A year of sporting excellence for Millburn Primary School

Millburn PS is a school with a proud tradition when it comes to school sports in the Coleraine area, however 2014 will surely go down as one of the most enjoyable and most successful in its history.

The sporting calendar has been an extremely busy one with the children at Millburn being afforded the opportunity to participate in a wide range of sports including football, girls’ football, cricket (boys and girls teams), orienteering, netball, athletics, cross country, indoor athletics, tennis, hockey, judo, tai chi, rugby and swimming.

The sporting season got off to a flier for the children at Millburn PS when, in January, the Indoor Athletics team won the inter-schools competition held at the University of Ulster, Coleraine.

The awards kept coming for Millburn with both the boys and the girls cricket teams walking away from Coleraine cricket club crowned as district champions – a fantastic achievement for both teams to win.

This amazing feat ensured both teams a place in the national finals held at Stormont cricket ground (a venue used to host Ireland’s senior cricket games). The teams from Millburn came up against many larger schools from around the province, registering many impressive victories along the way.

Another Millburn team that showcased their talents and skills at a famous venue this year was the school rugby team.

Having impressed the organisers at a local rugby tournament held at the City of Derry Rugby Club, the Millburn boys were invited to attend a national competition held at Ravenhill, home of Ulster rugby, what an experience for the Millburn boys!

The Millburn tennis team wasn’t to be outdone either and all of their hard work in tennis lessons certainly paid off when they were crowned champions at the Coleraine primary schools competition held at the Coleraine Leisure Centre.

The 2014 football season brought more success for the Millburn boys. The Primary 5 team experienced the winning feeling when they were crowned champions at the 7-a-side competition held at the Coleraine Showgrounds at the beginning of May.

The sporting season finished, just as it started, for Millburn PS, when the football team shared the Doherty Cup following a highly entertaining final held at a packed out Coleraine Showgrounds. The final thrilled the large crowd in attendance and the Millburn boys certainly did their school proud.

Commenting on the fantastic achievements of the school, the teacher in charge of sport, Mr Ruairi McClean, paid tribute to the pupils, who helped the school achieve such sporting excellence ove the past 12 months.

“Firstly and most importantly I’d like to thank all of the children for the tremendous discipline, perseverance and skill shown throughout a magnificent year of sport at the school,” he said.

“The hard working staff at Millburn PS also deserve a lot of credit for their continued encouragement and guidance, ensuring that the various sports teams were always prepared expertly for each competition.

“At Millburn we encourage all children to participate in sporting activities and emphasise that the development of skills is the most important thing.

“The hard work of our children certainly paid off this year and it was great to see the efforts of our children recognised through their success in the many competitions that they competed in.

“We remain committed to ensuring that fun and development are the priorities when it comes to our children experiencing sporting activities.”