The St. Paul’s U14 footballers bridged a 13 year gap since last winning an U14 Ulster football title when they secured the Danske Bank Ulster Schools Loch an Iuir shield before Christmas. After a slow start in the group stages that saw them entered into the shield competition the boys overcame St. Patrick’s Grammar School Downpatrick and a well drilled Our Lady’s Castleblayney in the knock-out stages to meet St. Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School Belfast in the final at St. Colman’s College. The boy’s saved their best performance for the final and ran out as comfortable winners. This is the first Ulster Schools U14 title for St. Paul’s and a number of the players have used the experience to make a spot for themselves in the 4^th year team which is currently playing in the Treanor cup.Mr. Geoghegan and the 2 Mr. Rafferty’s were in charge of the team and indeed Mr. Geoghegan and Mr. Rafferty senior were part of the management team that won the Ulster Bank Vocational Schools Mc Devitt cup back in 2005, so Mr Geoghegan could be our secret weapon !

The panel were presented with their medals by Danske Bank Ulster Schools chairman and Armagh legend Jimmy Smyth at a special assembly on 12^th February. Jimmy congratulated the boys on their success and said he would be keeping an eye out for their names as they continued playing for club school and county in the future.