All Ireland Juvenile Inter County Championships

As Munster Champions the Kerry U-17 team travelled to the University of Limerick last Sunday (April 28th) to represent the province by taking  part in the All-Ireland Championships.

Cheered on by an impressive number of travelling supporters Kerry were firstly faced with the onerous task of trying to overcome a very strong Dublin team.

Dublin won both boys doubles games comfortably but the girls put up a great fight in their games. Grace Guiney (Listowel) and Adele O Brien (Killarney) won their game 30-27 but Listowel paring Madison Carter and Deina Vesko who will both be underage again next season lost out 30 – 23.

Seamus Bradley of Kingdom Castleisland put in a great effort to defeat his Dublin opponent 30-24 in the boys singles but Dublin went 4-2 when they won the girls singles. Kerry never looked like coming out on top in any of the mixed games as Dublin eventually ran out 7-2 winners.

All focus now turned to the challenge of Galway in what would effectively be a battle for runners-up position.

Seamus Bradley and Cathal Donovan got Kerry off to a great start with a 30-22 win in the first boys doubles. Adele O Brien and Deina Vesko made it 2-0 after winning a tight contest 30-28 and Kerry were well on the road to victory when Listowel duo Jack McElligott and Oisin Moloney won 30-13.

But Galway fought back taking the second girls doubles as well and the girls singles but Moyvane’s Christopher O Doughue ensured Kerry had a 2 point gap going into the mixed games when he won his boys singles encounter 30 – 8.

Kerry were to run out comfortable winners in the end as all three mixed pairing games went to the Kingdom. First Christopher O Donoughue and Deina Vesko won 30-23, then Cathal Donovan and Adele O Brien won 30-21 and Kerry before Jack McElligott and Grace Guiney ensured Kerry won 7-2 overall by winning the third mixed by 30-20.

In the final match Dublin defeated Galway 8-1 which confirmed that Dublin were champions and Kerry runners-up.

Team manager Tom McElligott said  “ I would like to thank the clubs, the players, the parents and especially the coaches who worked with this team throughout the season. Tom Bradley, Mary Bradley, Paddy Redmond and Tony O Donoghue played a big part in the success of this team”

The Kerry U-11 team had also won the Munster Championships and qualified for the All-Ireland earlier in the season. Unfortunately as the other provinces decided not to send teams to the event there was no competition which was extremely disappointing for the Kerry youngsters.

Community Games

Huge congratulations to coach Roly Chute and the Listowel Under 15 Girls & Boys Community Games Badminton Teams who won Gold at the Community Games Finals which were held in Tralee Sports & Leisure Centre Saturday 20 April.
They will represent Munster in the All-Ireland Finals in UL Limerick at the end of May.

CPC.ic County Mixed Leagues 

The mixed leagues will all come to a conclusion this week with the finals in Div 1 to Div 5. All winners will go on to represent Kerry at the Munster Championships in University of Limerick this weekend.

Kerry Badminton Social 

The annual end of season social will take place at the Rose Hotel, Tralee on Saturday May 18th. Tickets are 35 euro and can be obtained from your club secretary.

CPC.ie Kerry Mixed County Championships

Friday night (April 12th) saw the Kerry County Championships reach its conclusion for another season as the Division 2 and 4 Mixed Championships were played out at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre.

In Division 2 Ruth Concannon and Aaron Tan of Kingdom Castleisland overcame the Moyvane pairing of Amanda Carmody and Timmy Noonan in two sets and then overcame Saoirse Fitzgerald (Moyvane) and Paddy Redmond (Listowel) also in two sets to reach the final.

On the other side of the draw fellow Kingdom Castleisland pairing Brid Murphy and Aidan McCarthy overcame Sandra O Connor (Killarney) and Chris McCarthy (Moyvane) in three sets before defeating the Moyvane pair of Helen Browne and John Mulvihill in two sets.

Onlookers were treated to a wonderful final between the two Kingdom Castleisland pairings. The first set went to Murphy and McCarthy 21-14 but Concannon and Tan took the second set on the same scoreline. Watching on it was difficult to call who would take this title as the third set progressed as there was rarely more than a couple of points in it at any stage. In the end in was Concannon and Tan that finished stronger to take their first Division 2 title.

With 25 pairing taking part it would be a much longer road to a County title for the Division 4 participants. Josie Gilbert and John McDonnell (Ballyheigue) had already won two encounters before coming up against Breda Flavin and Paudie Kearney of (Moyvane). Gilbert and McDonnell won this tough contest in three sets and went on to defeat Karen Lawlor (Listowel) and Niall O Hanlon (Causeway) in two sets to reach the final.

Maire Kennelly and Barry O Callaghan (Moyvane) also had to come through four matches to reach the final. In the last eight they defeated fellow Moyvane pairing Michelle Corridon and Michael Collins in two tight sets before defeating Aoife Bowler (Moyvane) and Brendan O Carroll (Causeway) in the semi-final in two sets.

The Ballyheigue pairing got off to the better start in the final and the result never really looked in doubt. In the end it finished 21-12, 21-14. McDonnell had teamed up with Kevin O Mahony to take the men’s title earlier in the season but it was to be a first Division 4 title for Gilbert.

Munster Doubles Championships

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre also played host to the Munster Doubles Championship last weekend with County Champions from their respective grades going head to head in Killarney last Sunday (April 14th).

The Mens and Ladies Doubles Championships took place on Sunday morning with the Mixed Championships taking place in the afternoon.

In the Men’s Grade C event Kerry were represented by the experienced pairing of  Eric Nelligan and Tom Bourke (Kingdom – Castleisland) They beat their Waterford opponents 2 sets to 0 before drawing one set all with Cork. In their final game they defeated the Tipperary pairing 2-0 which was enough to secure the Munster title for the Kerry representatives.

There was also joy for the very talented Guiney sisters from Listowel in the Ladies Grade G Championship. A wonderful success for two young players who will surely go on to win honours at higher grades in years to come.

Also in the morning session much credit goes to Saoirse Fitzgerald (Moyvane) and Niamh Hickey (Killarney) runners up in the Ladies Grade D Championships and to Sam Hayes (Killarney) and Michelle Beasley (Kingdom – Castleisland) runners up in the Grade E Championship.

The afternoon session brought more success to the Kerry and the Kingdom – Castleisland club in particular. Fresh from winning a county title together two days previously Ruth Concannon and Aaron Tan went on to complete a great weekend by taking provincial honours.

The Kingdom – Castleisland pairing that Concannon and Tan had beaten in the Kerry Division 2 final also had a good day on Sunday. Brid Murphy and Aidan McCarthy were runners-up in the Grade E Championships.

Well done to all the players that represented Kerry on the day.

Kerry Masters Tournament 

The Kerry Masters (Over 40) takes place in Pres Hall Killarney on Friday April 19th at 8pm.

Entries through club secretary to James Sheahan by email jamessheahan66@gmail.com by Wednesday with club, name and division.

Entry fee is €7 per player.

Killarney and Kingdom are nominated to bring sandwiches and food and all other clubs bring spot prizes.

Upcoming Events 

Friday April 19th Kerry Masters Tournament – Presentation Killarney

Mon April 29th Division 2 and 4 Mixed Finals – Annascaul

Wed May 1st Division 3 and 5 Mixed Finals – Castleisland

Sat May 18th Kerry Badminton Association Social

By Colm Griffin

Ladies and Men Division 5 Finals

With four different clubs represented it was not a great surprise that a large crowd showed up in Moyvane for the Ashes Bar, Glenbeigh Ladies and Men Division 5 final last Tuesday night (April 2nd).

Those in attendance were certainly treated to two very entertaining matches. Both encounters seesawed one way and then the other before the winners eventually emerged.

In the Ladies final the hosts Moyvane entertained neighbours and local rivals Listowel. In the first game the recently crowned Division 5 Ladies doubles pairing of Laura Sheehan and Susie Rice got off to a great start taking the first set 21-18. However the Moyvane pairing fought back strongly winning the second set 21-12.

The Moyvane pairing then went on to take the third set and the game 21-16 much to the delight of the home crowd who cheered them on loudly.

When Trish O Donoghue and Michelle Woods of Moyvane took the first set of the second game 21-14 things were looking quite bleak for Listowel. But it was at this point that the great fightback began with Molly McElligott and Cindy Walsh taking both the second and third sets on the score of 21-16 to tie the match up at 1-1 in games and 3-3 in sets.

Susie Rice then paired up with Molly McElligott of Listowel to take their game against Eva Browne and Trish O Donoghue in 2 sets. But Moyvane were not finished yet and when Charlotte Quinn and Michelle Woods took the first set of their tie against Laura Sheehan and Cindy Walsh 21-13 it looked like it might all go down to points. For this to happen the Moyvane pairing needed to win the second set also but the Listowel duo composed themselves to take the second set and thus the title on a score of 6-4 in sets.

The men’s final also threw up a contest between neighbours and local rivals as Ballyheigue faced Causeway. County Men’s Double Finalists Joe Carroll and Paraic Murray of Causeway defeated Kyle Reidy and Adrian Kenny in two sets 21-11, 21-18 but on the adjacent court Ballyheigue’s Alan O Halloran and Aidan Reidy ensured the scores were tied at 1-1 and 2-2 in sets going into the second round of games as they overcame Liam Harty and Mike Mulvihill 21-13, 21-12.

Joe Carroll and Liam Harty made sure it was advantage Causeway as they overcame Kyle Reidy and Alan O Halloran 21-19, 21-18 but like the Ladies final it also looked like the Men’s encounter might all go down to points when Aidan Reidy and Adrian Kenny (Ballyheigue) won the first set against Paraic Murray and Mike Mulvihill on a scoreline of 21-12.

However the Causeway pairing got off to a great start in the second set and were leading 8-1 before the Ballyheigue pairing pulled it back to 9-7. Try as they may they could never get ahead in the set though and the Causeway duo clinched the set and the title when they took the set 21-19. The teams played out the final set with Causeway winning to complete a 3-1 victory overall which was perhaps a slightly unfair score line on Ballyheigue overall.

Tom Clear and Olly Conyard of the Kerry Badminton Association made presentations to the winning captains Joe Carroll of Causeway and Laura Sheehan of Listowel and both losing teams at least have the consolation of knowing they will face off against either other in the final of the Mixed Division 5 league in a few weeks’ time.

Irish Inter-provincial Championships 

Six Kerry youngsters represented Munster at the Irish Inter-Provincial Championships which took place in Baldoyle in Dublin on Saturday (April 6th).

In the U-13s Ruahran Donovan (Annascaul) was the sole Kerry representative in a team that went down to Ulster and a very strong Leinster side.

The U-15 team which featured Ayrton Burke (Kingdom – Castleisland) and Ethan Tritschler (Listowel) also found the going difficult at this level losing out against both Ulster and Leinster respectively.

However the U-17 team which featured no fewer that three Kerry players had a more successful day. Kerry pairing of Cathal Donovan (Annascaul) and Christopher O Donoghue (Moyvane) got the province off to the perfect start on the day when they took their boys doubles contest against a Connacht pairing in two sets. O Donoghue added another point for the province when winning the boys singles contest in two sets.

The third member of the team from Kerry was Deina Vesko (Listowel) who is still under 16. She lost out narrowly in her girls double game 21-18, 21-19 and then also lost her mixed game very narrowly with Donovan 22-20, 21-14.

Despite this Munster still emerged victorious overall 6-3 meaning they had a straight shoot out with Leinister for the title of All-Ireland Champions. Unfortunately for this very taleneted Munster team they ran into an even more talented Leinster side. All the Munster players gave everything in this contest but ultimately they were to lose out 8-1 and finish Inter-Provincial runners-up.

Well done to all involved and playing games at this high level will no doubt allow our young Kerry talent to progress as players.

Mixed Division 2 and Division 4 Kerry County Championship

The CPC.ie Mixed Division 2 and Division 4 Championship will bring the Kerry County Senior Championship season to a conclusion this Friday night April 12th at the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Players are asked to please try to arrive no later than 7.15pm as the action is due to get underway from 7.30pm sharp.

Killarney will also play host to the Munster Doubles Final this Sunday (April 14th). Hopefully home advantage can help inspire plenty of Kerry pairing into achieving Munster success at the event this year. Best of luck to all participants.

Upcoming Events

Friday April 12th Division 2 & Division 4 Mixed Doubles County Championships – Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre 7.30pm

Sunday April 14th Munster Doubles Finals – Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre – Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre 10am

Friday April 19th Kerry Masters Tournament – Presentation School, Killarney

By Colm Griffin

Kerry Division 2 and Division 4 County Singles Championships.

Killarney was the badminton focal point last Friday night as the CPC.ie sponsored final four singles titles of the season where played out in the senior Ladies and Men’s Championships.

With four titles on offer it was nice to see four different clubs celebrating at the end of the night as the titles were evenly spread across the geographic region of Kerry.

In the Division 2 Ladies singles Saorcha Fitzgerald (Moyvane) overcame clubmate Helen Browne in the semi-final whilst Maeve Twomey (Killarney) overcame the challenge of Amanda Carmody (Moyvane). The final itself was a good contest with some great rallies but Twomey eventually prevailed 21-16, 21-18. Fittingly the prize on offer for the winner was the Peggy Horan Perpetual Cup. Peggy who is and continues to be a great stalwart of Kerry badminton for many years was on hand to present the cup to Maeve who happens to be her niece which made for a lovely family moment in the hall.

In the Division 2 singles for Men Brendan McGovern (Annascaul) had to overcome two very tough three set battles to reach the final. He first beat Niall O Brien (Killarney) 23-21, 20-22, 21-12.

He then overcame the challenge of Noel Gilbride (Ballyheigue) 21-17, 15-21, 21-16. On the other side of the draw Timmy Noonan (Moyvane) overcame James McDonnell and then Cathal Donovan (Annascaul) in three sets 20-22, 21-17, 21-17. Although Noonan was able to ensure the final was not an all Annascaul affair he was unable to win it. McGovern took it in two close sets 21-17, 21-19.

In the Ladies Division 4 Championships Valerie Guiney (Listowel) overcame Josie Gilbert (Ballyheigue) and Adele O Brien (Killarney) to reach the final while on the other side Breda Lane (Moyvane) had to overcome two clubmates Aoife Bowler first and then Marie Kennelly in a tough three set battle.

The final was a good contest but Guiney was always on top and eventually took the title 21-16, 21-16.

The Men’s Division 4 Championships had by far the largest field on the night and turned out to be a very competitive event.

Kevin O Mahony (Ballyheigue) has been knocking on the door of a county title for a few years now but he certainly didn’t have an easy run of it in order to get to the final. He first overcame Padraig Barrett (Causeway) before defeating the new Division 5 singles champion Oisin Moloney (Listowel).

Then he defeated the Division 3 finalist Jack McElligott (Listowel). Meanwhile Paul Hayes (Listowel) overcame Colm Griffin (Ballyheigue) and Niall O Hanlon (Causeway) before facing a tough challenge from clubmate Mike Riordan in the semi-final but he prevailed in all games in two sets.

At 1 set up and 19-17 up in the second set things looked very good for Hayes in the final. However O Mahony showed great composure and nerves of steel to take the set 22-20 before going on the win the title in three sets 16-21, 22-20, 21-17.

Kerry Boys Singles Championships

76 boys took part in the Boys Juvenile singles championships in Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre last Saturday (Feb 9th). It proved to be a wonderful day for the Annascaul club as the captured 3 of the four titles on offer.

Results:-

11 Oscar McElligott Listowel defeated Ben McElligott Listowel 15/12, 15/14

U13 Ruadhan Donovan Annascaul defeated Gearoid O’Sullivan Listowel 21/17, 11/21, 21/17

U15 Evan McCarthy Annascaul defeated Tomas O’Sullivan Listowel 21/14, 22/20

U17 Cathal Donovan Annascaul defeated Seamus Bradley Castleisland 13/21, 21/13, 21/14

Munster Inter-County Championships

The University of Limerick hosted the Inter County Championships for Grade C, E and G last Sunday (Feb 10th)

The Grade C event was a straight shoot-out between Kerry and Cork. Things were looking fairly ominous for Kerry after they lost the first and second Men’s doubles and the first ladies doubles but then through Maeve Twomey (Killarney) and Elaine Hudson (Moyvane) the Kerry fight back began. They took the second ladies doubles after a tough three set contest.

Tom Bourke (Kingdom) won the Men’s singles match makin but Cork took the ladies singles making the score 4-2 going into the mixed. Kerry now needed to will all 3 mixed games to beat Cork and they certainly put up a great fight but unfortunately came up just short losing 5-4.

The first opponents for the Grade E team was Waterford and it was a thrilling battle. Kerry were tied 2-2 with opponents after the Ladies and Mens doubles through wins in the first Ladies Doubles Niamh Hickey (Killarney) and Helen Browne (Moyvane) and the second Mens Doubles Aaron Tan (Kingdom) and Aidan McCarthy (Kingdom). Through Brendan McGovern (Annascaul) and Hickey Kerry were 4-2 ahead after the singles games. Waterford fought back though and it was 4-4 going into the final mixed game which was a three set thriller. McGovern and Sam Hayes (Killarney) eventually got Kerry over the line 22-20, 20-22, 21-19.

Next up for Kerry was Cork in a game which was effectively a semi-final. It was 1-1 after the first round of Men’s and Ladies doubles with Browne and Hickey keeping their 100% record intact. Unfortunately the Kerry challenge waned after that against very strong opponents. The final score was 5-1 to Cork.

The Grade G team came up against Co Clare in their first match. It was 2-2 after the Men’s and Ladies doubles with both Valerie Guiney (Listowel) and Breda Lane (Moyvane) and Kevin O Mahony (Ballyheigue) and Niall O Hanlon (Causeway) winning their games for Kerry. Through the young Listowel stars Jack McElligott and Valerie Guiney Kerry were 4-2 up after the singles. Wins for Paul Hayes (Listowel) with Lane (Moyvane) and O Mahony (Ballyheigue) with Louise Behan (Moyvane) clinched a 6-3 win for Kerry overall.

Next up for Kerry was Waterford and this proved to be a tight battle from start to finish. Hayes and McElligott took the first Men’s doubles but Kerry were 3-1 behind as the suffered defeats in the other three Men’s and Ladies doubles. However it was 3-3 when both McElligott and Guiney once again won their singles matches and Kerry were on the brink of victory when Hayes and Lane won the first mixed but it wasn’t to be with Waterford taking both the second and third mixed games to complete a narrow 5-4 victory and knock Kerry out.

Although none of the Kerry teams won their respective events great credit must go to all the players, coaches and managers of the three teams for the time and commitment they have all given over the past few months. Kerry and Cork were the only counties to field a team in all 3 grades which reflects positively on the health of the game in the county and we can look forward to capturing plenty of Inter County titles in the future.

Next Weekend 

Friday Feb 15th Ladies and Men’s Doubles Championships, Killarney (7.30pm)

Sunday Feb 17th Munster Inter County Championships Grade D, F & H, Waterford

By Colm Griffin

Munster Inter County Juvenile Championships 

Pride of place this week goes to the Kerry Juvenile teams who travelled to the University of Limerick last Sunday (Jan 27th) to take part in the Munster Championships and performed with great distinction.

Each event was played out on a round robin basis and first up U-11 team managed on the day by Donnacha Moloney (Moyvane) and Rory Tuite (Listowel) came face to face with a strong Waterford side. After a tough encounter Kerry prevailed 6-4 win. They then faced Tipperary who had won their first game against Clare 9-1. The Kerry youngsters however proved too strong winning impressively 8-2 before completing their programme of matches with a resounding 10-0 defeat of Clare to clinch the Munster title.

The U-13 team managed on the day by Jill Redmond (Listowel) also got off to a great start beating Clare 6-4. Unfortunately, they then came up against a very strong Waterford team would eventually go on to win the title and lost 8-2. The Kerry players however showed great spirit and rallied in final game beating Tipperary 7-3 and finishing runners-up.

Michael Donovan of Annascaul took the reins of the U-15 team on the day and they got of to a good start finishing 5-5 against Tipperary but were 12 aces ahead on countback. Unfortunately, both Clare and Waterford had extremely strong teams at this age group this year and Kerry went down to Clare 9-1 and Waterford 8-2 in their final game.

The Kerry U-17 team were managed by Paddy Redmond (Listowel) and Tony O Donoghue (Moyvane) and also got off to a great start beating Waterford 6-4. When they beat Tipperary 8-2 in the second game they knew they had a great chance of winning the Munster title. Not only did they manage to do it they did so in spectacular fashion with a emphatic 9-1 victory over Clare.

According to Tom McElligott Coaching Secretary of the Kerry Badminton Association “the players in all age groups deserve great credit for the commitment they have shown in training, but the success would not have been possible without the support of the managers, the parents and clubs around the county.”

Both the Kerry U-11 and the U-17 teams will now go on to represent the county and the province at the All Ireland Inter County Championships on April 28th.

Kerry Singles County Championships 

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre played host to another great night of badminton as 6 titles were decided at the Cpc.ie sponsored Division 1, 3 and 5 singles championship last Friday night (Jan 24th).

The first title of the evening went to the local club in Killarney with Sonia Smith defeating Eva Browne of Moyvane in a seesaw three set battle 21-18, 8-21, 21-11.

The biggest field of the night was the division 5 section for Men. The final two on the night were Paraic Murray of Causeway and Oisin Moloney of Listowel. To get to the final Murray had to emerge from two gruelling three set matches with fellow club man Joe Carroll in the quarter final (he won third set 28-26) and then Mike Donovan of Annascaul in the semi-final. Moloney meanwhile was coming through the other side of the draw in a more straightforward fashion. It was clear that Moloney was the much fresher man in the final winning 21-8, 21-7.

The Ladies Division 3 final was an all Killarney contest between Sam Hayes and Jeab Workman. Hayes easily won the first set 21-12 but Workman showed great spirit to come back and take the second set 21-16. The third set was a fight to the end but Hayes eventually came out on top 21-17.

The Men’s Division 3 final also proved to be a tight affair in what was to be an all schoolboy affair. Cathal Donovan of Annascaul came up against Division 4 player Jack McElligott of Listowel who took some big scalps on this way to the final. When McElligott powered his way to first set success 21-10 in the final it looked like a shock could be on the cards but Donovan kept his composure admirably taking the second set 21-14 before going on to win the title with a 21-10 win in the final set.

The Ladies Division One final was an eagerly awaited contest between defending champion Edel Kenny of Kingdom – Castleisland and the 2017 Champion Niamh O Flaherty of Moyvane. O’Flaherty came through a tough semi-final battle with Sinead Galvin of Killarney in three sets but could not match Kenny in the final going down 21/13, 21/9. This was Division one singles title number 7 for Kenny.

The Men’s Division One title was also to go to the Kingdom – Castleisland club. Tom Bourke seeking his 11th singles title the first of which he won back in 2006 came up against Fergal Hannon of Listowel who was playing his first Division 1 final. Whilst Hannon put up a good battle the result was never really in doubt as the more experienced Bourke eventually won his first singles title since 2016 21-17, 21-16.

Munster Schools Championships 

Six Kerry schools teams from Listowel, Killarney and Milltown travelled to University of Limerick on Thursday Jan 24th to represent the county. Competing in Division 2 it proved to be a great day for the Listowel schools in particular. Both the St Michael’s College boys U-14 and U-16 teams finished runners-up but the U-16 girls from the Presentation School in the town went one better by winning the title and will now go on to represent Munster at the All-Ireland Schools Final on March 20th. Congratulations also to the Presentation Listowel U-19 girls team who also finished runners-up in their division.

Kerry Badminton Association Annual Table Quiz

O’Donnells Bar Tralee is the venue for the Kerry Badminton Table Quiz on Friday night (February 1st) at 8pm. Event will have teams of 4 people on the night and the cost of entry is 40 euro per team.

Upcoming Events  

Friday Feb 1st Kerry Badminton Association Annual Table Quiz – O’Donnells Bar, Tralee

Saturday Feb 2nd Kerry Juveniles Girls Singles Championships – Killarney

Sunday Feb 3rd Munster Senior 2 / Graduate Championships – Waterford

Friday Feb 8th Kerry Singles Championships – Killarney

Saturday Feb 9th Kerry Juveniles Boys Singles Championships – Killarney

Sunday Feb 10th Inter County Grades C/E/G Championships – University of Limerick

By Colm Griffin

Munster Senior 1 / Junior Championships 

A large crowd made their way to Killarney last Sunday (Jan 20th) for the Munster Singles, Doubles and Mixed Championships for Grade C and D players which in Kerry terms relates largely to division 1 and 2 players.

Ten titles were on offer on the day and Kerry got off to a great start in the Senior singles with Edel Broderick (Kingdom – Castleisland) reaching the ladies final going down in three sets to Caroline Hayes (Cork) 21-17, 7-21, 15-21.

Broderick and Hayes however teamed up to capture the ladies senior ladies doubles title beating Aisling Chapman and Natalie Herina Ng 21-16, 21-16 in the final.

In the Mens Senior Singles Tom Bourke (Kingdom – Castleisland) went down in three sets at the semi final stage to Azhar Syed 17 – 21, 21 – 19,10 – 21. Syed later went on to capture the title.

The junior championships had a much larger entry field and Kerry players performed exceptionally well.

In the singles Kerry had double success. Sinead Galvin (Killarney) captured the Ladies singles title in a thrilling final against Patricia Herlihy 21-13, 27-25.

Meanwhile in the Men’s singles Fergal Hannon (Listowel) prevailed to take the title beating Chris Quil in three sets 21-9, 7-21, 21-19.

Hannon also performed with great distinction in the men’s junior double championships where he teamed up with clubmate Paddy Redmond to get to the final. Unfortunately they eventually lost out to Paul Kingston and Tayyab Shahzad in three set 21-18, 14-21, 21-23.

The ladies junior doubles final was to feature 3 Kerry players with the All-Kerry pairing of Elaine Hudson (Moyvane) and Ruth Concannon (Kingdom – Castleisland) going down in a three set final to Maeve Twomey (Killarney) and Lorraine Whelton. The score was 16-21, 21-9, 21-16.

Elaine Hudson was to go on to have better luck in the Mixed championship however where she teamed up with Ian Cliffe. They won the final against Niamh O Driscoll and Stephen Prendergast 21-13, 21-9.

Ballyheigue Tournament 

On the same day Killarney hosted the Seniors and Juniors the annual Ballyheigue tournament catered for Kerry players who compete in Div 3, Div 4 and Div 5.

A large number of entries in the Purchase.ie sponsored Division 5 competition for the new Mark Reidy Perpetual Trophy eventually saw the numbers whittle down to the final few. Ann Leahy (Ballyheigue) teamed up with Danielle Robinson (Causeway) to capture the ladies title.

They defeated Cindy Walsh (Listowel) and Regina Curtis (Causeway) in the final 21-7, 21–10. Meanwhile another Causeway and Ballyheighue combination, Pauric Murray (Causeway) and Alan O Halloran (Ballyheigue) beat Greg Horan (Listowel) and Mike Donovan (Annascaul) 21-14, 21-13 to capture the Men’s title. A thrilling 3 set mixed final was to follow with Murray and Leahy coming out on top just about 21-16, 13-21, 24-22.

The plate final saw Mike Walsh (Ballybunion) and Cindy Chen (Ballyheigue) defeat Adrian Kenny (Ballyheigue) and Margaret Boyle (Listowel)

In AOH Valeting sponsored Division 4 competition Padraig Barrett (Causeway) and Mike O Shea (Killarney) overcame Tom Rice (Listowel) and Patrick O Halloran (Ballyheigue) 21 -8, 21 – 9 in the men’s final and Josie Gilbert (Ballyheigue) and Mairead O Connell (Kingdom – Castleisland) prevailed in the ladies competition which was played on a round robin format.

In the final Gilbert teamed up with Barrett and defeated O Shea and O Connell in two sets 21-12, 21-12. Paul Hayes (Listowel) and Siobhan Colbert (Ballyheigue) won the plate event.

Both the Mens and Ladies events in the Ballyheigue Castle Golf Club sponsored division 3 competition were played on a round robin format.

Paula O Sullivan (Ballyheigue) and Majella Griffin (Moyvane) emerged from the ladies section and Aidan Evans (Annascaul) and Jebin Johnston (Kingdom -Castleisland) came through the Men’s section. The mixed final saw Evans and Griffin combine to defeat Johnston and O’Sullivan 21-15, 21-14.

Kerry Juvenile Doubles Championships

192 players took part in the Kerry juvenile doubles championships in Killarney on Saturday (Jan 19th)

Final Results

U11 Girls Nicole Vesko and Kate Nolan Listowel defeated Eimear Bradley and Kate Harmon Castleisland 15/2, 15/3

U13 Girls Bella Harmon and Jessica O’Loughlin Castleisland defeated Maria Tritschler and Fiona O’Connor Listowel 21/14, 21/9

U15 Girls Deina Vesko and Madison Carter Listowel defeated Ava Mackay and Sara Hayes Listowel 21/7, 21/9

U17 Girls Adele O’Brien and Laura O’Connor Killarney defeated Shonagh Doody and Ailbhe Gammel Killarney 22/24, 21/10, 21/15

U11 Boys Ben McElligott and Oscar McElligott Listowel defeated Darius McCormack Annascaul and James Burke Castleisland 15/6, 15/6

U13 Boys Ruadhan Donovan Annascaul and Gearoid O’Sullivan Listowel defeated Jack Lyne Annascaul and Ayrton Burke Castleisland 21/13, 21/5

U15 Boys Ethan Tritschler and Tomas O’Sullivan Listowel defeated Evan McCarthy and Ryan Newstead Annascaul 21/14, 21/19

U17 Boys Jack McElligott and Oisin Moloney Listowel defeated Cathal Donovan and Michael Casey Annascaul 21/15, 21/10

Upcoming Events  

Thursday Jan 24th Munster Schools Finals – University of Limerick

Friday Jan 25th  Div 1, 3 & 5 Kerry Singles Championships – Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

Sunday Jan 27th Munster Juvenile Inter County Championships Round 1 – University of Limerick

Friday Feb 1st Kerry Badminton Association Annual Table Quiz – O’Donnells Bar, Tralee

By Colm Griffin

Listowel Tournament 

About 120 players from Kerry and beyond dusted themselves down in a bid to counter the excess turkey consumed during the holiday period and took part in the Listowel tournament last weekend (Jan 12th and 13th)

On the Saturday the Division 1, Division 2 and the Over 45s players participated. The Ladies Div 1 & 2 final was a tight three set affair with Trish Herilhy (Cork) and Amanda Carmody (Moyvane) overcoming Edel Broderick (Kingdom-Castleisland) and Mairead Regan (Listowel) 21-19, 15-21, 21-16

In the Men’s Final home player Fergal Hannon teamed up with Aidan McCarthy (Kingdom-Castleisland) to defeat Donie Enright (Moyvane) and Brendan McGovern (Annascaul) 21-14, 21-9.

In the Jim Halpin sponsored Listowel Masters final for over 45s Linda Flynn (Listowel) and Tony Deasy (Cork) combined to defeat Jeanelle Griffin (Moyvane) and Anthony Barrett (Listowel) 21-16, 21-11.

The prize on offer for the final event of the day was the Junior Griffin Perpetual Cup. Called after the chairperson of the Kerry Badminton Association for the past 42 years this Mixed Doubles event for Division 1 and 2 players was rather fittingly won by Tom Bourke (Kingdom – Castleisland) who recently took over the reins of Kerry Badminton from Junior.

Tom was partnered by Amanda Carmody (Moyvane) who won her second title of the day. But they were made to fight all the way for it by oppenents Fergal Hannon and Ruth Concannon (Kingdom – Castleisland) despite taking the first set 21-13.

Hannon / Concannon responded taking the second set 21-16 and were even 19-16 up in the final set but the more experience Bourke and Carmody kept their composure admirably taking 5 points in a row to clinch the title 21-19.

On Sunday it was the turn of the Div 3, 4 and 5 players. Division 3 turned out to be a Men’s only event which was won in three sets by Niall O Brien (Killarney) and Andy McMahon (Listowel) defeating Jamie Elliott (Moyvane) and Arthur Chute (Listowel) 19-21, 21-11, 21-12.

There was also success for the hometown club in Division 4 with Rita McCarthy and Liam O Connor (Moyvane) overcoming Susan O Connell (Iveragh) and Jack McElligott (Listowel) 21-11, 21-16

Division 5  which had a huge entry this year saw the recently resurrected Ballybunion club taste success with Niam Kennelly teaming up with Paric Murray (Causeway) to defeat Danielle Robinson (Causeway) and Aidan Reidy (Ballyheigue) 21-11, 21-16.

Division 3 and 4 League Finals

The Division 3 and 4 League Finals for Ladies and Men were played out at Tralee Sports Complex on Wednesday January 9th in front of a large crowd of supporters.

All 4 finals were extremely close. In fact in three of the four finals games won failed to separate the teams so it went down to a set score. A full report can be viewed on all matches on the Kerry Badminton Association website www.kerrybadminton.ie

Agri Auto Parts Ladies Div 3 Final – Moyvane 3 – 3 Killarney (Moyvane won 8-6 on sets)

Advanced Cleaning Supplies Men’s Div 3 Final – Listowel 3 – 3 Kingdom Castleisland (Listowel won 7-6 on sets)

Agri Auto Parts Ladies Div 4 Final Moyvane 4 – 2 Listowel

Advanced Cleaning Supplies Men’s Div 4 Final – Ballyheigue 3 – 3 Listowel (Ballyheigue won 8-7 on sets)

Kerry Schools Competition

28 teams from 9 different secondary schools around Kerry took part in the Kerry Schools Championships on Thursday Jan 10th at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. The winners now go on to represent Kerry in the Munster Schools in the University of Limerick in a few weeks time.

U-14 Girls

Winners: St Brigid’s Presentation Killarney

Runners-Up: Presentation Miltown

U-16 Girls

Winners: Presentation Listowel

Runners-Up: St Brigid’s Presentation Killarney

U-19 Girls

Winners: Presentation Listowel

Runners-Up: St Brigid’s Presentation Killarney

U-14 Boys

Winners: St Michael’s College Listowel

Runners-Up: Tarbert Comprehensive

U-16 Boys

Winners: St Michael’s College Listowel

Runners-Up: Tarbert Comprehensive

U-19 Boys

Winners: Presentation Miltown

Runners-Up: Mercy Mounthawk Tralee

More details on this competition are also available at kerrybadminton.ie

Ballyheigue Tournament 

The annual Ballyheigue tournament takes place this Sunday at Ballyheigue Community Centre. The action will get underway from 11.45 with the Purchase.ie sponsored Division 5 competition. This will be followed by the AOH Valeting Division 4 competition at 2.30pm. The Division competition sponsored by Ballyheigue Castle Golf Club will commence from 5pm. Please confirm your interest in taking part with your local club secretary before Friday or contact Patsy O Connor 087 2750380

Upcoming Events  

Saturday Jan 19th Juvenile Doubles – Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

Sunday Jan 20th Munster Senior 1 / Junior Championships – Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

Sunday Jan 20th Ballyheigue Tournament