Diamonds Water Polo Club were crowned winners of the prestigious Irish Senior Cup on Saturday (May 11).
The Belfast team were unbeaten throughout the tournament, winning the trophy for the first time in the their 34-year history.
The group stages of the tournament saw Diamonds play Drogheda edging out a closely fought 9-8 victory. After a very physical encounter with North Dublin, Diamonds qualified for the semi finals winning 14-4.
Topping their group, Diamonds faced Galway-based Tribes in the second of the semi-finals. Despite trailing by 1-2 at half-time, the ladies pulled out another dominant performance for the match to finish 10-5.
Heading into their first ever Senior Cup final, Diamonds faced previous group stage rivals Drogheda. Drogheda had fought their way through a tough semi-final, beating the defending champions St Vincent's to compete in their fourth consecutive final.
After a slow start, Diamonds trailed 3-5 by the end of the first quarter. Coach Ruth McGuigan revised their defensive plan during a time out called by goalkeeper, Amelia Urry, which helped to settle the play.
They soon kicked it up a gear as they took the lead and the score sat at 9-7 before half-time, a lead which they held in the third quarter (9-11) before pulling away in the fourth to win 13-9 to make club history.
Méabh McGurk was chosen as the ‘Most Valuable Player of the Tournament’ amongst a cohort of 90 female players who competed within the tournament. She scored an incredible six goals in the final and 11 throughout the tournament. To receive this accolade is a fitting reward for Méabh’s amazing skills, hard work, drive and attitude in the tournament.
To top off a winning weekend, Méabh McGurk, Amelia Urry and Siobhan McGurk were also chosen as members of the ‘Team of the Tournament’.
This win was all the more historic as it was the first time in Senior Cup history the winning team was led by an all-female coaching/management team of Ruth McGuigan, Catherine Hanna and Sharlene Urry.
Former coach, Victor Kirk shed tears of joy as club members old and young joined in on celebrations, showering the ladies in support as the final whistle was blown. Captain Oonagh Garry who recently celebrated her 50th birthday kicked off the celebrations by lifting the cup as her two sons looked on.
Championships can only be secured with the depth of a strong squad of committed players - in which Diamonds continue to grow a strong junior base. With the help of grants through Belfast City Council, especially after a difficult few years during Covid, the club is able to train coaches and develop players to the highest of levels.
The club dedicates this win to the late Elaine Alexander (Mrs A). She taught a lot of the girls how to swim and coached numerous waterpolo sessions. She gave so much of her time to support the club, and was team manager for a number of years.
Players Ellen Loane, Amelia Urry and Méabh McGurk will be in action at the next Irish senior ladies training camp in Limerick end of May.
Team: Amelia Urry (Goalkeeper), Meabh McGurk, Siobhan McGurk, Ellen Loane, Sam Brown, Sasha Kirk, Anna Whiteside, Oonagh Garry (Captain), Aoife Ní Dhochartaigh, Maeve Gallagher, Scarlett Urry, Georgina Huston, Aoiffe Lynch, Katie McGuigan, Lauryn Alexander
