Your Chronicle's countdown to Christmas sport section

Despite Christmas right on our doorsteps, sporting action continued across the Borough this week.

As always, starting from the back, Slaughtneil suffered an All Ireland defeat against Loughrea by a 2-22 - 0-15 finish. With victory certain their young midfielder Cullen Killeen got a straight red card for swinging his hurl into Brendan Rogers who was attempting to get involved in the play. They had already got five yellow cards in a game where some of their ‘tackling’ was in the danger zone. Still the Derry and Ulster champions will have no excuses, they simply did not play anywhere near their best.
The winners had a solid defence that simply snuffed out any goal chance that the Derry side may have had in their locker.

Coleraine FC were defeaed once again by Belfast side Glentoran FC after taking the early lead from a Matthew Shevlin finish, but it wasn't to be as the match was plagued by injuries and three red cards. Jamie Glackin and Will Patching both departed the action early because of injury while the third member of the midfield triumvirate, Dylan Boyle, was sent off on the hour.
Cameron Stewart was also forced off the field with a head injury before head coach Ruaidhri Higgins and assistant coach Kevin Deery were shown red cards by referee Christopher Morrison in the closing stages.

Dylan Boyle is definitely out following his dismissal while defender Dean Jarvis is also suspended after picking up his fifth booking in the defeat to the Glens. The task now for management is to pick a team capable of getting the win which would see the Bannsiders keep in touch with leaders Larne at the top of the table.

Football

Coleraine Executive  Chairman Henry Ross reflected on his first year of becoming majority shareholder of the club. In a statement released by the club, Henry praised the efforts of staff, volunteers and supporters, noting that progress on the pitch has come quicker than anticipated, while stressing the need to carefully manage expectations during what remains a transitional season. While Coleraine will approach every match with ambition, Ross stated that European qualification is the realistic benchmark this year rather than immediate silverware.

Reflecting on the past 12 months, Ross revealed the club was just a week away from bankruptcy when he took control, describing the period since as demanding but fundamentally important. He credited the professionalism and resilience of those involved at the club for helping stabilise Coleraine and put it on a more secure footing, while acknowledging there is still considerable work to be done to achieve longer-term goals.

Limavady United were successful in their bid to defeat third place H&W Welders  with a 3-2 finish despite going behind early into the first half. Brian Healy swept a low finish into the bottom corner from close range after being played in by Senan Devine.
But Limavady responded with two quickfire goals from John Butcher – the first being sent low into the bottom corner past Conor Mitchell. And four minutes later he slotted it into the bottom corner once again – ending the first half with a 2–1 lead for Limavady. Shortly after the break, Ruairi Boorman gave United their third goal after a long run, pushing their lead further ahead to 3–1. Welders tried to keep themselves in the contest just over the hour mark after Ethan Devine was subbed on and scored in the 66th minute.

Limavady host North West Rivals Institute FC at the Coleraine Showgrounds this week in a North West derby clash, and a win here for Paul Owens' side will allow them to go into a top of the table clash against Annagh United with all determination to finish the year finally in the much sought for first place in the Championship. 

Heights FC will look to continue their fine form of recent seasons when they take on Desertmartin in the final of the Craig Memorial North West Cup over the festive period. The two teams meet at Fortwilliam Park in Tobermore at 11am on Boxing Day with silverware up for grabs. It’s a novel pairing for the seasonal decider and is sure to attract a large crowd to the south Derry venue. The two Ballymena Provincial League sides go into the game on the back of impressive league performances.
Both are currently in the top half of the league, just three points separating the teams.

Motorsport

The 2026 North West 200 Race Week on May 4-9 will mark the third year for Briggs Equipment as title sponsors of the north coast road race event. Since coming on board during 2024, Ireland’s number one provider of tailored engineering solutions, delivering first-class sales, hire, service and training support to their customers, the Lisburn-based company has played a significant role in the development of the road race meeting. “It’s fantastic to be here again at the launch of another Briggs Equipment North West 200 and I have no doubt it will be another record breaker in many ways,” said Gary Clements, Briggs Equipment Ireland Group Director.

Aghadowey Oval is set for a busy festive race meeting on Saturday, December 27, with a full afternoon of oval action getting underway at 1.30pm. The programme brings together elite-level competition across several formulas, with titles, points standings and visiting stars all adding to the appeal.

National Hot Rods headline the meeting as they contest Round 7 of the World Series NI, with drivers chasing qualification points towards next July’s World Championship in Ipswich. The meeting also serves as the deciding round of the 2025 DMC Race Promotions Points Championship, where Galgorm’s Shane Murray holds a narrow 19-point advantage over Irish National Champion Ian Riordan. British and Ulster Champion Glenn Bell arrives in strong form, with several other front runners expected to challenge.

The 2.0 Hot Rods field is boosted by the arrival of reigning World Champion Jason Secker from Scotland, ensuring a highly competitive contest. Irish and NI Points Champion Jordan Rochford and British Champion Conor Hughes are among those expected to feature prominently, with a deep field promising close racing throughout the afternoon.

Younger drivers also take centre stage in the Ninja Karts Stars of Tomorrow Challenge, which has attracted a large entry including a number of cross-channel competitors. European Champion Mason Carberry leads a strong line-up, while Irish Champion Jack Murphy and several local racers will aim to impress. The card is completed by Stock Rods and Thunder Rods, where current Irish champions Sam McNeice and James Goldie headline their respective grids.