| Ballymoney
first entered UWHU leagues for the first time in 1953-54 as Ballymoney YMCA, which was
changed later to Ballymoney ladies. 
Ballymoney 1st XI
Winners Junior Cup 1954
At that time there were two teams,
one in the Minor League and the other in the Junior League, and the latter collected the
League and Cup double in their first season.
A brief look at the roll of honour shows that the club
quickly mage its mark in Ulster:
League Winners - 1953-54 Junior League; 1954-55 Minor League; 1956-57 Intermediate League;
1961-62 Minor League (shared with Courtaulds); 1969-70 Minor League.
Cup Winners - 1953-54 Junior Cup (shared with Donaghadee); 1955-57 Minor Cup (2nd XI);
1961-62 Minor Cup; 1962-63 Junior Cup (shared with Victorians Seconds); 1963-64
Intermediate Cup (shared with Victorians Seconds); 1968-69 Junior Cup (shared with
Lisnafillan).
The club was to fold in 1972, before re-emerging in 1984.
Ballymoney Ladies Hockey Club was reformed in 1984 when one team
was entered in the lowest section of the Ulster Women’s Hockey Union Minor league
–as every new entrant was required to do. That
year Ballymoney shared the Minor Cup with Pegasus V and in the play-off system won
promotion to the Junior league. That first
season was the shape of things to come for many years, as Ballymoney 1st XI
went an incredible 11 years without defeat and achieved promotion up through the UWHU
leagues for 14 consecutive seasons - being league champions on13 occasions and cup winners
6 times - to reach Senior 1 in 1998/99!
The Club has gone from strength to strength, with new teams
being added in 1985 (2nds), 1991 (3rds), 1993 (4ths) and 1996 (5ths). As we enter the 2001/02 season, 2nd XI
are in Qualifying League (4), 3rd XI in Intermediate League and 4th
XI in the Junior League. Unfortunately, no 5th XI will be fielded this season - a situation which we hope will be a temporary one.
A veterans team was formed in 1998 and in the 2000/01 season
recorded their best performance so far in the league, suffering only one defeat – and
enjoying almost every minute of every game in the true spirit of veterans’ hockey!
The Junior Club was formed in 1994 to provide a pathway into the
main Club for young people between 11 and 14 years of age and a Mini Club followed in 1997
for 8 to 11 year olds. Both sections are
open to both girls and boys – one of the reasons that the Club officially changed its
name to Ballymoney Hockey Club! The Club was the first hockey club in Ulster to be awarded
the Sports Council for Northern Ireland’s Gold Kitemark Award in 1998, in recognition
of the quality of its work for and with young people in sport.
One of the Club’s more daring ventures was to welcome two
students from the Czech Republic for the 1998/99 season, Klara Poluprutska and Pavla
Nesporova, who stayed with Club members during their time here. We had met Klara and Pavla
when they were playing for the Czech team at the European Under-21 Championships held in
Belfast in August 1998. Their year with us
was a memorable one – both on and off the pitch! - and Klara became the first Czech
player to don a shirt for Ulster when she played for the Under-21 team that year.
It was 2000/01 before we hosted another “foreigner”
– Carlye Bowden from Adelaide, Australia who was a very welcome addition to the
coaching team. She was a strong and gifted
player for the 2nd XI as well as a talented coach, particularly with the youngsters.
During this year the mini club has had another successful
season, when they were coached by the senior club's Australian coach. This proved to be a
very successful acquisition as the kids learned a variety of new skills and games to help
them progress. At the end of their first 8-week session they were treated to an awards
day, this session was followed by a presentation evening for the children and their
parents at the Joey Dunlop Centre. The presentations were carried out by Kate Rodgers of
the Bank of Ireland. Each child received a pen, key-ring and certificate, the top two in
each age group also received club T-shirts and all new members received club wallets.
During the second 8 weeks after Christmas the children
were introduced to more team activities, as they were entering a few tournaments during
this session. This session was somewhat interrupted by the foot and mouth outbreak, but
nevertheless the number of members remained approximately the same (70). They participated
in tournaments held by Coleraine and Ballymena at the end of May, both of which the kids
enjoyed immensely.
The Junior Club also benefited from the expertise of the Australian coach. During the
first 10-week session the children had weekly skills to master and these were then tested
the following week to establish the best performers over the session. Following Sydney
2000, the last night of the 10-week session saw a mini Olympic hockey competition taking
place which was enjoyed by all the junior members. At the end of this night the juniors
were treated to refreshments in the Joey Dunlop centre and the presentations of awards
followed, presented by the Club President, Moyra McElderry. Each child received a pen and
key-ring, while the best performer in each age group received a club sweatshirt and the
new members received club wallets.
During the second 10 weeks after Christmas the kids
were introduced to more team activities, like the minis, as they to were entering a few
tournaments during this session. They participated in tournaments held by Coleraine and
Ballymena at the end of May, both of which they enjoyed immensely. Both these 10-week
sessions had approximately 55 members each.
A highlight for some of the members of the Junior Club occurred on Saturday 21st April
2001, when they were present on the victorious afternoon at Blaris as the official ball
boys and girls at the Irish Senior Cup final between Ballymoney 1st XI and Pegasus. They
were thrilled to see many of their coaches become Irish Champions for the first time in
the club's history and to participate themselves in such a momentous event. One of the
Junior Club members, Colleen McCartney, was also the official club mascot for the day. All
the young people involved were presented with Irish Hockey Association Badges, as a
memento of this very special occasion and as a mark of appreciation for the contribution
of Ballymoney Junior Hockey Club.
Some of the Club’s more notable recent achievements are:
2007 - 3rd in UWHU Senior 1 League, reached All-Ireland Finals.
Semi-finalists in Ulster Shield and Irish Cup
2006 - 2nd in UWHU Senior 1 League, reached All-Ireland Finals
(Dublin). Runner-up Ulster Shield and Semi-finalists in Irish Cup
2005 - 2nd in UWHU Senior 1 League, reached All-Ireland
play-offs. Semi-finalists in Ulster Shield and Runner-up in Irish Cup
2004 – 2nd in UWHU Senior 1 League, reached All-Ireland
play-offs. Runner-up in Ulster Shield.
2003 - 3rd in UWHU Senior 1 League, reached All-Ireland
play-offs. Semi-finalists in Ulster Shield and Irish Cup
2002 – Competed in European Cup Winners Cup (Spain) (link Europe 2002))
2001 – Winners,
Sharwoods Irish Senior Cup ( final v Pegasus) (link 2001 Irish Cup)
2000/01 – 3rd in UWHU Senior 1 League, reached All-Ireland
play-offs.
2001 – Ballymoney Sports Development Committee’s Team
of the Year
2000 – Winners, Ulster Plate (final v Jordanstown)
2000 - Semi-Finalists,
Sharwoods Irish Senior Cup (v Cork Harlequins)
2000 – 2nd XI, Finalists McConnell Shield (winners
Ballyclare)
1999/2000 – 2nd, 3rd & 4th XI promoted.
1994/95 – Winners,
McConnell Shield; Ulster representatives, White Cup
- 2nd XI
Winners, Intermediate Plate (shared)
- 3rd XI
Winners, Junior Plate
1995 Ballymoney awarded UWHU Club of the Year
Individual Successes at Ulster and
Irish Level:-
Ulster / Irish Senior Squad - Lynsey
McVicker
Angie Platt
Bridget McKeever
Nikki McCaughern
Lauren Barr
Ulster / Irish Under 21 /
Development Squad – Susie Martin
Jacqui McVicker
Jessica Lynch
Cathy Morrison
Lynsey McVicker
Angie Platt
Bridget McKeever
Nikki McCaughern
Lauren Barr
Ulster / Irish Under 18 Squad - Catherine Macauley
Susie Martin
Jacqui McVicker
Jessica Lynch
Cathy Morrison
Lynsey McVicker
Angie Platt
Bridget McKeever
Lauren Barr
Ulster / Irish Under 16 Squad
– Sammy-jo Greer
Catherine Macauley
Susie Martin
Jacqui McVicker
Jessica Lynch
Cathy Morrison
Lynsey McVicker
Angie Platt
Bridget McKeever
Nikki McCaughern
Lauren Barr
Ulster Senior – Susie
Martin
Ulster Junior – Annette
Scott
Sonia Wright
Sonia Nicholl
Rosie McMullan
Ulster Under 21 Squad –
Catherine Dickson
Ulster Under 16/18 Squad –
Judith McVicker
Sabrina McKeever
Zoe McDowell
Our club is currently made up
of 4 Senior teams, a Veterans team, an under 14 team and has a Junior Club and a Mini
Club.
Senior Club – 4 Senior
Teams including the 1st XI who are one of the top teams in Ireland having again reached
the All Ireland Finals and the Semi-final of the Irish Senior Cup and finished 2nd in
Ulster Senior League. We currently have approximately 70 playing members and a Veterans
team consisting of 16 players.
Junior Club – we have a
very strong Junior Club catering for yrs 8-10 (ages 11-14) both boys and girls. We
currently have 60 members who meet on a Monday night. The Under 14 team is selected from
this club and they compete in the Ulster League.
Mini Club – this club
caters for yrs 4-7 (ages 7-11) both boys and girls. We currently have 30 members who meet
every Thursday night.
Our weekly hockey programme
consists of the following:-
Monday – Senior Club
Fitness – 6pm - 7.30pm
Junior Club
Training – 7.30pm - 8.30pm
Recreational
/ Veterans Training – 7.30pm - 8.30pm
Wednesday – Senior Club
Training – 6.45pm - 9.30pm
Thursday – Mini Club
– 5.30pm - 6.30pm
Saturday – Match Day for
1st XI – 4th XI - 1.00pm – 5.30pm
Sunday – Match Day for
Under 14 team in Ulster League.
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