Schools’ Golf League           

• The Darren Clarke Competition is a schools’ golf league across Northern Ireland which was founded by Darren Clarke and aims to encourage students to play golf but also to raise funds for breast cancer
• A team consists of seven players (boys or girls) - the boys must be in Years 8, 9, 10 or 11  and girls can be of any year.
• The competition starts around the beginning of March and finishes at the end of May
• The following pupils took part from PortadownCollege:                   

Jack McClean Year 11.            Handicap   8

Emma Kenny Year 14,             Handicap 17

Neil Gilmore Year11,               Handicap 22

Chris Fearon Year 11               Handicap 23

Jonathan Beattie Year 11,        Handicap 23

Andrew Steele Year 11,           Handicap 24

Nathan McConnell Year 11     Handicap 36

Results

In the league section PortadownCollege won all games.

• In the last 16  Portadown College defeated last year’s runner – up of the competition (St Pat’s Armagh (5/2)
• In the quarter final  PortadownCollege defeated one of the favourites BanbridgeAcademy 4/3.  In the semi final PortadownCollege defeated  Coleraine Academical Institution 5/2.
• In the final PortadownCollege defeated  Rainey Endowed  6/1.

   The final was played at Loughgall Golf Club on Friday 29^th May. Rainey Endowed had students with higher handicaps and, as a result, we had shots to give due to the format of the competition.   Jack was out first and won his match 2 and 1. Emma was next: she played really well, winning 3 and 2 and showing real character and determination despite unwanted pressure from the opposition supporters. Smooth operator Neil Gilmore took his match to the 18^th and won on the final putt. Chris Fearon was up next and this turned out to be a closely fought match. When his opponent hit his ball into the rough on the 17^th this resulted in Chris winning the hole and the match. Jonathan Beattie, who  played well throughout the competition, put in a good performance to win his match 3 and 2. Andrew Steele had won all his matches to this point and he did not disappoint in the final. He ‘blew away’ his opponent winning comfortably by 5 and 3. Nathan McConnell was last up. He started well but was 2 down by the 15^th when the overall match was conceded.