Your weekly sports recap

ANOTHER week of a busy schedule of sport across the Borough, and here's how it went.

Starting from the back as usual, Coleraine defeated Cliftonville for the first time in three years at the Showgrounds with a 1-0 finish. Will Patching made the difference in the afternoon - his free kick was initially blocked by the wall, but his follow-up strike was undeniable. Loreto College were crowned the Ulster Shield Champions after defeating Our Lady's Newry in the Senior Camogie Final. Coleraine boss Ruaidhrí Higgins and CEO Dale  Pryde-Macdonald engaged with Coleraine supporters at a Q&A on Thursday evening, with a two-page spread covering the event on the inside of the paper.

Football

Limavady United powered their way back into winning ways this weekend after a dry spell of League results. Paul Owen's side defeated Newington 4-1 and left no doubt who was taking home all three points. A John Butcher hat-trick is what made the difference on the day, and a Lewis Tosh fourth to seal the deal. The gap is still close between Limavady and Annagh United, a narrow two points between the pair.

Portstewart also enjoyed all of the spoils after hosting Ballyclare Comrades, and the Seahawks also won 4-1 - importantly in the latter stages of their League campaign, where they have picked up good form since John Gregg stepped in as manager. It is believed that the top four Premier Intermediate teams at the end of the Season will be promoted to the Championship, so it's paramount that Portstewart keep putting in these types of performances.

GAA

Derry face a stiff opening test against Monaghan. The players on either team will be pretty familiar with each other, having met at the under-17 level in the 2023 All-Ireland minor final. That was their fourth meeting that year, with Derry winning all four, but each one was very competitive. Derry followed up by retaining the title in 2024 so based on that, manager Damian McErlain has a lot of talent to choose from.

Louth put a solid dent in Derry’s promotion hopes. It was a tale of two penalties in Ardee as Derry fell to a second Division Two defeat of the season against a Louth team who reintroduced themselves to the promotion race in some style. Their manager, Gavin Devlin, who had coached Derry in the past, read the visitors' script well and had an answer to all their moves

Motorsport

CP Hire continues their half-century sponsorship of the North West 200. In 1976, the founder of CP Hire Norman was approached by the then North West 200 Clerk of the Course, Billy Nutt, requesting sponsorship for the north coast motorcycle races. Norman agreed and now, 50 years on, CP Hire continues to proudly sponsor Ireland’s largest road race.

For full reports of all your local sports, see this week's Chronicle.