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MEDALLION SHIELD UPDATE
Indeed, the one remaining semi-finalist with
previous experience of winning the competition,
Bangor Grammar School, have to look back to
1985 since their last success.
The Medallion Shield, a competition for Year 11
schoolboy pupils, was first played for in 1910
when Methodist College Belfast were crowned
the inaugural winners following a 11-0 win over
Royal Belfast Academical Institution. For the
first five years of the competition, only the two
Belfast teams competed in the competition. Royal
School Dungannon became the next school to
join in 1915, before Bangor Grammar School in
1916 then Ballymena Academy and Coleraine
Academical Institution in 1917.
A century later, there are 36 schools competing
in the 2016/17 Medallion Shield, with Methodist
College Belfast and Royal Belfast Academical
Institution currently topping the roll of honour on
35 titles each.
Paths to the semi-finals:
Portadown College have travelled the longest
route to the semi-finals, having opened their
campaign in Round 2 with a comfortable 58-10
win at home over County Armagh neighbours
Lurgan College. They then won three successive
away games with victories over Ballyclare High
School (10-34), Royal School Dungannon (7-20)
and Omagh Academy (15-17) to book their place
in the last four.
Bangor Grammar School entered the competition
in Round 3 where they travelled to Ballymena
Academy and edged out a 22-29 win. In the
next round the Bangor pupils recorded a
more comfortable 8-36 win away to Limavady
Grammar School. The quarter-finals dealt up
a difficult tie against Royal Belfast Academical
Institution but Bangor made the most of home
advantage to squeeze through 14-12.
The Royal School, Armagh began the competition
with a 5-20 win away to Cambridge House in
Round 4. The Armagh boys were also on the road
for their quarter-final encounter against Wallace
and it proved to be a tighter affair, with the visitors
going through on a score line of 5-7.
Friends’ School Lisburn also joined the
competition in Round 4 and recorded an
impressive 3-19 win over Belfast Royal Academy.
In the quarter-finals Friends’ School hosted
Methodist College Belfast and the home team
held out for a 12-8 win to book their semi-final
spot.
DANSKE BANK MEDALLION SHIELD DEALS UP
NOVEL SEMI-FINAL PAIRINGS
The final four of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Shield has a
novel look this year, as it features three schools who have never won the
competition, namely The Royal School Armagh, Portadown College and
Friends' School Lisburn.
THE ROYAL SCHOOL, ARMAGH
V
BANGOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL
AT QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY ARENA
PORTADOWN COLLEGE
V
FRIENDS' SCHOOL, LISBURN
AT BANBRIDGE RUGBY CLUB
Both semi-finals will be played on Saturday
25th February, kick-off 10.30am.
The Danske Bank Ulster Schools' Medallion
Shield Final will take place on Tuesday March
7th at Kingspan Stadium, kick-off 2.30pm.
DANSKE BANK ULSTER
SCHOOLS' MEDALLION SHIELD
SEMI-FINAL DRAW: