Ulster Council call off McKenna Cup ties

The first round matches in the 2010 Barrett Sports Lighting Dr McKenna Cup have been postponed - confirmation of the cancellations has come through from the Ulster Council.

The pre-season competition was due to get underway on Saturday evening with the clash of Monaghan and UUJ (throw-in 5pm), with Mickey Harte's Tyrone side set to entertain Cavan in Omagh two hours later.

There were four other matches scheduled for Sunday - Armagh v Fermanagh at the Athletic Grounds, Donegal v St. Mary's in Ballybofey, Derry v Down at Celtic Park and Antrim v Queen's University at Casement Park.

A Council spokesperson said the decision centred on 'the prevailing weather conditions and the forecast for the weekend.'

"The safety of our players and fans must be paramount in this situation. We are determined that people will not be unduly inconvenienced and that's why we took a decision early in relation to our programme," he said.

It is expected that the postponed games will be re-fixed as floodlit fixtures on Wednesday, January 13. There is already a round of floodlit games scheduled for Wednesday, January 20.

In addition, with a backlog of group matches to get through, the semi-final stages of the Dr McKenna Cup - down for decision on January 23 and 24 - may well be pushed back as the wintry weather is predicted to continue into next week.