The sun shone for both days of the festival and all the players, coaches and supporters enjoyed the event with the only injury over the whole weekend coming in the last game when Tom Trinder from CIYMS U12\u2019s arrived back from his drum exam to last just two minutes over their match against Cooke before suffering\u00a0 a hairline fracture to his wrist. Tom will be back playing in 3 weeks in time for the CIYMS end of season P7 tour to Scotland and he was expertly looked after by the paramedical team on duty led by Davy Mitchell and also the doctors on standby. Fortunately this was the only time the medical cover was required over the 2 days rugby.<\/p>\n In line with all festivals in Ulster this year here are no longer any winners and losers and no semi-finals , finals or trophies but this directive does not apply in Scotland so CIYMS P7\u2019s will be competing for a trophy in early May. As one of the CIYMS P7 coaches,\u00a0 Alastair McCrossan, said, “Isn\u2019t it ironic that we have to go to Scotland to try to win? Scotland a country that never wins anything ! “<\/em><\/p>\n Over the weekend Ulster players Clinton Schifcofske , Ed O\u2019Donoghue and Dan Tuohy patiently signed autographs for most of the kids and Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin was there on the Sunday to watch the U11 and U12 events and gave a pep talk to the CIYMS U12\u2019s before their game with local rivals Cooke.<\/p>\n The festival was a great success and raised the bar from last year\u2019s inaugural event organised by the previous Minis convenor Ian Nelson and driven by the likes of Steve Rooney. Commented on this festival organiser Keith O\u2019Donnell said,\u00a0 “Once our PRO David Peden had secured \u00a31,100 of sponsorship we met as a festival committee every week to plan how best to use these resources and as usual you always find people who work tirelessly to make things happen. Claire McGonigle and Joanne Gribben on the catering side and Paul Nelson and particularly Richie Weir on the facilities side put in monumental effort with their teams to help things flow without a hitch over the 2 days.”<\/em><\/p>\n There were a lot of tired but happy boys after the Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon events who are probably already looking forward to next year\u2019s festival fun. Fun was the main point of the festival along with the funds raised for a worthy cause as cancer which sadly affects almost every family in Northern Ireland in one way or another.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/article2.jpg\" "\\"CIYMS")
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