The weather has turned ugly and that can only mean one thing: it's time for the first round of the Irish Senior Cup. Sixteen teams will don their thermals tomorrow afternoon and battle to join the eight sides who received byes in to the second round.

Last season Ballymoney were the surprise semi-finalists in the competition and only missed out on a final place final when they lost to the eventual winners Harlequins in a replay in Cork. Tomorrow they travel to Park Avenue where they will face a Railway Union team made up almost exclusively of players under 21 years of age. The club, coached this season by Ciaran Grace, was boosted last week by the inclusion of three of those players in the Leinster under-21 squad - Karen Clarke, Jane Coyne and Irish under-18 international Caoilfhionn Rowan - while they also have two representatives on the Connacht under21 panel, Grace's daughter Sarah and Deirbhle Kieran.

While their inexperience means they will go in to their cup tie as underdogs, Railway have shown enough spirit so far this season - not least in their draws with Glenanne and UCD - to suggest they will make Ballymoney work hard for their place in Sunday's second round draw. UCD also face Ulster opposition in Randalstown, but will be more confident of celebrating their Irish Cup debut with a win. Seven of the squad were named on that Leinster under-21 panel, swiftly followed up by Ciara O'Brien's Irish senior call-up.

Pembroke Wanderers and Lansdowne should advance after being drawn against Yeats County and Greenfields, respectively, while the University of Limerick will expect to overcome the challenge of NUIG. UCC, yet again, must travel north in the competition - they face Coleraine who beat the Cork team 2-0 when they met in 1998. Knock and Ards meet in the only all-Ulster tie of the round while Trinity and Glenanne clash in an all-Leinster affair in Santry. In the only Leinster Senior A match of the day, Old Alexandra and Loreto meet at Milltown in a crucial tie that should see the winners emerge as the main challengers to Hermes for the title.