The Kingfisher Financial-sponsored Ulster Schools’ Cup saw a record turnout this year, with 312 players across 52 teams competing for the prestigious opportunity to represent Ulster at the All-Ireland Table Tennis Finals in Dublin this April.

After an intense seven hours of top-class table tennis, the results were as follows:

Under 13 Boys

🥇 Banbridge Academy
🥈 St Catherine’s A
🥉 Royal and Prior & St Catherine’s B (Joint 3rd)
🏆 Consolation Winner: Killicomaine JHS

Under 13 Girls

🥇 Monaghan Collegiate
🥈 Strathearn College
🥉 Sullivan Upper
🏆 Consolation Winner: Cavan Royal

Under 15 Boys

🥇 RBAI
🥈 Sullivan Upper
🥉 Royal and Prior
🏆 Consolation Winner: Friends Lisburn

Under 15 Girls

🥇 St Catherine’s
🥈 Cavan Royal
🥉 Strathearn & Banbridge Academy B (Joint 3rd)
🏆 Consolation Winner: Royal and Prior

Under 19 Boys

🥇 Grosvenor Grammar
🥈 Friends Lisburn
🥉 Monaghan Collegiate
🏆 Consolation Winner: Enniskillen A

Under 19 Girls

🥇 Bloomfield
🥈 Grosvenor
🥉 Strathearn
🏆 Consolation Winner: Monaghan Collegiate

The tournament featured some thrilling matches, including two nail-biting finals. Bloomfield edged out Grosvenor 5-4 in the U19 Girls’ final, while RBAI’s U15 Boys secured victory in a tense battle against Sullivan Upper by the same scoreline.

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped set up and clear the venue—your dedication is the backbone of table tennis in Ulster. While there were some unforeseen technical issues affecting the event’s smooth running, we appreciate the patience of all schools involved. To prevent future delays, joint third-place awards were introduced in some categories, and medals will be sent to the schools next week.

Looking ahead, we have six strong teams set to represent Ulster, and we are optimistic about repeating last year’s success at the All-Ireland Finals. We look forward to welcoming players and schools back on March 27th in Lisburn for the Ulster Schools’ Individual Cup Finals—with full assurance that the challenges faced at this event will not be repeated.

See you all there!

Norman McBride
Schools’ Secretary