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Badminton In The Midlands February 2010

BADMINTON IN THE MIDLANDS

You’ve Got to Have Heart

Heart is that elusive something that people talk about but few bother to define. The Munster Rugby team are known for heart. The Irish Rugby team now has heart. The soccer team in the Charlton era had heart. Heart involves the desire to win, the taste for victory, but most of all, heart means determination, to do or die for the winning effort, to take the extra step or stretch the extra reach, to never give up, to play until time runs out or the final score is reached, and to put the team effort ahead of personal glory. It is the belief that you CAN win whatever the odds. You may have the vision to see how the game should be played, the anticipation to know what moves will come next, and the skills to win, but without heart, you may never reach the winners circle.

This was so evident in two badminton efforts, the Offaly final between Country Club and Kinnity Div. 6 Men’s 4’s, and the U-13 Boys’ Singles at the Westside tournament.

Country Club v Kinnity: Country Club and Kinnity met in Rahan Hall to decide the title in Div. 6 Men’s 4’s. The Country Club boys had spent the day playing badminton in the Munster U-19 Schools competition in University of Limerick. They were physically tiered from their efforts on the day, but had a lot of practice. Kinnity were a rested team after a hectic previous week. Kinnity had easy wins in the league matches. But, on the night previous form went out the window and the match was superb. Joseph Kelly and Colin Sui, Country Club, met Pat Harnett and Liam Hynes in 1st Men’s. Pat and Liam quickly built up a early lead before Joseph and Colin got into the game. Pat and Liam were determined to win from the beginning. The boys didn’t start with the same spirit, and even though they closed the gap some, the final score was 21/14. Kinnity only built up a small lead in the second set before Colin and Joseph picked up their pace. The set was close, but Kinnity always held a slight edge, winning set and game 21/17. Eoin Wall and Eoghan Talbot, Country Club, challenged Frank Coleman and Brian King, Kinnity, in 2nd Men’s. And what a challenge. In the first set, and the second set, and the third set, the pairs exchanged point for point. Neither pair went more than 3 or 4 points ahead in the entire match. Eoin Wall and Eoghan Talbot won the first set 23/21. The second set went to Frank Coleman and Brian King, 24/22. Frank and Brian also won the third set, and the game for Kinnity, 21/19. Colin Sui and Eoin Wall, Country Club, played another 3-set game against Pat Harnett and Frank Coleman, Kinnity in the 3rd game. Kinnity won the first set 21/13. But, the Country Club pair roared back with a 21/17 win in the second set. In the third set, The Country Club pair appeared to fade and Kinnity surged into a 21/12 win to claim the game for Kinnity. Joseph Kelly and Eoghan Talbot, Country Club, and Liam Hynes and Brian King, Kinnity, played the marathon game of the night in the 4th spot. The pairs played point for point throughout the games. Each side could manage no more than two points on any service before losing to their opponents. The longer the sets went on, the closer the scores were. The first set ended 21/19 to Kinnity. Country Club answered with a 21/19 win in the second set. In the third set, Joseph and Eoghan came from 4 points down to level the score at 18-all. The score climbed gradually, 19/18, 19/all, 20/19, 20-all, 21/20, CC, 21/all, 22/21 CC, 22-all; 23/22 CC, 23-all, 24/23 CC, 24-all, 25/24 K, 25-all; 26/25 K; 26-all; 27-26 K; 27-all; 28/27 K; and finally, 29/27 Kinnity. Kinnity won set game and match. Was heart the difference in the match. Country Club played a defensive style of badminton, returning shot after shot with clears and drops, seldom missing a shuttle, but seldom smashing. Kinnity played a much more firey brand of badminton, using many more smashes, but putting more shuttles out or into the net than Country Club. Did their determination come from their surprise loss to Killoughey in the Division 6 Blitz Final? Were Country Club mentally and physically tired? Whatever the reasons, the match was much different than their two previous encounters and produced a feast of badminton for the spectators on the night. This concludes the Offaly leagues. The next Offaly event will be the Table Quiz in Boora Hall on 18 February, beginning at 7.30. The National Schools Blitz is scheduled for 21 March in Clonaslee beginning at 10 a.m.

Laois Leagues: Abbeyleix v Portarlington Parochial Grade 4 first round match with 3 games going to 3 sets and 3 sets with scores of 22/20 proved the most competitive match in Laois Leagues to date. Barbara Coffey and Evelyn Malone, Abbeyleix outscored Lesley Cobbe and Ashleigh Fennell, Portarlington Parochial, 21/15 in the first set. In a complete reversal, PP won the second set 21/5. Excitement mounted in the 3rd set as the women played equally well until Abbeyleix prevailed in the end, 22/20, set and First Ladies to Abbeyleix. Michael Cass and David Casey played for AL in First Men’s against Clive Wardrop and Trevor Cobbe, PP. Trevor and Clive outscored Michael and David 21/10 in the first set. Michael and David rebounded in the second set to win 21/15. The stage was set for another exciting finish. This time, the Abbeyleix pair claimed a 3-point win and the game, 21/18. Second Ladies, Barbara Coffey and Michelle Harvey, AL, against Alison Holmes and Ashleigh Fennel, PP set hearts racing. The game was close throughout with Alison and Ashleigh just shading a win 22/20. The Portarlington pair asserted their authority in the second set to win 21/12 to claim a point for PP. Abbeyleix men, Michael Cass and Padraig Purcell proved too strong for Portarlington’s Liam Dempsey and Trevor Cobbe in Second Men’s, winning 21/16, 21/16. David Casey and Evelyn Malone, AL and Lesley Cobbe and Clive Wardrop, PP, turned First Mixed into another 3-setter. David and Evelyn won the first set 21/15. Lesley and Clive upped their game in the second set to win 21/16, and became ruthless in the third set to win 21/8 to make the match score AL3-PP 2. Second Mixed was another evenly balanced game. Padraig Purcell and Michelle Harvey played for AL against Alison Holmes and Liam Dempsey PP. After a close, hard contest, Alison and Liam emerged victorious, 21/18, 22/20, to earn a 3-all draw for Portarlington Parochial

Other scores to date from County Laois are: Grade 4; Portarlington Parochial 5, Portlaoise GAA 1; Rahan 4, Abbeyleix 2; Portarlington Parochial 3, Rahan 3. Grade 5: Country Club 4, Clonenagh 2; Athy 4, Clonenagh 2; Country Club 4, Rahan 2; Carlow YM 5, Athy RFC 1; Clonenagh 5, Rahan 1; Athy 4, Rahan 2; Carlow YM 4, Country Club 2; Carlow YM 6, Rahan 0. Grade 6: Carlow YM 4, Portarlington Parochial 2; Portlaoise GAA 5, Portarlington Parochial 1; Portlaoise GAA 4, Athy RFC 2.

Laois League Secretary Niall Davis is finalizing the Men’s and Ladies Leagues. He hopes to have schedules and fixtures ready to be posted out this week.

Juvenile Action:

Four clubs from Laois and Offaly, Ballycumber, Boora, Killoughey, and Portarlington Parochial, participated in the Leinster Badminton Westside Tournament held recently in Kilcullen, Co. Kildare. The strongest event for the two counties was the U-13 Boys. On the day, Donal Grogan from the Boora club in Co. Offaly proved the master. Donal had never won a Championship Singles. A Plate Singles, yes, a Championship R-up, yes, but the top prize had always alluded him. So, driven on by fear of failure and by the determination to succeed, Donal was a prime example of the “heart” required to be a champion. Donal’s main contenders proved to be Andrew Meehan and Sean Faherty from Portarlington Parochial in Co. Laois. Donal, Andrew and Sean cruised through their first rounds. Donal’s first big challenge came in the form of Ben O’Shea. Donal surged into an early lead, but Ben came on strong. Donal made another surge, then Ben rallied. Finally, after Donal’s third burst, Ben’s head dropped his temper rose, and his skills began to desert him. Donal cruised on to an easy victory. Donal met Andrew in a semifinal. The contrast in size and style of the two players was marked. Donal was small and wirey, scampered around the court, used his entire body to generate power, and had great heart. Andrew was tall and well built for his age, had a long step and reach, and could generate power with a minimum of effort. The two lads faced off. The early stages of the game was very close, and observers had to wonder how long Donal could keep up the pace, because to stay even with Andrew, he had to exert so much greater effort. Donal looked very worried while Andrew maintained the same calm attitude that had carried him through all the earlier rounds. Andrew’s strategy seemed to be push Donal back with a clear, then drag him forward with a drop. Meanwhile, Donal was using a similar strategy, but threw in more cross shots, smashes, and high shuttles to the backhand. Slowly, Donal began to wear Andrew down. Andrew’s backhand became more erratic and his speed slackened. Then Andrew put together 3 good rallies in a row and Donal looked more worried. But Andrew was unable to capitalize on his opponents fears, Donal regained serve, and in the end, Donal won by a comfortable margin. Meanwhile, Sean was having his own battle in his semi-final. Sean was of a small and slight built like Donal, only taller. His opponent was his own size, only heavier, so had more mass to generate power. The match was very much touch and go from the beginning. Sean’s opponent tried many tricks to break his rhythm and upset his concentration, but Sean did not falter. As the game wore on, the opponent began to show signs of temper. Sean stayed calm and continued to play his own game. Finally, in the last few points, Sean won enough rallies to see him through to the final on a much closer scoreline than in the other semi-final. The anticipated final between Donal and Sean did not materialize. Donal proved much stronger than Sean, so was able to push him further back on serves and clears, and was able to smash many of Sean’s high returns. Donal also proved very adept at reading Sean’s returns and movement patterns and was able to keep Sean under pressure with smashes, net crosses and long high clears. Sean was never able to rise to the challenge, so Donal played his dream into reality as he won the champeioship final. Meanwhile, Ciarain Condron from the Killoughey Club in Offaly was fighting his way through the Plate. Ciarain was well able to clear the shuttle, but the Plate was definitely a different class than the Championship, as all the players suffered from poorer concentration, skill, and mobility than the boys in the championship. Ciarain was able to hold his concentration better than most, made the best of his strength, and gradually made his way through the rounds of the Plate. His hardest game definitely came in the Plate final. Ciarain’s even temper stood to him as he continued fighting away even though he was overtaken and passed out in the latter stages of the match. Then a few good clears coupled with some poor concentration from his opponent left the match level at 20 all in a 21 point game. In the sudden death situation, Ciarain played a good serve followed by a long clear and then a drop, which won him the title of Plate U-13 Singles Winner.

In U-13 Doubles, Donal Grogan and Ciarain Condron paired off as did Andrew Meehan and Sean Faherty. Each pair worked their way through their respective groups, winning all their games as they progressed. Ciarain and Donal played a partnership where Ciarain covered his area and Donal used his speed to cover the remainder of the court. Andrew and Sean played a more traditional sides formation. The game started very close with each side scoring a few points with every service. As the game progressed, Donal began to exploit an advantage with smashes down the centre between Sean and Andrew. Sean and Andrew succeeded in moving Ciarain off the net, but as the match progressed, he grew in confidence and was able to hold his own at the back of the court while Donal hovered up any loose shuttles around the net. At the end of the match, Donal Grogan and Ciarain Condron picked up more winners hardware while Sean Faherty and Andrew Meehan were again relegated to the Runners-up spot. Mathew Geoghegan and Ben Fletcher, Portarlington Parochial, also played in the U-13 Boys competitions.

U-13 Girls may have been outshown by the boys, but they represented their clubs with pride and enthusiasm. Roisin Cockram, Boora, was highest placed of the girls in singles. She reached a Championship semi-final before being knocked out. Mikayla Mitchell, Killoughey, Karen Larke, Portarlington and Bethan O’Connor, Portarlington, all played in the Plate side of the singles. For the doubles, Siofra McCann and Cliodhna Monahan, Killoughey joined the other two pairs but were unplaced, as were Karen and Bethan. Roisin and Mikayla teamed up to win Plate medals.

Ciara Faherty, Portarlington Parochial, proved the darling of the U-11 Girls. At 7 years of age, she was by far the smallest girl in the competition but what was most impressive was her excellent grip, footwork and stroke production. Ciara was no way intimidated by the older, bigger girls, but met them on court as an equal. With her footwork, speed, and ability, Ciara proved more than an equal to most of the competitors. She worked her way through the singles competition to reach the final, where she met an opponent with equal talent but much greater age and size. After the first few rallies, the outcome became obvious, but Ciara never lost her composure, and continued to try her best to score points, and never gave up. She is truly a competitor to watch for in the future. Aoife Geoghegan, Portarlington Parochial won the singles plate. Ciara and Aoife teamed up for the doubles. The girls played well together, looked like they were enjoying themselves on court, and finished the event with great smiles of happiness when they were crowned U-11 Girls’ Doubles Champions. Ashling Geoghegan, Portarlington Parochial, also played in the doubles. She had no clubmate to play with, so was given a partner for the day. The girls were unable to establish as good a playing partnership as Ciara and Aoife, and did not progress as far in the competition. Also in U-11’s Ballycumber in Co. Offaly achieved success. Luke Gavin-Mangan won the U-11 Boys’ Singles Plate. Like Ashling Geoghegan, he had a doubles partner for a day, and even though they won 2 games, were not able to progress out of their pool. Amy Gavin-Mangan also represented Ballycumber in singles where she reached a semi-final before bowing out of the competition. Amy paired with Rachel Ayres to win 3 doubles games, but that was not sufficient to see them into a play-off. Ballycumber’s second pair, Mary Harkin and Hollie Cornally won 2 doubles matches. Diarmaid Faherty and Christopher Whittle represented Portarlington Parochial, in U-11’s.

Only two players, David Ayers and Patrick Cosgrove, Ballycumber, represented the Midland Counties in U-17. David finished the singles competition when he was knocked out of a plate semi-final. David and Patrick did not emerge from their pool in the doubles.

Players from Ballycumber, Boora, and Portarlington Parochial competed in U-15 competitions. Patrick Cosgrove, Ballycumber, reached the semi-final in Singles in the boys’ event. Patrick teamed with David Scully, also Ballycumber, to reach the semi-final of the doubles. However that was the end of the road in each event. Ethan Cox, Portarlington Parochial, played in the Boys’ Singles, then teamed with Sean Faherty to play in the doubles. U-15 Girls proved stronger than the boys in their events. Hannah Kearons from Portarlington Parochial played her way through to the final of the girls singles, defeating Aisling Grogan of Boora in her semi-final. Unfortunately, Runner-up in U-15 Girls Singles was the best she could do. In the Plate competition, Cathy Ennis, Ballycumber played her way through to the semi-final of the Plate. Edel Coughlan, Boora, also played the Singles Plate. In Doubles, Kellie Cornally teamed with Cathy Ennis to win two games and earn a place in the Doubles Championship semi-final. However, they were drawn against the eventual winners, so made their exit. Ashling Grogan and Edel Coughlan won one game, but were just pipped on points for a spot in the Plate Final.

Both Offaly and Laois will field teams in the Leinster Juvenile Intercounties. U-17’s will be in Baldoyle Hall, Dublin, on 14 February, followed by the U-15’s also in Baldoyle on 21 February. The U-13’s will move to the Waterside in Kilkenny on 28 February for their competition..

Article by Judy Bryant
Lead Photo: Portarlington Parochial U-11 Girls In Westside Tournament:
Ciara Faherty, Aoife Geoghegan; Ashling Geoghegan.

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Written By: Siobhán Byrne
Date Posted: 2/8/2010
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