Battalion Blog

Coleraine Battalion u14 Team Reach Northern Irish Finals!

2012-05-09T11:42:00.002+01:00

Coleraine District Boys Brigade U-14 team football team has reached the Final of the Northern Ireland District Shield. The team consists of BB members from local companies in Coleraine, Garvagh, Kilrea, and Limavady and under the guidance of Norman Edgar they have made the Final of the Competition for the first time ever.

In the Semi Finals played at Clyde Park Garvagh, they met a strong East Antrim Battalion side. In a very close encounter Coleraine took an early lead when Jonathan Lever forced the ball home from close range. The strong Coleraine forward line were forcing the East Antrim defensive line into errors and one such error resulted in a penalty for Coleraine. The Antrim keeper however made a fine save from the resulting spot kick .

Boasted by this the Antrim boys got back into the game a short time later when their Centre forward followed in on the rebound after a fine save from Jamie Cunningham in the Coleraine goal. Coleraine took the lead again 10 minutes before half time, Ryan Hargy whipped in a fine free kick, which Coleraine Captain Craig Witherow headed powerfully into the roof of the net.

Antrim continued to pressure the Coleraine Defence and were rewarded with an equaliser early in the Second Half, 2-2. The game ebbed and flowed with good chances at both ends of the pitch, however with 12 minutes remaining, Coleraine’s Adam Hutton powered down the right wing and whipped in a low cross which Josh Greene slotted into the bottom corner of the net to make the score 3-2 to Coleraine. A thrilling last 10 minutes saw the Coleraine defence under immense pressure but they held out to seal a memorable victory.

-- John McFadden Recreation Convener

Battalion Under 14 Football Team Progress to Semi Finals

2012-05-02T14:24:00.003+01:00

The Coleraine & District Battalion Under 14 Football team have successfully made it through to the semi finals of the Northern Ireland Competition after defeating Portadown Battalion 8-3. The semi-final will be played next Tuesday (8th May) against the East Antrim Battalion.

Many congratulations to the team, coaches and organisers!

1st Garvagh Display

2012-03-27T20:51:00.002+01:00

Great video from the 1st Garvagh Company Display. Imaginative box work segment including an intro video, well done to all the young men and officers involved!

Orienteering Coaching

2012-03-01T10:15:00.000Z

In March North West Orienteering club (NWOC) in association with University of Ulster Sports Services will be running an exciting new introduction to orienteering, suitable for all ages, fitness levels and abilities (beginners and those who want to improve skills) at the University of Ulster Coleraine – Sports Centre South Building.

Thurs 1st March
Thurs 8th March
Thurs 15 March
Thurs 22nd March
Thurs 29th March - Street O event

The sessions are held between 6.30 and 8 pm and are run by a qualified orienteering coach. A small charge is made to cover costs of maps and coaching - £10 for the 5 week programme.

Have Fun Get Fit sessions will involve learning how to navigate using simple exercises indoors and outdoors (weather and lighting permitting), they will also involve physical exercises to build your body strength and flexibility. There is no need for special equipment, just come along in comfortable jogging/leisure clothes.

Orienteering is an exciting outdoor adventure sport which involves walking or running whilst navigating around a course using a detailed map and sometimes a compass. The aim is to navigate in sequence between a set of control points and decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. It does not matter how young, old or fit you are, as you can run, walk or jog the course and progress at your own pace.

Orienteering can take place anywhere from remote forest and countryside to urban parks and school playgrounds. It’s a great sport for runners, joggers and walkers who want to improve their navigation skills or for anyone who loves the outdoors.

For more information contact Mark Hudson, Assistant Regional Development Officer - NI Orienteering

ardo@niorienteering.org.uk
Mobile: 07540400586

Programme Ideas

2012-02-20T22:02:00.003Z

At a recent Battalion training evening hosted by 1st Garvagh in Main Street Presbyterian Walter Lamb spoke on the Dis a Bility resources which have been compiled by BBNI on issues such as Wheelchair users, ADHD, Dyslexia and how to provide an inclusive programme. Most of the leaflets have already been uploaded onto the BBNI website and can be downloaded - www.bbni.org.uk

During the second part of the evening Rev. Trevor McCormick gave an overview of the new Programme Packs for Anchors and Juniors. Companies who attended were also given the opportunity to share some programme ideas for all sections. You can see a selection of ideas below...

1st Aghadowey - The Anchor Boys have designed a number of banners featuring verses of the Bible.
1st Ballywatt - Programme night around the story of David & Goliath. One of the leaders was able to put together a small catapult/trebuchet. The boys had a opportunity to use it for target practice using tennis balls.
1st Garvagh - Archery
1st Kilrea - Making/decorating cup cakes, making pancakes, trip to the cinema.
1st Limavady - Visits by the Police and to the local Fire Station. Trips to rugby and football matches. Baking, first aid, wildlife.
1st Macosquin - Visits by the police with a demonstration of some of their equipment.

If you have any ideas you think might be of use to other companies in the Battalion, we want to hear from you - coleraine@boys-brigade.org.uk

Event: Battalion Training Evening

2012-01-30T17:30:00.002Z

The Coleraine & District Battalion will be holding an event to formally introduce the new Anchors and Junior Section programme files. The evening will also incorporate disability awareness & working with boys with special needs.

The event will take plae on Monday 6th February 2012 at 8.00pm in Main Street Presbyterian Church Hall in Garvagh. The later start time will hopefully enable companies who meet that night to come along. It would be very encouraging as well as being of great benefit to yourselves if all sections of all companies could be present.

Those Companies represented on the evening will have the opportunity to purchase the Anchors and Juninor Section Programme Files at half price.

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2nd Limavady invites you to Songs of Praise...

2011-11-01T12:06:00.001Z

2nd Limavady Boys' Brigade Company invites you to Songs of Praise in 2nd Limavady Presbyterian Church on Sunday 13th November 2011 at 7.00pm.

Congregational singing will be interspersed with choral items from the Boys’ Brigade, Girls’ Brigade, Church Choir and 1st Dunboe ‘1980s’ Choir. A light supper will be served in the Church Hall after the service.

The collection will be in aid of BB Funds and the Church Property Fund

BB Connect in the Coleraine & District Battalion

2011-10-05T21:20:00.004+01:00

BB Connect empowers, develops and connects young people throughout The Boys’ Brigade in Northern Ireland. We aim to retain, equip and support the young leaders of the Brigade and allow them to help make the decisions which shape the Brigade now and in the future.

BB Members and Leaders aged 16-30
Fun & Friendship
Challenge & Adventure
International Teams & Projects
Training opportunities - (unique/exclusive/specifically for BB Connect Members)
Opportunity to represent BB Connect at all decision making levels within The Boy’s Brigade

More information...

Reminder: Junior Section Quiz Kids

2011-09-13T19:06:00.000+01:00

The Junior Section Northern Ireland Quiz Kids registration is due by Monday 19th of September at Rathmore House. The Competition will be held on Friday 7th October 2011 at 7.30 in Limavady.

Queen's Badge Recipients (2010/2011)

2011-04-30T19:44:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to the following young men and their officers on the achievement of The Boys' Brigade's premier award - The Queen's Badge, during the 2010-2011 session.

Mark Irwin (1st Balteagh)
Stewart Love (1st Balteagh)
Michael Smyth (1st Balteagh)
Christy Gregg (2nd Coleraine)
Gavin Harvey (2nd Coleraine)
Graham Hunter (2nd Coleraine)
Gary Simpson (2nd Coleraine)
Gavin Darragh (5th Coleraine)
Richard McMaster (5th Coleraine)
Matthew Graham (1st Dunboe)
Glen Armstrong (1st Garvagh)
Jonathan Clyde (1st Garvagh)
Alan Moore (1st Garvagh)
Michael Torrens (1st Garvagh)
Steven Alcorn (2nd limavady)
Iain Archibald (2nd limavady)
David Kingsbury (2nd limavady)
Steven Montgomery (2nd limavady)
Connor Richmond (2nd limavady)
Brandon Sayer (2nd limavady)
David Thompson (2nd limavady)
Matthew Brown (1st Tamlaght O’Crilly)

Boys' Brigade Irish National Badminton Champions

2011-03-09T20:11:00.004Z

1st Garvagh Boys Brigade travelled to Donegal on the 5th March 2011 to take on 1st Letterkenny in the Irish National Badminton Finals. The contest consisted of 6 double pairings and Garvagh looked to be in trouble when the hosts took an early 2-1 lead. However the Garvagh Boys were not to be denied and took the next 3 matches to run out 4-2 winners in a marathon 3 hour match which saw the fortunes swing back and forward and which had the spectators on the edge of their seats throughout. The trophy was presented to the Alan Moore by Maurice Wray , the 1st Letterkenny BB Company Captain, who commented on the high standard of badminton from both teams and the excellent level of Sportsmanship throughout the match.

Both teams can now look forward to the Boys' Brigade British Finals to be held in London on the 30th of April 2011. With the Coleraine Battalion title and the Irish National title secured , 1st Garvagh hope to add the Northern Ireland title to their list of achievements when they take on 4th Newtownabbey in the final at the end of March.

Battalion Badminton Results 2010/11

2011-03-09T20:11:00.002Z

The divisions for the 2010-2011 Session were:-

DIVISION 1

The Division 1 competition was held in the Jim Watt Leisure Centre Garvagh. Each team competed against each other in a round robin event, which saw 1st Garvagh come out the eventual winners with a total of 16points. 1st Ballywatt and 5th Coleraine came in equal second with 10 points.

1st Ballywatt
2nd Coleraine
5th Coleraine
1st Garvagh

DIVISION 2

The Division 2 competition was held in the St Patricks Church Hall. Again each team competed against each other in a round robin event, which saw 2nd Limavady come out the eventual winners.

1st Coleraine
1st Drumachose
1st Kilrea
2nd Limavady

Battalion Orienteering Competition 2011

2011-03-04T11:01:00.001Z

23 boys from 5 different Companies took part in the Annual Orienteering Competition held in the grounds of the University of Ulster Coleraine. The competition was held in conjunction with the North West Orienteering Club who had organised 3 separate courses on the University Campus. The Club provided the electronic tags for each boy which allowed full print outs of times at each Check point and Total finish time. Thanks to the Mark Hudson from the North West Orienteering Club for all his help and support during the day.

The team event saw each of the 3 team members competing on one of the 3 Courses, with the total cumulative time determining the winner of the team event. 1st Balteagh won the competition with an Impressive total time of 68.82mins for the 3 team members, Michael Smyth of 1st Balteagh coming in with a very fast individual time of 19.41mins to take the Individual Senior award. Wesley McCartney of 1st Coleraine posted the fastest U-15 time of 25mins to take the Individual Junior award.

Activity Ideas: Coleraine Climbing Wall

2011-03-02T16:05:00.002Z

Situated just 5 miles from the spectacular North Coast is a purpose built climbing wall set in it’s own area of the Coleraine Scout Hall. Changing facilities showers catering area. Car parking. Height 6m width 12m (approx) 10 routes currently. Direct route traverse and overhang sections.

Fully equipped, certified guides and instructors. H&S approved, full insurance provided. Ropes liners and helmets on site. Available to pre book for parties of 10 and over. Evenings and weekends. Excellent kitchen and changing facilities on site. Drinks included. Prepare and serve your own hot or cold refreshments. Costs £50 per 3 hour session for 10 people with full supervision and first aid in attendance. £5 per person for a further 10 to 30 climbers.

Discounts available for block or repeat bookings.Contact us on colerainescouting@gmail.com for full information.

Reminder: Battalion Orienteering 2011

2011-02-03T22:01:00.000Z

A reminder about updated details for this year's Battalion Orienteering competition at the University of Ulster, Coleraine Sports Centre.

Time: 1.45 pm sharp
Entry Fee : £ 2.00 per boy
Teams : Open Competition. (3 Boys per team).
Single entries are also welcome,there will be an award for the Best
Individual score as well as the Team award.

All entries will be accepted on the day of the Event. Please wear suitable clothing and footwear. Each Company to provide at least one Officer for the competition.

Email: coleraine@boys-brigade.org.uk

2011 Masterteams Competitions

2011-01-28T11:53:00.001Z

8 teams from 5 different Companies took part in the Coleraine Battalion Masterteams Competition held in Terrace Row Presbyterian Church Coleraine. With Mr Paul Ballentine in the Quiz Master’s Chair, the boys answered questions on a wide range of topics. After the nine designated rounds, 5th Coleraine were the convincing winners with 1st Garvagh runners-up some 8 points behind. Thanks to all you took part in an enjoyable evening and thanks to Terrance Row Church for hosting the event.

Battalion Chaplain Rev Ivan Hunter presented
the trophy to the winners – 5th Coleraine.

Teams

5th Coleraine a/b/c/d
1st Coleraine
2nd Coleraine
1st Ballywatt
1st Garvagh

2010 Junior Section Five-a-Side Competition

2011-01-20T15:36:00.005Z

11 teams took part in the Junior Section Five -a- Side Competition held at the University of Coleraine. After the completion of the Group stage games, 1st Garvagh, 5th Coleraine, 1st Macosquin and 1st Drumachose qualified for the Semi-Finals. In the first Semi-final, 1st Garvagh and 1st Macosquin played out an entertaining scoreless draw and with the game remaining scoreless after extra time; it was left to penalties to decide the winner. With 1st Garvagh winning the penalty shoot-out by 2 – 1. In the second Semi-final 1st Drumachose beat 5th Coleraine by 1-0.

The Final between 1st Garvagh and 1st Drumachose was a tense affair with few scoring chances at either end and the game looked to be edging towards a penalty shoot-out; however with 30seconds left on the clock Griffin Philipson scored with a fine low shot to seal the victory for 1st Garvagh.

Thanks to all the teams who took part, thanks to Mr Robert Black for refereeing and to Mr Lex Smith who organized the Draw and the smooth running of the competition on the night.

Reminder: Masterteam 2011

2011-01-20T15:34:00.004Z

Entries for this year's Masterteam competition must be received by John McFadden (1st Garvagh) by Saturday 22nd January 2011.

Masterteam 2011

Date : Thursday 27th January 2011.
Time : 7.30 pm sharp.
Entry Fee : Free
Teams : Open Competition ( 4 Boys per team).
Each Company to provide at least one Officer for the competition.
Competition Organiser : John McFadden via coleraine@boys-brigade.org.uk

2010 Company Section Five-a-Side Competition

2011-01-20T15:28:00.004Z

The Coleraine & District Battalion Company Section 5-a-side Football competition took place in December at the University of Ulster at Coleraine.

Junior: U-15 Section

16 teams took part in the Junior U-15 Competition, which was divided into 4 groups and after the
completion of the Group stage games, 1st Garvagh, 5th Coleraine, 1st Kilrea and 1st Coleraine qualified for the Semi-Finals as group winners. In the first Semi-final, 1st Garvagh edged out 5th Coleraine by 1-0, Ryan Hargy scoring for Garvagh but Jamie Cunningham the Garvagh goalkeeper had to make a series of fine saves to keep Coleraine out. In the second Semi-final with 5 secs left on the clock 1st Coleraine goal scored the only goal of the game to knock out 1st Kilrea.

The Final between 1st Garvagh and 5th Coleraine was a tense affair with few scoring chances and finished 0-0 after full time with 1st Garvagh winning the resulting Penalty Shoot-Out by 3-1.

Senior: U-18 Section

10 teams took part in the Senior Competition, which were divided into 2 groups of 5, with the top two from each Group qualifying for the Semi-Finals. In the first of the Semi-finals 1st Kilrea put on a commanding performance to beat 1st Limavady by a 4-0 score line. The second semi-final between 1st Ballywatt v 1st Garvagh was a tough encounter with few opportunities at either end and finished scoreless after full time, with 1st Garvagh winning 3-1 on Penalties.

The Final produced a local derby between 1st Garvagh and 1st Kilrea. The game itself was played at a high tempo with 1st Kilrea controlling much of the early play, however Garvagh’s Paul Armstrong opened the scoring before half time and Garvagh followed that with another goal scored by Andrew Harding just after the break. 1st Kilrea fought back strongly and scored with 3 mins to play. However 1st Garvagh held on for what was a hard fought victory to retain the Senior U-18 trophy for the Fourth year in a row. The win completed the double for the Garvagh boys of Victory in the Junior U-15 and Senior U-18 football competitions.

Thanks to all the teams who took part, thanks also to Mr Robert Black for refereeing and to Martin McCook who organised the Draw and the smooth running of the competition over the two nights.

More photos on the Coleraine & District Battalion Facebook Page...

2010 Volleyball Competition

2010-12-07T10:10:00.000Z

The annual Coleraine Battalion Volleyball competition was held on 25th and 26th November 2010. The Volleyball competition was divided into 2 sections, the Junior U-15 and Senior U-18 sections.

Junior U-15 Section

9 companies were represented and after the initial group stages, the Semi-matches were paired as follows

1st Garvagh vs 2nd Limavady.
1st Coleraine vs 1st Portrush.

1st Coleraine ran out fairly comfortable winners against 1st Portrush, taking the match 2-0. The second semi-final was a much closer affair, with 2nd Limavady winning the first set by the narrowest of margins. 1st Garvagh responed strongly in the second set, winning 15-5, and then wrapped up the match with a close win in the 3rd set 15-13.

The Final between 1st Garvagh and 1st Coleraine was an evenly contested match, with 1st Garvagh running out eventual winners by two sets to nil.

Senior U-18 Section

8 companies were represented and after the initial group stages, the Semi-matches were paired as follows;

1st Garvagh vs 1st Kilrea.
1st Ballywatt vs 1st Portrush.

In the first Semi-Final 1st Portrush edged out 1st Ballywatt , taking the match 2-0. The second semi-final however was a much closer affair, with local rivals 1st Garvagh and 1st Kilrea involved in a nail biting affair. 1st Garvagh ran out eventual winners by 2 sets to one

The Final between 1st Garvagh and 1st Portrush was again a very evenly contested match, with 1st Garvagh running out eventual winners by two sets to nil, but with the narrowest of margins in both sets.

Thanks to 1st Coleraine Boys Brigade who hosted the event in St Patricks Church Hall. Photos on Facebook...

10-Pin-Bowling 2010

2010-10-31T18:01:00.004Z

On Thursday 28th October the Coleraine & District Battalion of the Boys' Brigade held the first competition of the new session. Boys and leaders from throughout the district attended the event at the Bowling Alley in Coleraine Jet Centre. Everyone had a fantastic night, congratulations go the everyone who took part, especially the winners, organisers and staff at the Super Strikers 10-pin Bowling at the Jet Centre.

Senior
Winner – Andrew 1st Ballywatt 136
Runner-up – John 1st Ballywatt 112

Junior
Winner – Peter 1st Tamlaght 94
Runner-up – Stephen 1st Tamlaght 91

Junior (with Buffers)
Winner - Matthew – 5th Coleraine 125
Runner-up – Louis – 2nd Coleraine 120

Team Competition
Senior Winner – 1st Ballywatt 404
Junior Winner – 5th Coleraine 448

More photos on Facebook...

Queen's Badge Recipients (2009/2010)

2010-10-08T14:57:00.001+01:00

Congratulations to the following young men and their officers on the achievement of The Boys' Brigade's premier award - The Queen's Badge, during the 2009-2010 session.

Adam Dorrans (1st Ballywatt)
Andrew Lyons (1st Ballywatt)
Gareth McClenaghan (1st Ballywatt)
Jonathan Alcorn (1st Balteagh)
James Purcell (1st Balteagh)
Jordan Greer (1st Coleraine)
Ryan McCarter (1st Coleraine)
Connor Wallace (1st Coleraine)
David Quiston (2nd Coleraine)
Philip Gilliand (5th Coleraine)
Alexander Gourley (5th Coleraine)
Andrew Mawhinney (5th Coleraine)
James Scott (5th Coleraine)
Andrew Bloomfield (1st Drumachose)
Andrew Guy (1st Drumachose)
Stephen McAleese (1st Drumachose)
Mark Riley (1st Drumachose)
Glenn McAfee (1st Dunboe)
Andrew Laughlin (1st Kilrea)
James McCaughern (1st Kilrea)
Andrew Paul (1st Kilrea)
Andrew Robinson (1st Limavady)
Robert Kirke (2nd Limavady)
Jude Readdie (2nd Limavady)

And congratulations to Mark Callaghan (2nd Coleraine) who has qulified through the Brigade Training Officer Scheme in June 2010.

BB Connect - Accredited training opportunity

2010-10-08T14:27:00.001+01:00

BB CONNECT empowers, develops and connects young people throughout BBNI. We aim to retain, equip and support the young leaders of the Brigade and allow them to help make the decisions which shape the Brigade now and in the future.

BB CONNECT has organised 3 roadshow events around Northern Ireland for senior boys and leaders (male and female) aged 16-30. The nights consist of information stations about KGVI, NVQs, BB Connect and the Northern Ireland team to India in summer 2011, as well as activities from “igym star”, Ireland’s first arcade style mobile gymnasium (visit the company website www.igymstar.com)

The India team is in partnership with Habitat for Humanity NI, and follows the success of the 2007 and 2009 BB teams. The team involves working alongside homeowners building basic, affordable housing for their families. All that is required is a sense of humour and a desire to work!

The first roadshow is taking place at First Antrim Presbyterian Church on Tuesday 5th October. The night will begin at 7.45pm, aiming to finish at 10.00pm. The second roadshow is taking place in Coleraine (venue TBC) on Tuesday 19th October. The third roadshow is planned for early November in the Portadown area, with details available nearer the time. If you are not able to attend or fall outside of the age group, please pass on the information about the nights to any boys and leaders (male/female) you know.

If you or anyone you know is interested in attending the Antrim roadshow, could you email your interest to mikemcconkey@hotmail.co.uk by Saturday 2nd October, as we need to let igym star know numbers.

If you are interested in attending the Coleraine or Portadown roadshows, could you email your interest to the same address above by Saturday 16th October. All that is required in the email is the names and numbers of those boys and leaders attending, as well as the companies represented.

Thank you for your time and we hope to see you all at our roadshows

BB Connect team

Battalion Orienteering Event 2010

2010-03-31T21:23:00.010+01:00

Eight teams from the Coleraine & District Battalion of the Boys’ Brigade took part in the first of their outdoor events for the session. This was the Orienteering Competition with Downhill Forest being the venue. Thankfully the weather was dry and mild unlike the cold and snowy conditions of late. The 14 marker course had a mixture of difficult and more obvious locations which proved a challenge to the wide variety of age groups.

The eventual winners were the reigning champions 1st Garvagh BB Company who completed the course in 47 minutes, finishing 4 minutes ahead of their nearest rivals 1st Balteagh BB Company.

1st Garvagh Team Winners	1st Balteagh Runners-up
2nd Coleraine Team	1st Kilrea Teams
1st Garvagh Teams

Junior Section Update

2010-02-16T10:00:00.009Z

Spring Competition

Junior Challenge 2010
BATTALION HEAT

The 2010 Junior Challenge competition will be held on Saturday 6 March 2010 in 1st Macosquin at 2.00pm. Companies may enter 1 team of 4 boys accompanied by at least 1 officer. The officer will supervise one of the challenges. Boys should wear their blue BB polo shirts and shorts along with trainers/gym shoes.

Full details of event were published in Junior Section Newsletter January 2010.

Congratulations

Congratulations to 1st Kilrea the winners of the Junior Section 5-a-side competition and runners-up 1st Garvagh. Also, at the Figure Marching the winners were 1st Macosquin and runners up were 5th Coleraine. The Leading Boy was from 1st Kilrea Company.

James Craig - Junior Section Northern Ireland District Representative