Banbridge Ladies 1sts battle out a draw against Ulster Elks

Banbridge Ladies began the match enthusiastically with some lovely play between the forward trio, with Rachel Kerr winning a penalty corner.

Katie McDonald stepped up to strike but the Ulster Elks goalkeeper made a great save to keep the scoreline 0-0.

Ulster Elks continued to apply pressure upon the Banbridge defence and scored on a penalty corner in the last minute of the first quarter.

During the second quarter, Banbridge Ladies threatened the Ulster Elk defence.

A great run from Pippa Wilson resulted in a penalty corner and another chance at a goal. However pressure from Elks pushed ball wide.

Great defensive by Banbridge’s Gina Woods prevented a slick counter attack by Ulster Elks.

Another penalty corner, the result from a skilful run by Gemma Hassan, was awarded but score remained 1-0 at half time.

The third and fourth quarters saw both teams eager to score but it was Banbridge Ladies who found the goal from a strong shot from Stefanie Ardis at the top of the circle which levelled the score at 1-1.

Meanwhile, Banbridge Ladies’ 3rds beat North Down Ladies 4s 2-0 at the weekend.

It was a strong display in the delayed round ten fixture of the Ladies 5 Junior League at Comber Leisure Centre.

Banbridge Ladies 3s started, remained and finished the stronger team, and the scoreline could easily have been tripled if the Banbridge Ladies had converted their chances.

The first goal came in the opening quarter from Banbridge’s second short corner.

Julie McCandless made a well-timed hold and right slip from top D to Jenny Grimes.

Poor defending by North Down gifted Grimes the time and space to take her trademark clean strike, which resulted in Banbridge Ladies 3s taking the lead.

However, the remaining periods of the first two quarters can be summarised as one of squandered chances with Banbridge Ladies 3s failing to convert another despite their dominance, including during four back-to-back short corners.

The second goal came from an own goal from North Down, late in the second quarter.

A series of ping pong exchanges between Banbridge, the North Down defence and each goal post resulted in a very disoriented North Down defender striking the ball into her own goal.

Punam McGookin was the last Banbridge player to touch it in the D, and by default, the goal gets credited to her.

Apocalyptic weather conditions dominated the third and fourth quarters.

Banbridge played into the high winds, and the horizontal downpour made visibility poor going forward.

Despite the conditions, Banbridge continued to press but failed to score, hitting the post twice in open play and failing to convert another four back-to-back short corners.

The final whistle was the highlight of the second half and a welcome relief to both sides.

Despite the appalling weather conditions and not producing their best hockey, the Banbridge Ladies 3s, once again dug deep, fought hard, and ensured they left Comber with three points to retain their second-place position in the table.

An impressive position for a team that has spent most of the season without a coach and a testament to the team spirit that ensures they carve out results even on bad days.

With just two games to go, promotion is now in the hands of the team.