The McCullough Cup is a
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
competition. It is an annual tournament played for by schools affiliated to the
Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition is held in the winter term of each school year, with the older
Burney Cup
The Burney Cup (Ulster Schoolboys' Senior Hockey Cup) is an annual competition involving the strongest schools affiliated to the Ulster Hockey Union, Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition is held in the spring term of eac ...
running in the Spring term.
The most successful school is
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...
with 17 wins (16 outright wins and 1 shared win). The current holder is Royal Belfast Academical Institution.
Trophy
The trophy is called ''The Ian McCullough Memorial Cup''. It was donated by a well-known family in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
hockey circles, in memory of their son Ian.
Ian (full name – John Truesdale McCullough) was a 15-year-old
Newry Grammar School pupil. He was accidentally killed after being struck by a hockey ball during a match against
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...
at Bladon Drive on 3 December 1960.
Teams
The teams that compete for this trophy are the strongest boys' first teams from schools in
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
. All players must be under 18 on 1 July at the start of the year of the competition. Fourteen teams from thirteen schools competed for the trophy in the 2013–14 season.
Format
The competition started out as a straight knockout event with the first winners being the defunct Bushmills Grammar School. However it was soon decided to move all matches to the winter term, with a league format introduced to provide all schools with a guaranteed number of fixtures.
Under the current format, all teams are divided into two pools, with each school playing all the other schools in their pool once. The top two teams from each pool qualify for the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals the teams in first place in the pools play the second place teams from the other pool.
The winners of the semi-final ties contest the final, which is usually played at a neutral venue on the second Wednesday in December.
Performance by school
Footnote
*
† Total includes
Annadale Grammar School
Annadale Grammar School for Boys was an all-boys school located on the Annadale Embankment skirting the River Lagan in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1990, Annadale Grammar School (all boys) amalgamated with Carolan Grammar School (all girl ...
performance (one win and one beaten finalist). Wellington College was formed as a result of merger involving Annadale Grammar School.
Finals
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Sources
External links
Ulster Branch of Irish Hockey Union
{{Ulster field hockey links
Field hockey competitions in Ulster
1961 establishments in Ireland
Field hockey cup competitions in Ireland