AT the Ards and North Down Sports Awards last Friday, at the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel, the history making success of the Bangor Men’s 1st squad, in winning their first ever Senior trophy, was recognised with the squad winning the Sports Team of the Year prize.
After over 100 years in the making, Bangor Hockey Club Men’s firsts squad finally won an Ulster Senior Cup, in March of 2025.
Such cup success definitely comes at a premium, as the competition has been dominated by Lisnagarvey and Banbridge in recent years.If success is indeed relevant to expectations, then this really was a remarkable achievement by Bangor. The club is in rude health, fielding 11 sides and boasting a vibrant youth section, with the Women’s Firsts recently winning an all-Irish trophy.
Yet the winning of a Men’s senior cup exceeded the expectations of most.It is one thing to develop a healthy club with teams performing well in their respective leagues. It is entirely another to upset the to upset the hockey hierarchy and win one of the two Ulster Senior cups.
That roar of relief at the final whistle and the heartfelt congratulations from the Bangor crowd bore testimony to what it meant to so many, From those who initiated hockey in Bangor Grammar School in the 1960s, to those club members who played for Bangor throughout the years, to those who played in the 1989 losing Anderson Cup side, to those coaches and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure youth hockey develops the players who participate on such occasions, the evening of March 12, 2025 provided an occasion to remember.
