At the under 17 age group, David Tutty and Laura Lynch were in all 3 finals and were hoping to make it a trice of trophies, but Owen Marron who also was in 3 finals was going to do his best to make the guys work hard for their titles!!
In the blue ribbon singles event, Tutty and Marron opened the day’s play with an excellent display of how singles badminton should be played. Both guys showed great fitness but that was no surprise as they had trained during the week with the Irish Senior Badminton team while others might have been digging into Christmas selection boxes.
Tutty slightly had the edge but Marron got to everything that was served up to him, drops, clears, smashes even the odd old tumble of shuttle over the net. It was a hard work out for both the gladiators of the sport but Tutty clinched the title 21-16,21-16.
Next was the girl’s singles event, like the boys, these 2 girls could be classed as the fittest girls in Leinster.Laura Lynch took on the younger Dublin Girl Ciara Brady. This highly charged game, started off at great pace and the opening set went to the wire with the Wexford girl clinching it 25-23. This fiercely fought battle was not over and Brady used all that she had in her armory to hold off the Wexford girl, but experience took over and Lynch took the title 21-18.
Once again Tutty and Marron were on opposite side of the court, this time in the boys doubles. Tutty partnered by Cormac Golden stood up to the net against Marron and Luke Moore. Marron and Moore long time partners took the 1st set 21-18, but the older boys of Tutty and Golden regrouped and narrowly took the middle set 25-23. Stage set for a final set and all the boys trying to out wit their opponents but the elder boys took the title 21-15. Tutty bagged 2 trophies and one to go.
Second last U/17 match of the afternoon was the Girls doubles. Lynch once again and long time partner Norma Mc Intyre, who did not play in any other event as she was just back from injury. Their opponents were Crona Rooney and Caroline Oliver. This match went the full distance of 3 sets, with the younger girls of Rooney and Oliver almost making a name for themselves by almost beating the 2 recently named Irish Under U/17 girls of Lynch and Mc Intyre. Lynch and Mc Intyre won 21-17,19-21,21-19.
The final match of the afternoon was Lynch and Tutty going for their hattrick of titles in the mixed final against once again Rooney and Marron.The 1 st set slipped away from Rooney and Marron 21-17.But with a great final game Rooney and Marron played some super rallies with the crowd applauding the underdogs, for their athleticism, spirit and bottle but they narrowly lost the 2nd set 24-22. Lynch and Tutty got their trice of trophies and rightly so, as they proved why they are Leinster No, 1,s. and why also they joined Marron and Mc Intyre on the Irish U/17 team to travel to Wales on the 12 Jan 06.
A big thanks to Leinster Branch President, Breda Connolly, who was in attendance on the finals day and presented all finalists with their prizes.