Belfast and District Cup Final 2019
Since making his debut in the Belfast and District Cup team 35 years ago, Tom Douglas has participated in every final since in which Lurgan have appeared, being on the losing side twice and the winning team 4 times. Now that his glory days are quite possibly behind him, it was fitting that he captained the team which recently lifted the Cup for the first time in 24 years.
Having returned from the Antrim Coast a fortnight earlier with a 4.5 to 2.5 first leg victory over a very strong Cairndhu side, their biggest fear was that complacency might set in and make the second leg appear a formality. Tom was never going to allow that to happen, and his determined approach was coupled with a squad rich in both numbers and talent. The second leg at Lurgan saw the Home team in a predictably buoyant mood and when Lurgan won the first three matches they had claimed the trophy for a 5th time.
The team was the perfect combination of youth and experience from the seasoned veteran Gary Clarke to the teenage Ronan McCrory, and perhaps the best thing for the Club is that the squad is so large and talented that Tom could almost have picked two very strong teams.
Many congratulations to Tom and the boys for bringing yet another major trophy back to the club.
Comments