, City of Derry, Instonians, Limavady, Portadown, City of Armagh, Ballymoney and Bangor. The recently launched facebook pages of City of Derry and Limavady are worth viewing.

To help me with my preview I would like to see clubs publishing their team lists and match reports. There is appetite out in the rugby community for detail. Many supporters who previously focused on their own clubs are interested in what is happening in the wider Domestic rugby Community.

The WhatsApp results group set up by Crawford McConkey has been a resounding success.

From this season I will be sending a copy of the preview to each of the club secretaries for distribution to their membership. I have also established a list of PROs and club volunteers who manage club websites and Digital platforms that will be included in my mailing list. I am grateful to the number of clubs who publish the preview on their club websites including their facebook pages. Your support is very much appreciated. Please include me in your mailing list of team selections and match reports.

Team Selections/ Results from weekend 25th August

SONI ULSTER RUGBY PREMIERSHIP DIV 1

Ballynahinch 24 City of Armagh 7

Ballynahinch team: 1. Ben Cullen, 2. Connor Piper, 3.Kelvin Hamilton, 4. James Simpson, 5. John Donnan, 6. Tom Martin, 7. Keith Dickson, 8. Keith Dickson, 10. Peter Nelson, 11. Aaron Cairns (Captain), 12. Richard Reaney, 13. Callum McLaughlin, 14. Connor Phillips, 15. Paddy Wright, 16. Graeme McKitterick, 17.Campbell Classon, 18. Stuart Elwood, 19. Allister Gordon, 20. James McBriar.

Points scorers: Tom Martin, Aaron Cairns, Connor Phillips and Kelvin Hamilton 1 x try each. Paddy Wright 2 x cons.

City of Armagh team: 1. Daryl Morton, 2. James Morton, 3. Philip Fletcher, 4. James Hanna, 5. Ollie Millar, 6. Gareth McNeice, 7. Joshua Kennedy, 8. Neil Faloon, 9. Gerard Trainor, 10. Chris Cousins, 11. Ryan Purvis, 12. Jonny Pollock, 13. Chris Colvin (Captain), 14. Andrew Willis, 15. John Faloon, 16. Andrew Smyth, 17. Eoin O’Hagan, 18. Jonathan Clarke, 19. Jonathan Morton, 20. Shea O’Brien.

Points scorers: Chris Colvin 1 x try and Jonny Pollock 1 x con.

Malone 18 Banbridge 18

Malone team: 1. Ben Halliday, 2. Scott Finlay, 3. Ricky Greenwood, 4. Josh Davidson, 5. James McAllister, 6. Stuart Doddington, 7. Ross Todd (Capt), 8. Ryan Clarke, 9. Shane Kelly, 10. Jack Milligan, 11. Scullion ? 12. Callum Smith, 13. Nathan Brown, 14. Jonny Betts, 15. Andy Bryans, 16. Dan Kerr, 17. Lee Barlow, 18 N/K, 19. Josh Pentland, 20. Connor Spence.

Points scorers: Ross Todd 1 x try, Jack Milligan 1 x try, 2 x pens, 1 x con

Banbridge team: 1. Michael Cromie (Capt), 2. Peter Cromie, 3. Stuart Cromie, 4. Matthew Laird, 5. Alex Megaw, 6. Ryan Hughes, 7. Ethan Harbinson, 8. Stephen Irvine, 9. Jason Gribben, 10. Josh Cromie, 11. Ross Cartmill, 12. Ben Carson, 13. Andrew Morrison, 14. Conor Field, 15. Adam Doherty, 16. Ross Haughey, 17. Matthew Shirlow, 18. Nathan Rice, 19. Niall Armstrong, 20. Hugo Harbinson.

Points s corers: Conor Field 1 x try, Adam Doherty 1 x try, 2 x pens, 1 x con

Queens University 33 Ballymena 26

Queens University team : 1. Jonny Black, 2. Alexander Clarke, 3. Andrew Clingan, 4. David Whitten (Capt), 5. Stuart Evans, 6. James Catterson, 7. Tyler Arnold, 8. David Swann, 9. Conor McAuley, 10. Ritchie McMaster, 11. Mark Keane, 12. Conor McKee, 13. Johnny Milliken, 14. Josh Fullerton, 15. Matthew Keane, 16. Andrew Weir, 17. Brian Cunningham, 18. Matthew Pentland, 19. Andrew Nicol, 20. Curtis Pollock.

Points scorers: Josh Fullerton 2 x tries, Mark Keane and David Whitten 1 x try each, Ritchie McMaster 1 x try and 4 x cons.

Ballymena team: 1. Nacho Clandero Crespo, 2. James Taggart, 3. Chris Cundell, 4. David Whann, 5. Connor Smyth, 6. J Boulder, 7. Andrew Cundell, 8. Matthew Dick, 9. Glenn Baillie, 10. Steven Shaw, 11. Jonny Rossborough, 12. Alan Smyth, 13. Daryl Montgomery, 14. Scott Willoughby, 15. James Beattie. Replacements included Sam Millar.

Points scorers: Glenn Baillie, Connor Smyth and James Beattie 1 x try each. Sam Millar 1 x try and 2 x cons, Scott Willoughby 1 x con.

SONI ULSTER PREMIERSHIP DIV 2

Omagh 14 Rainey OB 22

Omagh team: 1. Peter Todd, 2. Richard Hemphill, 3. Richard Smyth, 4. James Sproule, 5. Mervyn Edgar, 6. Stewart Allen, 7. Adam Longwell, 8. Dean Porter, 9. Stewart McCain (Capt), 10. Scott Elliott, 11, Ryan Mitchell, 12. Luke Hanson, 13. Scott Barr, 14. A Monteith, 15. Stephen MacLaine, 16. Kyle Alexander, 17. E McKeown, 18. F McDowell, 19. Stuart Ballantine, 20. A Catterson.

Points scorers : Ryan Mitchell and Luke Hanson 1 x try each. Scott Elliott 2 x cons.

Rainey OB team: 1. Fintan Quinn, 2. Darren O’Neill, 3. Kieran Donaghy, 4. John McCusker, 5. Ronan McCusker (capt), 6. Mattie Millar, 7. Eunan Shaw, 8. Michael McCusker, 9. Jason Bloomfield, 10. Andrew Magrath, 11. Jack Lloyd Evans, 12. Oisin Quinn, 13. Ryan Cairns, 14. Mark Mulholland, 15. Scott McLean. 16. Deaglan McErlean, 17. D McGlone, 18. Andrew Harbinson, 19. Gary Hall.

Points scorers: Michael mcCusker 2 x tries, John McCusker 1 x try, Scott McLean 1 x pen and 2 x cons.

City of Derry 24 Bangor 21

City of Derry team: 1. James Hamilton, 2. Cathal Cregan, 3. Sam Duffy, 4. Adam Bratton, 5. Gerard Doherty, 6. Chris Robinson, 7. Craig Huey, 8. Stephen Corr, 9. Simon Logue, 10. Conall Gill, 11. Colm Campbell, 12. James Perry, 13. David Graham, 14. Paddy Blennerhurst, 15. Thomas Cole, 16. Stephen Duffy, 17. Ben Pollin, 18. Jack Townley, 19. Jack Beattie, 20. Denis Posternik.

Points scorers: Paddy Blennerhurst 2 x tries, Simon Logue and Colm Campbell 1 x try, Conall 2 x cons

Bangor team: 1. Jack McKillan – Murphy, 2. Thomas Boyd, 3. Orran McIImurray, 4. Lewis Stevenson, 5. Dave Caughey, 6. Joe McLernon, 7. James Stewart, 8. Mike Weir, 9. Lewis Brett, 10. Declan Maguire, 11. Ben Webb, 12. Charlie Blair, 13. Phil Broderick, 14. Desi Fusco (Capt), 15. Nathan Graham, 16. Michael Ferguson, 17. Matt Nesbitt, 18. Jamie Mendez, 19. Aaron Orr, 20. Keith Rosson.

Points scorers: Lewis Brett, Thomas Boyd and Michael Ferguson 1 x try each Nathan Graham 2 x cons, Declan Maguire 1 x con.

Belfast Harlequins 24 Dungannon 12

Belfast Harlequins team: 1. Charlie Sargaison, 2. Saul Herdman, 3. Mark McGrath, 4.Danny Annett, 5. Callum Leckey, 6. Christian Bennison, 7. Matthew Borne, 8. Daryl Marshall, 9. Malcolm Corry, 10. Timmy Emmerson, 11. Jordan McIIwrath, 12. Paul Kerr, 13. Mark Glover, 14. James McConnell, 15. Richie McKee, 16. Steven Weir, 17. Chris Summers, 18. Jona Siri, 19. David Devine, 20. Ethan Boal.

Points s corers: Eichie McKee, Callum Leckey and Christian Bennison 1 x try each. Paul Kerr 1 x pen and 3 x cons.

Dungannon team : 1. Ross Stewart, 2. Jamie McNeill, 3. Sean O’Hagan, 4. Stephen Todd, 5. Lewis McCrabbe, 6. Alex Gormley, 7. David Leyburn, 8. Peter Doran, 9. John Russell, 10. John Buckley, 11. Jordan McIIwaine, 12. Bradley Mulholland, 13. Matthew Montgomery, 14. Mervyn Brown, 15. Andrew McGregor, 16. Daniel Mikogalcryk, 17. Glenn Sinnamon, 18. Ross McCaughey, 19. Ben Semple, 20. Connor McGeough.

Points scorers: 1 x penalty try, Lewis McCrabbe 1 x try,

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1

Cooke 19 Coleraine 6

Cooke team: 1. Jonathan McClune, 2. Curtis Montgomery, 3. Aaron Hunter, 4. Matthew Crothers, 5. Jonathan Walsh, 6. Josh Harper, 7. Ian Anderson, 8. Jason Lyons, 9. Ryan Flavelle, 10. Alan Gourlay, 11. Andrew Nelson, 12. Kyle Mitchell (Capt), 13. Michael Cartmill, 14. Andrew Pollock, 15. Philip Cartmill, 16. Jonathan Backus, 17. Andrew Hanna.

Points scorers: Philip Cartmill, Andrew Nelson, Ryan Flavelle 1 x try each, Alan Gourlay 2 x cons.

Coleraine team: 1. Cillian Butler, 2. Aidy Nevin, 3. Chris Breadon, 4. David McAllister, 5. Keith McKnight, 6. Josh Christie, 7. Bernard Mullan, 8. Brian Hughes (Capt), 9. Matthew Kennedy, 10. Robin Sidla, 11. Niall Irwin, 12. Martin Senk, 13. Johnny Crowe, 14. Matthew Leighton, 15. Brian Cochrane, 16. Marek, 17. Steven Dickey.

Points scorers: Robin Sidla 2 x pens

Dromore 16 Instonians 5

Dromore team: 1. Mark Hylands, 2. Stuart Sloan, 3. Jonny Simpson, 4. Ross Bingham, 5. Stuart Russell, 6. Blair McDonald, 7. Adam McGregor, 8. Jonny Maguire, 9. Lee Steenson, 10. Ryan Cobb, 11. Andrew Gilmore, 12. Craeme McCandless, 13. Aaron Stewart, 14. Brian McClearn, 15. Adam McDonald.16. Andrew Black, 17. Matthew McMaster.

Points scorers: Stuart Russell 1 x try, Lee Steenson 3 x pens , 1 x con.

Instonians: 1. John Andress, 2. Conor Gallagher, 3. Josh Cregan, 4. Daryl Smith, 5. Michael Blackwood, 6. Robert McGibbon, 7. Rab Brown, 8. Lewis McNamara, 9. Paul Marshall, 10. Tim Murphy, 11. Matt Kilpatrick, 12. David Scott ( Capt), 13. Michael Melville, 14. Ross O’Donnell, 15. Paddy Bell, 16. Paedar Meenan, 17. Matthew Nelson.

Points s corers Paddy Bell 1 x try.

Enniskillen 13 Ballyclare 23

Enniskillen team: 1. Gavin Warrington, 2. Ryan Cathcart (Capt), 3. Gareth Beatty, 4. David Buchanan, 5. James Carleton, 6. Jamie Kelly, 7. Gavin Parke, 8. Jack Rutledge, 9. Matthew Dane, 10. Adam Lendrum, 11. Angus Keys, 12. Nick Finlay, 13. James Ferguson, 14. Jarlath Maguire, 15. Mark O’Shea, 16. Steven Fox, 17. Reece Barrett.

Points scorers: James Ferguson 1 x try, Nick Finlay 2 x pens , 1 x con.

Ballyclare team; 1. Dean Jones, 2. Matthew Coulter, 3. Jonny Black, 4. J Young, 5. Grant Bartley (capt), 6. Aaron Playfair, 7. Gary Weatherup, 8. Paul Robinson, 9. Andy Eastop, 10. Robert Smith, 11. Owen Kirk, 12. Will Stewart, 13. Robbie Reid, 14. Michael Kirk, 15. Gary Clotworthy, 16. A Boyd, 17. Matthew Johnston.

Points scorers: Owen Kirk, Matthew Coulter, Robert Smith, Matthew Johnston 1 x try each. Robert Smith 1 x pen

Grosvenor 36 CIYMS 27

Grosvenor team: 1. Mark Rainey, 2. Stuart Smyth, 3. Pearce Jamison, 4. Willy Rea, 5. Peter Dawson, 6. Jeff Mealiff, 7. Sam Purdon (Capt), 8. David Marshall, 9. Neil Adams, 10. Adam Skelton, 11.David Egner, 12. Josh McConkey, 13. Peter Davison, 14. Dean Swift, 15. Simon Patterson, 16. Matthew Colhoun, 17. Jamie McMullan.

Points scorers: Josh McConkey 2 x tries, David Marshall, Stuart Smyth and Neil Adams 1 x try each. Adam Skelton 1 x pen and 4 x cons.

CIYMS team: 1. Freddykalo Joe, 2. Scott McNarry, 3. Gavin Woods, 4. Paddy Aiken, 5. Shane Moffatt, 6. Scott Dowle, 7. Jason Gilliland, 8. Mark McConkey (Capt), 9. Cameron Stewart, 10. Paddy Beverland, 11. Gareth Peden, 12. Matthew Kilgore, 13. Philip McVitty, 14. Jonny Haldane, 15. Nathan Burns, 16. Elliott Boyd, 17. John Creighton.

Points scorers: Jason Gilliland 2 x tries, Freddykalo Joe and Scott Mcnarry 1 x try each, Matthew Kilgore 1 x pen and 2 x cons.

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONF DIV 1

City of Armagh seconds 35 Carrickfergus 39

Carrickfergus team: 1. Stuart Cheshire, 2. Alan Whitley, 3. Paul Greenaway, 4. Chris Rodgers, 5. Stuart Currie, 6. Ryan Gibson, 7. Ross Crymble, 8. Ryan McGonigle, 9. Conor Cambridge, 10. David Carse, 11. David Moore, 12. Adam White, 13. Jonny Sherriff, 14. Brian Alexander, 15. Fionn McCormick, 16. Nathan Greenwood, 17. James Graham.

Points scorers: Conor Cambridge and Jonny Sherriff 2 x tries each, David Carse 1 x try. Adam White 2 x pen and 4 x cons.

Portadown 15 Ballynahinch seconds 31

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 2

Clogher Valley 17 Lurgan 6

Clogher Valley team: 1. Philip Hopper, 2. T Smyton, 3. Neil Henderson, 4. Michael Treanor, 5. Eugene McKenna, 6. A Dunwoody, 7. David Sharkey, 8. Rodney Bennett, 9. Mark Ellis, 10. D Eakin, 11. Dillion Crawford, 12. Reece Smyton, 14. G Kozi, 15. E Haire, 16. M McKenna, 17. T mills.

Points scorers: Rodney Bennett 2 x tries, David Sharkey 1 x try, Reece Smyton 1 x con.

Randalstown 31 Academy 26

Randasltown team: 1. Matthew McBrien, 2. Marty O’Neill, 3. Neil Foster, 4. Dean McCrory, 5. Tony O’Hagan, 6. Peter Knowles, 7. Ian Hume, 8. David Smith (Capt), 9. Tommy Holland, 10. Martin Connolly, 11. Coby Mason, 12. Ryan O’Dea, 13. Matthew McWhinney, 14. Jack Dempster, 15. Michael Smith, 16. S Adams, 17. Scott McClenaghan.

Points scorers: Jack Dempster, Dean McCrory and Coby Mason 1 x try each, Martin Connolly 4 x pens and 2 x cons.

Academy team: 1. Chris Nash, 2. Lee Moody, 3. Troy Wilson, 4. Jonny Torrens, 5. Kyle Gregg, 6. Tom Gilpin, 7. Jamie Watts, 8. Richard Henderson (Capt), 9. David Kenny, 10. Jordan Buchanan, 11. Simon Beattie, 12. Callum Lyle, 13. Lewis Davidson, 14. John Gilkinson, 15. Chris Cooper, 16. Peter Jackson, 17. Jamie Wilson.

Points scorers: Simon Beattie, Chris Nash and Jamie Watts 1 x try each. Chris Cooper 3 x pens and 1 x con.

Limavady 48 Ards 0

Limavady team: 1. Rory Squires, 2. Luke Montgomery, 3. John McCollum, 4. Ben Riley, 5. John Purcell, 6. Stuart Simpson, 7. Daniel Irvine, 8. Darren Corrigan, 9. Peter Wilson, 10. Luke Faulkner, 11. Matthew Haslett, 12. Jodie McMurray (capt), 13. Robert Lamberton, 14. Mark Woods, 15. Gavin Martin, 16. Perry Semple, 17. Adam Currie.

Points scorers: Mark Woods 2 x tries, Matthew Haslett, Darren Corrigan, Robert Lamberton, Jody McMurrray 1 x try, Penalty try, Luke Faulkner 1 x pen and 5 x cons.

Ards team: 1. Andrew Foster (Captain), 2. Tom Arthur Donnan, 3. Paddy Bond, 4. Jonny Harris, 5. Ross Torney, 6. Danny Patton, 7. Ryan Thompson, 8. Graham Taylor, 9. Alex Hendricks, 10. Jamie Cardwell, 11. Adam Faloon, 12. Taylor Nutt, 13 Trevor Devlin, 14. Adam Coulter, 15. Aaron May, 16. Paul Hamilton, 17. Onisi Burekama.

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONF DIV 2

Larne 49 Malone seconds 5

Larne team: 1. Tommy Robinson, 2. Conor Smyth, 3. Andrew Hyndman, 4. Matthew Crampsey, 5. Jonny McKinty, 6. Jonny Cole (Capt), 7. Ryan McAllister, 8. Eddie Hunter, 9. Ryan Garrett, 10. Phil Andrews, 11. Liam Slaughter, 12. Barry McFaul, 13. Aaron McBride,14. Richard McIIheron, 15. Jordan Burns, 16. Derek Lough, 17. Jonny Hall.

Points s corers: Ryan McAllister, Ryan Garrett and Barry McFaul 2 x tries each, Jordan Burns 1 x try, Phil Andrews 7 x cons.

Ballymena seconds 3 Ballymoney 17

Omagh seconds 17 Lisburn 20

UUC 18 Banbridge seconds 20

FIRST TRUST SENIOR CUP

City of Armagh v Bangor

Dungannon v Ballymena

Malone v Belfast Harlequins

Queens University v Banbridge

Ballynahinch, City of Derry, Omagh and Rainey OB received a Bye.

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1

Ballyclare v CIYMS

Carrickfergus v Enniskillen

Coleraine v Dromore Postponed

Portadown v Cooke

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 1

Grosvenor v Ballynahinch seconds. Played at Ards RFC

Instonians v City of Armagh seconds

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 2

Ballymoney v Ards

Limavady v Clogher Valley

Randalstown v Lurgan

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 2

Banbridge seconds v Larne

Lisburn v Ballymena seconds

Malone seconds v Academy

UUC v Omagh seconds