ARDS Ladies booked their ticket to next month’s All-Ireland Indoor Championships after lifting the Ulster Indoor title for the 15th straight season on Sunday.
The tournament had a new format this season with the six competing clubs involved in a round robin across the opening two weekends, before being separated into two tiers for the final set of matches with points and goals being carried across.
Week one at the Antrim Forum saw the reigning champions dominate with wins against EY1 sides Portadown and Queen’s and new contenders Antrim. Captain Ellen Fitzpatrick showed her Irish experience with a number of skillful runs and expert finishes, while Maddie Leathem and Frankie McKnight also made significant contributions to the goal tally.
Mia Smyth featured in nets during the first weekend as one of several younger players who began her indoor pathway with the club at U15 level.
Ards continued their great form in week two despite missing some key players as they chalked up a win against Randalstown and followed it up with a narrow victory over Coleraine, who had also been undefeated going into the final group game.
Solid defensive performances from Rebecca Beggs and Caroline Arnold as well as some important saves from Naomi McKnight were important factors in securing the full 15 points heading into the top tier fixtures during the final weekend.
It was Ards, Queen’s and Coleraine competing for the two Irish spots on Sunday at Queen’s University PEC and the locals suffered their first loss of the tournament, going down 3-1 to Queen’s after a clinical first half from the students.
Ards knew that by avoiding defeat against Coleraine in their last game, it would secure both the title and a place in the Irish semi-finals. They raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half with goals from Emma Reid and a brace from Ellen Fitzpatrick. A further goal from each as well as a stroke converted by Naomi Grundie saw a comfortable 6-1 win and yet another Ulster crown added to the club’s tally.
Alongside the trophy success, there were a number of other notable milestones for Ards. Naomi McKnight, Caroline Arnold and Naomi Grundie were all part of the squad who began the reign and Naomi McKnight has featured in each of the 15 wins spanning over a decade.
The squad also features a number of younger players who have benefitted from the pathway at Ards: Alyssa Boyd, Rebecca Beggs, Maddie Leathem and Mia Smyth all started with the U15 team several years ago, winning age grade Indoor titles with the club along the way.
The All-Ireland Indoor semi-finals take place on February 8 in Dublin and will feature Ards as well as Leinster champions Railway Union and two more teams to be decided following the Irish Indoor Super 6s tournament taking place on February 1st.
