It was a successful January on the road for Bangor Barracudas Water Polo Club, with teams across all age groups delivering impressive performances in Belfast, Dublin and Galway.
In Galway, the men’s team showed composure and resilience to win their second victory on the road, with a hard-fought 11–9 victory over Athlone RSC.
Coach Anna Reilly’s tactics empowered the squad to take the lead in a clinical first quarter with Ollie Taylor spearheading the team. Adrian Beattie, Finn Hehir and Renato Lopez did the heavy lifting in the middle of the pool for Taylor, delivering the ball for him to capitalise.
Defensively Rhys Glover, Barry O’Callaghan and goalkeeper Alill Hehir produced superb performances to limit Athlone’s attacking threat.
Ever present Aidan Monaghan drove Bangor forward with pace and guile, whilst the bench played a huge part in the match, bringing energy and tenacity to a mature performance that saw Barracudas lead from start to finish.
Father and son Keith and Rory Lowry played together for the first time, whilst reluctant tourist Paddy English played in his first win for Bangor, having taken up the sport in 2022.
The club’s under-11s kicked things off in Belfast, taking part in a fast-paced blitz that provided valuable game time and experience as the squad continues to grow and develop.
In Dublin, the Barracudas under 14 girls joined forces with St Vincent’s to take part in a hotly contested under 14 Blitz at the National Aquatic Centre.
The team produced a superb display to win the blitz in style, with Barracudas progressing unbeaten throughout the competition, finally edging a tightly contested final against Tribes from Galway to secure the title. The team grew in confidence as the tournament progressed including a notable hat-trick of goals from 11 year-old Ella Rock who had also played in the under 11 blitz on the same weekend.
Head coach Jane Reilly praised the club-wide effort, saying: “Our teams are really showing what Bangor Barracudas are about – strength, teamwork, community and belief at every level of the club. From our youngest players gaining experience to our girls lifting silverware and our men grinding out a big away win, I couldn’t be prouder of the way our teams and coaches represent Bangor.”
The club also paid tribute to its sponsors, whose continued investment helps make weekends like this possible. Support from Victoria Pinkerton Estate Agents and PSI Production plays a vital role in covering the transport required to get teams safely to and from fixtures across Ireland.
Bangor Barracudas was established in 2012 to bring inclusive water polo to the Ards and North Down area. For more information check out Bangor Barracudas Water Polo Club on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
