Carpet Court Thistle looked favourites to go ahead but, just after the break, Matt Smith’s powerful header from a Kane Stirton left-wing corner put Massive ahead again.
Mitch Turner came on 15 minutes into the half and gave Massive breathing space when he ran on to a through ball and slammed an angular drive past Rickard from 20 metres to make it 3-1.
Ten minutes from time, right-footed flank player Stefan Faber beat three players and hit a left-footed drive that swerved and dipped into the keeper’s top right corner of the net. Faber was 20 metres out and it was the pick of the goals, but it was not enough to turn the game.
Thistle Massive held on to complete a double that was made possible by Gisborne Glass Eastgate’s resistance in an earlier league game at Anzac Park.
Heavy Equipment United needed to beat Eastgate by 15 goals to prise the Eastern League title from Massive’s grasp on goal difference. Eastgate lost, but kept the score to 3-0.
League-and-cup doubles were also completed in Division 2 and 3 cup finals at Childers Road Reserve on Saturday.
Division 2 champions Riverina won a penalty shoot-out 4-2 to beat Gisborne Vehicle Testing Bohemians and take the Chris Moore Cup. The score was 2-2 after 90 minutes and 3-3 after extra time.
Division 3 champions Wairoa Athletic beat league runners-up Smash Palace Shockers 4-2 to win the Poverty Bay Cup.
Chris Moore Cup and Poverty Bay Cup reports and pictures will be in The Herald tomorrow.
Thistle Massive coach John Stirton said his side would have struggled if the Bailey Cup final had gone to extra time.
Man of the match Ander Batarrita, just back from holiday, was struggling with cramp and fellow midfielder Kane Stirton had a knee injury, striker Nic Somerton had run himself into the ground, and centreback Gareth Hopkins had gone off injured with 20 minutes to go.
But a battling performance all over the park got them through, from big goalkeeper Mario Hatzilamprou at the back to Somerton up front.
Coach Stirton had warned his side about the dangers of roving playmaker Dave Watson and striker Blair, and was pleased with the way Kane Stirton and Hopkins, with help from the rest of the midfield and defence, coped with them.
Sweeper Michael Rogers and fullbacks Emerson Araya and Jody Ure kept things tight, while Daniel Contreras and Batarrita gave valuable support on the flanks. Matt Smith was outstanding in central midfield and, when he moved back late in the game, at centreback.
Stirton said the early start to training had given his side a flying start to the season, and when they lost players they got good replacements: Brad Reynolds and Mark Baple in goal, and Dave Raggett for a vital league game when Hopkins was hurt.
They also had “great balance”: Rogers and Hopkins at the back, Kane Stirton, Batarrita and Smith in the midfield, and Somerton, Ure and (until he left the country) Hector Araya up front.
Carpet Court Thistle coach Roger Faber said he had never been in a dressing room of more dejected players than the one he saw after Saturday’s game. The players felt they could not have had a better opportunity to win the game, but had thrown it away.
Blair and Watson had still created chances, midfielders Phill Gill, Jason Scott and player of the day Stefan Faber toiled hard, and Andrew Black put in a good shift at leftback, but they were all “gutted” at the end. Key players Jason Burgess and Raggett were not there, but Massive had deserved to win.
The team had started the season slowly, partly due to uncertainty over the requirements of Team Gisborne. But they got a boost after four weeks, when Raggett returned to the squad, and then in the middle of the season they went 12 games without a loss.
