Bangor 51
Westside 46
BANGOR made it a double celebration when they beat Westside in a tense Betty Richmond Shield final at Ards Blair Mayne on Saturday, adding to their league triumph.
With the Senior 1 league title and promotion to the Premier league for next season already secured, a strong Westside team, which finished as league runners-up, stood in their way of repeat success.
Both sides brought large and vocal support, with the noisy atmosphere and largest crowd of the season adding to the occasion.
The first quarter saw Westside make the better start, forcing Bangor into mistakes and capitalising to take a three-goal lead mid-way through the opening period.
Cheered on by their fantastic support Bangor eventually settled however, with Lucie Young pulling the strings in mid-court and Aimee Trainor providing beautiful feeds into the circle.
Ali McClune was on point with her shooting and Bangor hit six goals without reply to, snatching the momentum and ending the quarter with an 11-9 advantage.
The Bangor further showed its class in the second quarter too. Excellent defending from Rebecca Mayne, plus the introduction of centre Lynda Perkins and shooter Anna Devaney, helped put some daylight between them and their Dunmurry rivals, at 22-17.
It was inevitable that opponents of Westside’s calibre would strike back, and they did so in the third quarter, with heir relentless attacks moving them to within one goal, keeping the Bangor fans on the edge of their seats.
However, defenders Erin Young and Miki Dunlop stepped up with a number of crucial interceptions, while Rachel Gowdy’s performance at goal-attack ensured Bangor took a slender 33-31 lead into the final period.
Bangor were boosted by the return of Young, who had recovered from an earlier knock, for the final quarter.
Young’s all-action style helped her side consolidate their lead, with Devaney and Gowdy’s movement proving too much for the Westside defence.
To the delight of the Bangor supporters, with their banners, poms-poms and face-paint, the ladies in yellow and blue were able to close out the match with smooth and confident play.
Co-captains Lucie Young and Rachael Gowdy stepped forward to accept the Shield on behalf of the squad, which returns to Bangor for the first time since 2015.
Proud head coach Shannon Garvan’s squad was completed by subs Caoimhe Fenlon, Amelie Reid and Yazmin Bleakley, each of whom had made significant contributions to Bangor’s wonderful season.
