The new snooker season has begun and the draw has been made for the first senior tournament, the John Griffin Cup. With an entry of seventy-one, members are requested to play their matches as soon as possible. Already through to the next round are Oliver Plunkett, Tony Thomas and Michael Hunt, whose battle with John McGlanaghey was the highlight of the last week. Details of the first round fixtures can be found on the club noticeboard and on the club's website at:

The Derry and Donegal Leagues begin soon and the qualification process for the two teams has begun. The system will be identical to the one employed last season with players challenging each other in order to move up the ladder.

Shane Faulkner won the summer league, which occupied the younger players (and we include Martin and Michael in that category) over the off-season. After a gruelling series of league tussles, the two groups each produced two qualifiers and in two close-fought semi-finals, Shane got the better of Michael Breslin while Declan Ryle overcame the challenge of Gary Stewart. Shane had the edge over Declan in the final but it wasn't as emphatic as the four-one scoreline suggests. Congratulations to Shane and to all the participants. A word of thanks also to John McGlanaghey who opened very early to facilitate the two finalists.

The next junior competition is the Paddy Kelly Cup. This will be a snooker knock-out tournament and players wishing to participate should enter their names on the competition sheet in the club. The closing date is the 17th of September.

Three Donegal lads performed admirably in an intermediate tournament held in Navan on the first weekend of September. Declan Ryle, Paul Thomas and Justin Thomas all reached the third round before exiting.

Finally...the club is searching for a junior cup which hasn't been seen in a while. The David Hanna Cup was played for in the mid-nineties and we would ask former junior members of that period to help us locate it. It has probably been misplaced or left on a shelf somewhere. It is part of the heritage of the club and we are very eager to have it on the trophy roster again.