Portglenone, Raceview and Clough Rangers Athletic all suffered defeats in their opening games in the Michelin Athletic Club-sponsored championship.

This Saturday, Raceview have a big game in the Steel & Sons Cup when they host Harland and Wolff Welders.

Saturday will also see a number of the junior teams in action when their season kicks off though it will be September 5th before they are all in full swing.

FIXTURES

Matches involving locally-based sides this week are:

Tuesday, August 11 – Intermediate League (7pm): Clough Rangers Athletic v Brantwood; Kilbride Swifts v Raceview; Portglenone v FC Ballynure.

Saturday, August 15 – Intermediate League: Ballycastle United v Clough Rangers Athletic; Portglenone v Kilbride Swifts.

Steel & Sons Cup, round one: Raceview v Harland & Wolff Welders.

Junior Division One: Chimney Corner Res v Newtownabbey Sevens; Raceview Athletic v FC Larne.

Tuesday, August 18 – Intermediate League: Clough Rangers Athletic v Cookstown Olympic; Mosside v Raceview; Portglenone v Dunloy

Junior Division One: Chimney Corner Res v Newtownabbey FC.

INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE

Raceview 0, Desertmartin 1: With the pitch at Broughshane in excellent condition it allowed both teams to throw the ball about but alas on too many occasions they were guilty of taking the extra touch when a snap shot may have given better results.

Half-time came with no goals scored and the pattern of the first half was followed in the second until on the 85th minute a mistake in the Raceview defence saw Robin Patton punish this severely when he scored the only goal in the game to win it for Desertmartin.

Clough Rangers Athletic 1, Coleraine Crusaders 2: Tober Park in Cullybackey was in tip top condition for the staging of the first Intermediate game and what a corker of a game it was with Clough probably unlucky to have got a point from the game.

Both teams went for goals from the star and it was Clough who drew first blood after Adie McDonald scored on the 21st minute and at half-time this goal still separated the teams.

Chances came in abundance in the second half and on the 61st minute Ian Clanachan scored a deserved equaliser for the Crusaders who then went in front after Ricky Close scored on the 76th minute.

Clough then pushed forward at every opportunity and saw the Crusaders Keeper Moore bring off three top class saves to keep his team in front and at the end it was three very valuable points going to Coleraine.

Cookstown Olympic 3, Portglenone 1: Both teams started off well but it was the Olympic who had the first attempt on goal before Kevin Kelly opened the scoring for them from the penalty spot on the 18th minute.

After this the Olympic pushed forward and got their reward when Kevin Kelly scored his second goal in the game on the 27th minute.