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All the best to our 7 U16 hockey players who have been selected to play for the Ulster U16 team who play against Munster on Sunday in the interprovincial series. This is a great achievement to have so many players in the team. Congratulations Matt, James, Ed, Ethan, Issac, Benjamin and Charlie.

Cookstown High School win Bannister Bowl on Penalty Runs Cookstown High School u13…2 (Stanley Jackson & Noah Cuddy) Banbridge Academy u13…2 (Daniel McKee & Owen Dobson) (Cookstown won on Penalty Runs) Cookstown High School won their second Ulster Schools Cup in a week when they defeated Banbridge Academy in a hotly contested final at Havelock Park. This was a brilliant cup run by the High School defeating Killicomaine Junior High School, Friends School Lisburn, Campbell College and RBAI on the way to the final. The High School went into the game as underdogs having previously lost to the Banbridge school earlier in the season, but the locals started well immediately putting the Banbridge keeper under pressure. Joshua Ferguson who is improving every game was causing Banbridge real problems down the right-hand side. Cookstown took the lead in the 14th minute when year 8 Stanley Jackson scrambled the ball home after confusion in the Banbridge defence. Cookstown then scored a second after a well worked penalty corner routine paid off. The goal was scored by Noah Cuddy who had a fantastic week scoring the winner in the Ferris Cup and another in the Bannister Bowl. Cookstown forced some further opportunities but just couldn’t get the third. Banbridge had some sporadic attacks, but the back four of Ben Barbour, Charlie Costelloe, David Cuddy, and Will Redford were all having brilliant games. In the 24th minute Banbridge got their first penalty corner of the game, and the ball was flicked home well by Daniel McKee. After the break, Banbridge started to bring a lot more pressure to the Cookstown Defence, but Captain Charlie Costelloe continued to be the mainstay in keeping the score line the same. Bobbi Robinson was doing a good job at keeping Daniel McKee quiet and TJ Kelly was providing a good outlet down the left-hand side. Banbridge forced their third penalty corner of the game in the 41st minute and this was expertly charged down by Costelloe, unfortunately the skipper had received an injury to his knee and had to leave the field. During this time Banbridge got their equaliser through another flick from a corner and it was backs against the wall defending to force the game into penalties. Marcus Gillis and Joshua Ferguson were the heroes in Penalty Runs, Marcus saving every penalty and Joshua scoring the all-important winner. When Gillis saved Banbridge’s last Penalty he was surrounded during the pitch invasion of jubilant High School supporters who had witnessed another important piece of silverware being returned to the Coolnafranky school. This is the first time the school have won both the U13 Schools Cup and U14 Schools Cup in the same season, and it illustrates the work that is being done to put the High School hockey back where it belongs as one of the main forces in Schools Hockey. THE ROAD TO THE FINAL Killicomaine Junior High School…0 Cookstown High School…8 (Noah Cuddy 3, Stanley Jackson 3 & Charlie Costelloe 2) Cookstown High School…6 (Callum Hewitt 3, Charlie Costelloe, Joshua Ferguson and Noah Cuddy) Friends School Lisburn…0 Cookstown High School…1 (Noah Cuddy) Campbell College…0 Cookstown High School…2 (Charlie Costelloe and Stanley Jackson) Royal Belfast Academical Institute…0 Banbridge Academy…2 Cookstown High School…2 (Stanley Jackson and Noah Cuddy) Cookstown Squad Noah Cuddy (Vice Captain), 2. TJ Kelly, 3. David Cuddy, 4. Ben Barbour, 5. Charlie Costelloe (Captain), 6. Mathew Cunningham, 7. Will Redford, 8. Bobbi Robinson, 9. Callum Hewitt, 10. Joshua Ferguson, 11. Stanley Jackson, 12. Harry Jordan, 13. Ross Taylor, 14. Luke Johnston, 15. Caleb Crooks, 16. Matthew Buchannon, 17. Marcus Gillis (GK) & 18. David Nelson (GK) Pen Portraits: Noah Cuddy (Vice Captain) Year 8, Noah Cuddy is an exciting prospect and can play anywhere on the pitch. He was the top scorer in the cup run and scored in both the Ferris Cup and Bannister Bowl in the same week. TJ Kelly Year 8, TJ Kelly is a very skilful midfielder who works very hard at his game. David Cuddy Year 9, David is an excellent man to man marker and has really improved this season. He is very athletic and is an important defender for the team. Ben Barbour Year 9, Ben has improved so much this season and is an excellent right back. He is a very good tackler can read the game well and is a good athlete. Charlie Costelloe (Captain) Year 9, Charlie is a superb player who critical to the success of the team, he is a very calm tackler, never loses out on a 1v1 battle and controls the pace of the game. Charlie had excellent back to back finals in both the Ferris Cup and Bannister Bowls. Mathew Cunningham Year 8, Matthew is a very good defender and can play anywhere across the back four. Will Redford Year 8, Will is the teams left back and is a very good tackler and distributer of the ball. He was important in the CHS outlet during the final. Bobbi Robinson Year 9, Bobbi is the teams centre midfielder and is very good at retaining the ball. He had an excellent final keeping their main player quiet for large periods. Callum Hewitt Year 9, Callum is a neat and tidy midfielder / forward and has some nice skills. He score a hattrick in the quarter final. Joshua Ferguson Year 8, Joshua is the teams flying winger and has really improved this season. He is a smart player who has setup loads of goals this season. Stanley Jackson Year 8, Stanley is an important goal scorer for the team and scored a hat trick in the first round and the first goal in the final. Harry Jordan Year 8, Harry is a fast forward who knows how to score, will be a very important player in next year’s Bannister Bowl team. Ross Taylor Ross is a very strong defender or midfielder and has really improved this season. Luke Johnston Year 8, Luke Johnston is a very good defender and is improving every session. Caleb Crooks Year 9, Caleb is a very smart player who can read the game well. Has scored some important goals this season. Matthew Buchannon Year 9, Matthew is a fast midfielder / forward with some lovely skills. Marcus Gillis Year 8, Marcus was the hero in final saving every penalty run. Marcus has worked very hard this season to improve his goal keeping and has a big future in the game. David Nelson Year 9, David is an excellent shot stopper hardly conceding a goal all season. He is very calm and an important member of the squad. CAPTAIN CHARLIE COSTELLOE “What a brilliant day we had lifting the Bannister Bowl against Banbridge Academy in Banbridge. Our team has really improved from the start of the season and we knew we were underdogs going into the final, but we have quality in our team that will cause any opposition problems. It was a good game and Marcus was class in goals during the penalty runs.” HEAD OF SPORT MICHAEL HAYCOCK “The thing that stands out to me about the U13 team is that they all work together to play hockey the right way. They are an excellent passing team, and they have scored some brilliant goals this season, in particular the winner versus R.B.A.I. in the semi-final. Charlie Costelloe has been a very good captain and had an excellent game in the final. The boys have worked hard all year and considering that the starting XI contained six year eight pupils it shows that we have real strength and character coming through the school. PRINCIPAL MISS G EVANS “What a fantastic week for Hockey for our School. We had three boys’ teams in finals with two of them bringing home School Cups. It was fabulous to see such enthusiasm, hard work and character from our pupils. At our school we pride ourselves in promoting “team-work” and all three squads exemplified that ethos. Well done to all the squads and their respective coaches.”

Ferris Cup Final 16 March 2023 Stormont Estate, Belfast Umpires: George Redpath & Julie Fisher Cookstown High School U14…1 (Noah Cuddy) Royal Belfast Academical Institute…0 Cookstown High School won the U14 Schools Cup for the 6th time after defeating old rivals RBAI by the odd goal at the Stormont Estate. This was a dominant cup run with the school scoring 31 goals and only conceding one. Jack Patterson ended up the top scorer with 9 goals during the campaign. The team was captained by Edward Irwin. First Half The game started tensely with both teams ‘sounding’ each other out in the opening exchanges. In the 6th minute, it was Cookstown who won the game’s first penalty corner after a great run by midfielder Ethan Redford. This corner was well defended by RBAI. Shortly after this, RBAI then had a great chance of their own, but CHS Goalkeeper Benji Patterson pulled off a fantastic save low down to his right-hand side. Cookstown were having a lot of success attacking down the right-hand side with Isaac Kelso and Bobbi Robinson linking well. Cookstown forced some further corners and chances but couldn’t break the deadlock. RBAI looked dangerous on the counterattack, but Charlie Costelloe and team captain Edward Irwin were superb at the heart of the defence. After some prolonged pressure Cookstown finally broke the deadlock when Noah Cuddy deflected home an Edward Irwin reverse stick pass. Cookstown had another chance just before half time with Jack Patterson’s effort being well saved. Second Half The second half followed a very similar pattern to the first with Kelso and Redford running things in midfield and Irwin, Costelloe, Robinson, and Brisbane being solid at the back. RBAI had their best spell of the game midway through the half when they forced several penalty corners. Cookstown defended the corners superbly with Benji Patterson starring as goalkeeper. Cookstown just couldn’t get the second goal that would have killed the game off, Patterson went close again after some tidy baseline work by Noah Cuddy, but his shot just slipped past the post. Cookstown managed the closing stages of the game well with Irwin and Costelloe constantly absorbing and relieving pressure. Aaron Brown had a great run down the left-hand side near the end that took the game away from Inst. The game finished with jubilant scenes as the many travelling fans celebrated with their team on the pitch, a great day for the school and town. Team Captain Edward Irwin I was just so happy to lift our first schools cup together as a team. We have worked hard with our coaches, and I am happy that we have brought the Ferris back to our school. I would like to thank everyone that came down to support, it was a great day. We don’t have long to celebrate as we need to get back on the training pitch as we have the All Ireland U14 John Waring trophy to prepare for. Head of Sport Cookstown High School Mr M Haycock I am delighted for the boys and it’s great to have another school’s cup back in the trophy cabinet. Our school has a rich history of being able to compete with the large Grammar Schools throughout the province, we targeted this cup at the start of the year and Julian Costelloe, Godfrey Irwin and Stephen Cuddy have worked hard with the boys every week. This is a very strong group of players, and I am hopeful that several of them can go on to represent Ulster u16s next season. Can I thank all the pupils, staff, and parents for their support for the boys, it is very much appreciated. Cookstown High School Principal Miss G J Evans The boys have brought the Ferris Cup back to CHS and it is thoroughly well deserved. We are very proud of the boys for their passion, teamwork, commitment; they have played very well all season. The team were supported by their coaches - sincere thanks to Mr M Haycock, Mr J Costelloe, Mr G Irwin and Mr S Cuddy for their dedication and commitment. THE ROAD TO FINAL: LAST 16 Cookstown High School ...15 Noah Cuddy (3), Jack Patterson (3) Edward Irwin (2) Ethan Redford (2), Scott Ashfield (2), Aaron Brown, Bobbi Robinson & Isaac Kelso Regent House School…0 QUARTER FINAL Cookstown High School…10 Isaac Kelso (2) Jack Patterson (2), Aaron Abernerthy, Noah Cuddy, Scott Ashfield, Edward Irwin, Bobbi Robinson & Ethan Redford Kilkeel High School…0 SEMI FINAL Banbridge Academy…1 Cookstown High School…6 Jack Patterson (4), Noah Cuddy & Edward Irwin SQUADS Cookstown High School: 1 Noah Cuddy, 2 Bobbi Robinson, 3 Edward Irwin (Captain), 4 Sam Hamill, 5 Charlie Costelloe, 6 Caleb Caskey, 7 Isaac Kelso (Vice Captain), 8 Aaron Brown, 9 Jack Patterson, 10 Ethan Redford (Vice Captain), 11 Lee Brisbane, 12 Joshua Bell, 14 Scott Ashfield, 15 Calum Hewitt, 16 Aaron Abernethy, 17 Benji Patterson (GK) & 18 Jake Wilson (GK) Coaches: Godfrey Irwin, Julian Costelloe, Michael Haycock & Stephen Cuddy Pen Portraits Noah Cuddy Noah is the youngest player on the team and is still only in Year 8. Noah is an excellent goal scorer and has a excellent hockey brain. Noah scored in every round of the Ferris Cup including the winner in the final. Bobbi Robinson Bobbi is another player that is playing up a year from year 9, Bobbi had a fantastic final at right back linking with Isaac Kelso during the whole match. Bobbi gained an Ulster U16 trial due to his performance in the final. Edward Irwin (Captain) Edward is a natural leader and is the mainstay of the U14s defence. Edward has superb tackling and passing skills coupled with organising those players in front of him. Edward setup the goal in the final and earned an Irish U16 after the game. Sam Hamill Sam is an excellent defender, primarily playing left back but can play anywhere across the back four. Sam had an excellent semi final performance against Banbridge Academy. Charlie Costelloe Charlie is playing a year up from year 9 and is one of the most exciting players in his own age group. Charlie never missed a tackle or a trap in the final controlling things at the heart of the back four with captain Edward Irwin. A brilliant player. Caleb Caskey Caleb is another excellent defender and had excellent performances throughout the competition. Caleb is a very good tackler and has got a good passing range. Isaac Kelso (Vice Captain) Isaac Kelso is a superb midfielder and was one of the best players in the final. He is constant threat with his running ability and skill. Isaac is the teams main attacking force and has scored and setup loads of goals this season. Aaron Brown Aaron is a very composed and talented left midfielder, who had a great performance in the final. Aaron is very good at tackling and relieving pressure. Jack Patterson Jack is the teams natural goal scorer who has a knack of always being in the right place at the right time. He has scored very important goals all season including an amazing four goals in 14 minutes in the semi-final against Banbridge. Ethan Redford (Vice Captain) Ethan is an amazing athlete and has skill to match and is one of the best u14 Centre midfielders in Ulster. Had a superb final winning penalty corner and always being a constant threat. Ethan has a big future in the game. Lee Brisbane Lee has an excellent sporting brain and had an excellent final at left back in the final. He along with the other back four kept the RBAI opportunities to a minimum and was always an option for a pass. Joshua Bell Joshua has had a very good season in the u14s front line. He is a very hard worker, is fast and athletic and scores his fair share of goals. Scott Ashfield Scott is another player who has had a good season in the forward line, scoring some cracking goals during the cup run including a couple of braces. Scott is a hard worker who is always in the right place in the attacking circle. Calum Hewitt Callum is a skilful year 9 playing up a year in the u14 team. He played very well during the final, being composed and setting up a couple of scoring opportunities. Aaron Abernethy Aaron is a very hard-working right winger and the ultimate team player. He had an excellent final constantly putting pressure on the RBAI left back. Benji Patterson Benji had a superb final keeping a clean sheet against a very good RBAI side. Benji made some very important stops from open play and at set pieces. Jake Wilson (GK) Jake is a very accomplished goalkeeper who has backed Benji up throughout the Ferris Cup run. Jake is a very good shot stopper and is very good in one v one situations.