Last week saw the Academy girls make the trip to Stormont not just once but four times in one week, having made it to 4 Ulster Hockey finals.

First up, on Monday 11 March, the 3rd XI girls played in the Gibson Plate final against Friends‘ School Lisburn. They began strong in midfield with captain Lucy Friar and midfielder Lucy Thompson creating real opportunity for attack. A few promising runs up the wing came from Allegra Muldrew but unfortunately Banbridge were unable to finish them. Friends showed real pace throughout the last two quarters of the match, testing the Academy’s defence at every opportunity. Unfortunately, the pressure proved too much, with the Academy girls conceding two goals in the final quarter. The girls fought hard throughout the match and should be very proud of their performance.

On Tuesday 12 saw a tightly contested encounter between Banbridge Academy and Methodist College Belfast in the 2nd XI McDowell Shield final, that lived up to its billing. Banbridge started strong, applying early pressure and dominating possession in the first quarter. However, they were unable to convert their dominance into goals, while Methody remained defensively sound. The first half ended scoreless.

The tables turned slightly in the second half as Methody gained a foothold in the game but never looked dangerous. Resolute goalkeeping from Methody kept the score locked at 0-0.

Deep into the second half Banbridge won a series of short corners, however, luck was not on the girls’ side and solid goalkeeping from Methody prevented Banbridge from converting these opportunities.  On the final whistle the match remained at deadlock, 0-0. Therefore the winner of the Shield would be decided by penalty run-ins. Banbridge’s Kizzy Gley beat a very talented Methody keeper, but Methody managed to score twice with their final 2 run-ins to secure the win. While a disappointing result for the Banbridge side, the team has a huge amount to be proud of, not least their hard work and determination throughout the entire season which also saw the girls emerge as winners of the Mid-Ulster League.