By Rory McKee
TWO of the longest-serving players at Bangor Netball Club have spoken of their pride after helping the first team secure promotion to Northern Ireland’s Premier League.
Bangor were crowned Netball NI Senior One champions following a decisive final league fixture against Westside, with the north Down side emerging 38-31 winners to seal their place in the top flight for next season.
With so much at stake, the first quarter was a tightly contested, goal-for-goal affair, with neither team able to gain a clear upper hand. Bangor began to assert greater control in the second quarter and built a narrow but valuable lead heading into the break.
Bangor faced challenges in the third and final quarters but held firm to protect their advantage and the celebrations could begin.
Westside will now turn their attention to an upcoming play-off match as they aim to join Bangor in the Premier League next term.
First team captain Lucie Young described the achievement as one that would have seemed far beyond reach just two years ago.
“I don’t think any of us expected to do it so early, but it became a target at the start of this season,” she said.
“As the season went on, we lost players to injury but others stepped up and I think after the last game there was a sense of relief because we had a lot of pressure on us to keep the momentum up.
“It is such a massive achievement for the club,” she added. “I have been with Bangor for 10 years, so it’s an unbelievable feeling. This is my fourth year captaining the first team, we started in Senior Two and got promoted to Senior One and have just progressed.”
Lucie is one of several Bangor players to have previously earned international selection, but said leading Bangor to Premier League status ranks among her proudest moments.
“I think because I have been with the club for so long, being able to do it with this team and getting to experience it with everybody is that much nicer. [The club’s head coach] Shannon Garvan has coached me from the ground up, we’re all really close friends and it is definitely one of the biggest things [I have achieved].”
Looking ahead, she acknowledged the challenge that awaits Bangor in the Premier League.
“I think we understand that the standard in the Premier League is a lot higher and the gap between it and Senior One is quite big.
“A lot of the players are national squad players and our main aim is just to develop and progress as a team. We’re not going to be focusing too much on the results, it will just be about keeping our motivation up,” she said.
“We have played a few Premier League teams in the past and it has been a real challenge, so we know what to expect. Our main aim is to stay in the league and try to establish ourselves.”
The team’s promotion comes after a period of upheaval for the club, who were forced to find a new training base following well- documented issues at Bangor Aurora. With the club now calling Bangor Academy home, Lucie believes those challenges have ultimately brought the team closer together.
“I think we lost around six months of training as a result, and netball courts are so hard to come across. We have gotten to know each other a lot better on a personal level, whereas before it was more about turning up to play netball.
“I think that has definitely helped our development, we’re a very close team and we support each other through the highs and the lows.
“The club has improved massively over the last few years and I just hope we can continue that.”
Club captain and senior first-team player Alison McClune echoed her teammate’s sentiments as she praised the efforts which have made it a campaign to remember.
“It was a goal for us at the start of the season to get promoted and I’m just really proud of everybody,” she said.
“It’s the second year where the majority of the team have played together and we all had the same mindset. The only game which we didn’t win was one we had significant injuries in.
“It is a great motivation for others in the club to aspire towards and to see what is possible.”
Alison, who joined the club as a teenager and continues to play into her 40s after representing teams at various levels as well as serving on the committee, is under no illusions about the task awaiting Bangor next season.
“It will be a big step up for us. There are some really strong teams in the Premier League who have dominated for a few years and we know it’s going to be different.
“But the mindset will be to give it a really good go in each game.”
