Roscrea Badminton going from strength to strength
As the 2023-24 Badminton season gets underway and clubs are back to training for any number of competitions that they can field a team for, from Team of 4 to League to Cup as well as having members trying out for spots on County squads, all clubs are looking for new members, and Roscrea Badminton Club are no different.
So, if you’re interested in taking up a new past time or maybe even getting back into an old one, or simply looking for a change of scene, why not give Badminton a go. And if you’re looking for a club, then let me tell you a little about Roscrea Badminton Club.
They are a highly social badminton club that takes its competitive side fair seriously. They train in Shinrone Community Hall every Monday from 8 – 10pm. For more information find us on Facebook, or contact us by text or WhatsApp, contact details at the end.
We in Roscrea Badminton Club are proud of all our members, but a few have gone on to national and international heights and we would like to acknowledge their achievements.
In 2022-2023, Celine Connors took part in the FZ Forza Irish Master’s Open, the FZ Forza Irish National Masters, the Ulster Master’s Open, the Connacht Masters, the Munster Intercounty Masters and Inter-pro Masters, the Northumberland Masters in Newcastle, and the Scottish Open Masters in Glasgow, the SWL Ladies Doubles Championship and Ladies Team of 4.
Another of our club members, Mark Shaw also had an amazing year having emerged victorious in the Tipperary Grade ‘D’ All-Ireland, the Tipperary Grade ‘0’C County Cup, the FZ Forza Irish Inter-County Grade ‘D’ All Ireland, the Munster Inter-County Grade ‘D’, the Munster Men's Doubles Grade ‘D’, the Munster Master’s Inter-Country and as a runner-up in the Tipperary Grade ‘D’ Doubles Championship.
One more of our members to play for teams outside of our club was Evan Martin. He was on the Grade ‘G’ inter-county team and played in the Munster Grade ‘F’ Open as well as the Grade ‘G’ Nationals. He also played in the Tipp Singles, Doubles and Mixed and with Ciara O'Donovan (UL) in the Munster Grade ‘E’ doubles.
And we can’t forget our younger players. Conall Dooley, Ciara Crofton, Abi Marks, Fai Dooley, Sarah Tierney, Luke Marks, and Harry Crofton represented Tipperary at the inter-county competitions in Waterford and Kerry. Luke Marks especially, had a great year representing Munster at the inter-pros in Dublin. In November 2022 he was selected to play for the Irish U13 team who travelled to Malmo, Sweden to compete in the Swedish Youth Games. In 2023 he was also selected to play for the Irish U15 team in to compete in the Quadrangular tournament against England, Scotland, and Wales.
It is no real surprise that Luke has what it takes as Badminton is in his DNA. His father Pat, played for Ireland as a juvenile, and both of his grandparents, the late Kathleen and Paddy Marks were past Presidents of Badminton Ireland. Kathleen’s name is of course synonymous with Badminton in Roscrea in particular, as well as across the county, province and nation and I think we can all agree her legacy lives on with Luke.
Another name that was well known across Tipperary and Munster was that of the late Joe Tuohy, who passed away in 2019. During the 2021-22 season, when life was returning to something resembling normality, an idea was floated around running a special tournament at the end of the season to honour Joe’s contribution to both our club and badminton in general and it was opened to all players who were associated with badminton in Tipperary. It was also decided over a few meetings to donate the proceeds to charity and Joe’s family were asked to make the selection and they chose the Irish Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. Due to the success of the Tournament and the feedback from all who took part, it was decided to run it again at the end of the 2022-2023 and this time the family’s charity of choice was the Irish Cancer Society. Again, there was a brilliant day’s badminton had and we can safely say it will be an annual event for as long as players keep turning up. We would like to extend a massive heartfelt thank you all of those who have turned out in honour of Joe, and to all members of the Tuohy family who have supported this tournament, from taking part to being on the sidelines for the day cheering on all who were playing.
Apart from players, Badminton at a local, provincial, and national level cannot happen without the help of volunteers and it is with this in mind that we recognize the contribution of Pauline, Bernard & Evan Martin who have volunteered at numerous national competitions throughout the year and we offer congratulations to Pauline & Evan, Mary Ryan, and JP Maloney who recently qualified as line judges. We would like to wish them and all from Tipperary and Munster who volunteer in all roles the very best in their futures and look forward to seeing them in their various positions on courts across the country for many years to come.
We would also like to acknowledge those who volunteer their time in running our club, because without them things would not run as smooth as they do, so with that in mind we say a heartfelt Thank You to our Committee Members for all they do. So, if you’re interested in taking part, why not give us a shout. Danny 0879482127/Mary 0894362420/Bernard 0833459496.