Holders RBAI take on Ballymena Academy in the final of the Schools' Cup on Monday. Inst beat Campbell College in the 2023 decider but this time it is a resurgent Ballymena team in the opposing ...

So dominated has the competition become by the big Belfast schools, that the last time the trophy left the city was in 2010 – when it was also Ballymena Academy which took the honours.

Rainey Endowed last won the Schools’ Cup in 1982 with a 6-4 victory over Ballymena Academy in the Ravenhill final and will be hoping history repeats itself in this weekend’s quarter-final.

John Burden featured on many classical, pop and film recordings and he became a music teacher at Ballymena Academy after moving to Northern Ireland in 1990. His son, Tim Burden told UTV ...