Battalion Blog

The Battalion annual 5-a-side Football Competition took place in December at the University of Ulster at Coleraine. The Junior competition on Monday 17th December with 15 teams from 11 companies. The two semi finals were 1st Macosquin vs 1st Portrush, with the Portrush team winning 1-0, and 1st Limavady vs 1st Kilrea with the Kilrea team winning 2-1. The then took place between 1st Kilrea and 1st Limavady, the Kilrea took the junior competition title on penalties 2-0 over Portrush. The Senior competition on Tuesday 18th December with a total of 11 teams from 9 companies. The two semifinals were 1st Coleraine vs Limavady (0-2) and 5th Coleraine B vs 1st Garvagh (1-0). 2nd Limavady and 5th Coleraine made it through to the final with 2nd Limavady winning by 2 goals to 1 over the 5th Coleraine Team. More Photos on Facebook...

The annual Battalion Volleyball Competition was held between Thursday 22nd (Junior competition) and Friday 23rd (Senior competition) November 2012 at St Patrick's Church of Ireland Halls, Coleraine. Photos from the competition Junior Competition Result 8 teams from 6 companies were represented on the Thursday night. The semi-final matches were 2nd Coleraine vs 1st Ballywatt and 1st Portrush vs 1st Garvagh.  2ND Coleraine A ran out comfortable winners against 1st Ballywatt, winning by 2 sets to 0, 15-2 and 15-5. The second semi-final was slightly closer with 1st Portrush beating 1st Garvagh by 2 sets to 0, 15-10 and 15-10. The Final between 1st Portrush and 2nd Coleraine A was an evenly contested match, with 2nd Coleraine running out eventual winners by two sets to one, but only by the narrowest of margins , 16-14, 10-15 and 15-6. Senior Competition Result 10 teams from 8 companies were represented on the Friday night. The Semi-final matches were paired as...

The Coleraine & District Battalion Division 1 Badminton competition was held at the Jim Watt Centre in Garvagh on 4th March 2013 with 11 teams from 8 companies in the battalion.   Winner: 1st Garvagh A (24 Points)  Runner-up: 2nd Limavady (16 Points)  1st Garvagh A 2nd Limavady 1st Garvagh B 2nd Coleraine 5th Coleraine 2nd Coleraine have been relegated to Division 2. 

The 1st Macosquin Company are holding a Hallowe'en Barn Part in aid of BB Funds and a Kenyan Orphanage. Music by Eternity Socials Location: Macosquin Presbyterian Church Date/Time: Friday 26th October 2012 Junior Section: 7.30pm to 9.30pm Company Section: 9.30pm to late

The Boys’ Brigade has been privileged to have Her Majesty as our Patron throughout her reign and in celebration of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee four young men, representing the four nations of the United Kingdom, have conveyed the loyal greetings of The Brigade to Her Majesty at Balmoral Castle. Her Majesty’s reply was sealed in a Baton and carried by BB members throughout the British Isles using a variety of means to reach London for the annual Council Meetings of the Brigade on 15th September. The Baton was first used in 1935 when the Brigade conveyed a message to Her Majesty’s grandfather King George V on the occasion of his Silver Jubilee and later in 1951 to King George VI in celebration of the “Festival of Britain”. The Baton has travelled through Scotland before being conveyed by Ferry to Northern Ireland and will then cross into the Republic of Ireland and then fly to Newcastle to begin its journey through England and Wal...

Coleraine District Boys Brigade U-14 team football team has won 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 won the Competition for the first time ever. In the earlier round the boys qualified for the Semi Finals by beating the Portadown Battalion 9-3. This was followed by a 3-2 win Semi-Final win over a tough East Antrim side. The final was played at the Antrim forum on Friday the 8th of June 2012 against a strong Lurgan Battalion team. In the early stages of the final Coleraine took control and were rewarded with a goal, Adam Rowe chased down a through ball and slotted in under the hesitant keeper. In the following period of play Coleraine hit the post and had a header cleared off the line. However Lurgan gradually started to get a hold of the midfield and stunned Coleraine with two goals in quick succession, both fine long range ...

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 minute...

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!

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 ...

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 tar...

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. .

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 wh...

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

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 post...

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

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 C...

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 ...

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...

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

Over the festive period twenty eight teams representing fourteen Boys’ Brigade Companies of Coleraine and District Battalion assembled at the University of Ulster Sports Complex for their annual 5-a-side football competition. The event was organised by Ivan Morrison (Battalion Recreation Convener) and Martin McCook (Tournament Official). Robert Black, a former BB officer of the Battalion, officiated as referee. The fifteen teams competing in the Junior Competition (forms1 to 3) were drawn into four sections and this created some notable performances by the teams from 1st Drumachose, 5th Coleraine, 1st Kilrea, 2nd Limavady and 1st Portrush in the early group games. It took a penalty shoot out between 1st Kilrea and 1st Portrush to produce the four eventual sectional winners who would progress to the semi-final stage. The outcome of both these matches had to be decided by penalties which saw 2nd Limavady eliminate 5th Coleraine and 1st Kilrea over power 1st Drumachose. The f...