IF THEY come through Armagh for what would be the 19th time in 20 years, Crossmaglen will begin the defence of their Ulster club title with a tie against the Cavan champions.
Cross, beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final by Castlebar Mitchel's just over a week ago, are 2/5 favourites with the bookmakers to again emerge from Armagh. Whether it’s Crossmaglen or AN Other, the Armagh champions will be at home to the Cavan kings at the quarter-final stage of Ulster in late October.
The champions of Monaghan and Down will meet in the preliminary round, with the winners facing the Donegal champions in the quarter-final. Derry’s champions - which has been 2014 Ulster winners Slaughtneil for the past two seasons - will be at home to whoever wins through in Fermanagh, while the reward for winning Tyrone will be a home tie against the Antrim kings.
The senior club hurling championship is back to year one of a three-year phase that sees the draw rotated annually. However, the draw may have to be redone next year as Middletown’s five-year bar on entering the intermediate championship will have expired. Lisbellaw’s is set to expire ahead of the 2017 season.
The 2016 SHC will see the Antrim champions take on their Down counterparts in the semi-final, with Derry’s victors facing the winners of the preliminary round tie between Lisbellaw and the Armagh champions. A similar fate befalls Eoghan Rua, who are not locked in Ulster intermediate action for the next five years after claiming the province’s junior title last autumn.
It appears Down’s lack of home draws in the Ulster inter-county football championship has extended to the club game, with five of their six representatives handed away draws this year. Their intermediate champions will hope to follow in Loughinisland’s footsteps after they won it last year, though they will have to start from the preliminary round with an away trip to the Donegal champions.
The junior football champions from Tyrone and Antrim will meet in the preliminary round there, with the winners facing whoever emerges from Cavan in the quarter-finals. Monaghan’s fine record in the Ulster junior series could continue after they were placed on the opposite side of the draw from the Tyrone champions and given a home draw against the Armagh winners first up.
DRAWS
Ulster Senior Football Club Championship
Preliminary round (October 16): Monaghan v Down; quarter-finals (October 30): Tyrone v Antrim; Derry v Fermanagh; Armagh v Cavan; Donegal v Monaghan/Down; semi-finals (November 13): Tyrone/Antrim v Derry/Fermanagh; Armagh/Cavan v Donegal/Monaghan/Down; final: November 27
Ulster Intermediate Football Club Championship
Preliminary round (October 16): Donegal v Down; Quarter-finals (October 30): Derry v Armagh; Tyrone v Cavan; Antrim v Fermanagh; Monaghan v Donegal/Down; semi-finals (November 13): Derry/Armagh v Tyrone/Cavan; Antrim/Fermanagh v Monaghan/Donegal/Down; final: November 26/27
Ulster Junior Football Club Championship
Preliminary round (October 16): Tyrone v Antrim; quarter-finals (October 30): Monaghan v Armagh; Derry v Donegal; Fermanagh v Down; Cavan v Tyrone/Antrim; semi-finals (November 13): Monaghan/Armagh v Derry/Donegal; Fermanagh/Down v Cavan/Tyrone/Antrim; final: November 26/27
Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship
Quarter-final (October 2): Lisbellaw (Fermanagh) v Armagh; semi-finals (October 9): Antrim v Down; Derry v Fermanagh/Armagh
Ulster Club Intermediate Hurling Championship
Quarter-finals (October 2): Donegal v Down; Tyrone v Eoghan Rua (Derry); Antrim v Armagh; semi-finals (October 9): Donegal/Down v Tyrone/Eoghan Rua (Derry); Antrim/Armagh v Monaghan; final: October 23
Ulster Club Junior Hurling Championship
Preliminary round (September 25): Tyrone v Na Magha (Derry); quarter-finals (October 2): Armagh v Antrim; Cavan v Monaghan; Fermanagh v Donegal; Down v Tyrone/Na Magha; semi-finals (October 9): Armagh/Antrim v Cavan/Monaghan; Fermanagh/Donegal v Down/Tyrone/Na Magha; final: October 23
