MARY PRATT PERPETUAL
CUP 2009
Lismore Badminton Club Host Tournament
Lismore Badminton Club proudly hosted the Mary
Pratt Perpetual Cup tournament in the Lismore Community Centre on Sunday Nov 8th. This was the tournaments’ second year and
the club hoped to build on the success of last year’s event. In a day mixed
with emotion, fun and highly competitive badminton, a very successful
tournament was had.
Mary, a larger than life member of the Lismore
Badminton Club for some years passed away early in the summer of 2006 leaving a
huge gap in the lives of all who knew her. This tournament is held in her
memory. The aim of the tournament is to encourage good competitive badminton,
while providing a fun element to the day.
A total of 48 entries competed, an increase of
16 on last year with players from almost every club in attendance. The early
tournament rounds provided many entertaining matches with several of the ties
going to the full three sets. After the conclusion of the last 16 round, a draw
was made for the plate competition with new pairings being drawn.
In the last 32 of
the Cup:
Shaun O’Sullivan & Katie Barry beat Michael
Brown & Sharon Warren, Jason Tobin & Mag Morrissey beat Conor Brown
& Geraldine Conway, Stephen Walsh & Ber O’Keefe beat Michael Curley
& Aine Hickman, Pat Lenane & Jojo Tobin (renewing last years
partnership) beat Brendan Meghen & Rebecca Coleman in and epic 3 setter,
James Hurton and Clodagh Ryan beat Stephen Walsh & Helen Leddy, Michael
McGrath & Cara McGrath beat Liam O’Gorman & Ber Crowley, Gary Alcorn
& Rena O’Brien beat Neville Murphy & Loretta Dwyer and Paul Casey &
Linda Owens beat Craig Tobin & Ann Marie Brown is a tough 3 setter.
At the last 16 of
the Cup:
David Flynn & Ann O’Sullivan beat Shaun
O’Sullivan, Jason Tobin & Mag Morrissey beat Mick Kennedy & Eithne
Colclough, Ivan Cliffe & Iris Graham beat Stephen Walsh and Ber O’Keefe,
Pat Lenane & Jojo Tobin beat Paddy Bird & Ciara Duffin. Michael McGrath
& Car McGrath beat Donnacha Mulcahy & Eileen Keoghan, Gary Alcorn &
Rena O’Brien beat Nigel Aird & Natalie Brown, Paul Casey & Linda Owens
beat Mike Bumster & Ann Marie Hegarty. Tony O’Donnell & Cynthia
Morrissey beat James Hurton & Clodagh Ryan.
Plate Draw
At this stage the draw for the plate was done,
in the preliminary round: Michael Brown & Ber Crowley over came Liam
O’Gorman and Geraldine Conway in 3 sets, Mick Kennedy and Helen Leddy beat
Conor Brown & Katie Barry. Paddy Bird & Rebecca Coleman beat Donnacha
Mulcahy & Natalie Brown. Neville Murphy & Ann Marie Hegarty beat Mike
Bumster & Eithne Colclough. Craig Tobin & Loretta Dwyer beat Michael
Curley & Clodagh Ryan.
In the quarter
final of the plate:
Michael Brown & Ber Crowley beat Stephen
Walsh & Anne Marie Brown. Nigel Aird & Eileen Keoghan beat Mick Kennedy
& Helen Leddy. Brendan Meghen & Ciara Duffin beat Paddy Bird &
Rebecca Coleman. Craig Tobin & Loretta Dwyer beat Neville Murphy & Ann
Marie Hegarty in a thrilling encounter.
At the quarter
final stage of the Cup:
Jason Tobin & Mag Morrissey beat David Flynn
& Ann O’Sullivan. Ivan Cliffe & Iris Graham beat Pat Lenane & Jojo
Tobin. Michael McGrath and Car McGrath beat Tony O’Donnell & Cynthia
Morrissey. Gary Alcorn & Rena O’Brien beat Paul Casey & Linda Owens.
Semi-Finals
The Cup semi final saw Jason Tobin & Mag
Morrissey (Lismore) take on Ivan Cliffe (Melleray) & Iris Graham (Dunmore);
the Lismore pair won in two sets 21-15, 21-10. The other semi final saw Gary
Alcorn & Rena O’Brien (Lismore) battle with Michael McGrath (Melleray)
& Cara McGrath (Tourin), the first set was nip and tuck with the Lismore
pair pulling away at the end and kept the momentum into the second winning
21-15.
The plate semi finals saw Craig Tobin (Lismore)
& Loretta Dwyer (Dunmore) take on Brendan Meghen & Ciara Duffin
(Lismore), in a competitive three sets, Craig and Loretta pulled through with a
point or two to spare. The other semi final saw Michael Brown (Kilmacthomas)
& Ber Crowley (Lismore) play Nigel Aird (Lismore) & Eileen Keoghan
(Kilmacthomas), Nigel and Eileen won out in two close sets.
€600 raised for West Waterford Hospice
The club sold raffle tickets on and before the day and in excess of €600 was raised for the West Waterford Hospice. It was a measure of the quality of the prizes that this amount was raised. The club would like to thank the following businesses for their generous prizes; Eamonn’s Place, Lismore House Hotel, the Castle lodge Bar and O’Brien’s Chop House, Mari Mina Pharmacy, Cahill's Flowers, Classroom Bar, Roche's Supermarket, the Duffin Family, Nora O’Sullivan and the many individuals who were so generous in contributing to the raffle.
Finals
Competition resumed with the Plate final; Craig Tobin & Loretta
Dwyer against Nigel Aird & Eileen Keoghan. In a very close first set Craig
and Loretta won 21-18. In the second
set Craig and Loretta pushed their advantage home running out 21-10. This was a
very close match played in great spirit, and was a great appetiser of what was
to come.
With the crowd still talking of the Plate final, the all Lismore Cup
Final of Jason Tobin & Mag Morrissey against Gary Alcorn & Rena O’Brien
took to the court. The favourites Jason and Mag edged a tight first set 21-17,
but their opponents fought back early in the second and took the lead and kept
it, winning 21-17. Jason and Mag re-asserted themselves in the third set,
gaining an early lead and despite a fight back they held their nerve winning a
thrilling final set 21-18. It was a final fit to grace any competition.
Presentations
Once the day’s play was concluded the club
chairperson Paul Casey gave a short speech. Paul thanked all those who had
worked so hard to make the day a success and eloquently stated that “it is a
labour of love” for the people in the club. Paul then presented a number of fun
prizes to people who had dressed up and made that extra bit of effort to make
the day as fun as possible.
Michael McGrath (Waterford Badminton
Association President) spoke of how it was encouraging to see so many people
participating in the tournament. Michael congratulated Lismore on its smooth
running and stated his hope that other clubs would attempt similar
undertakings. Tony O’Donnell then spoke on behalf of Mary’s family and thanked
all at the club for their work in organising the tournament and keeping Mary’s
memory alive in Waterford Badminton circles.
Tony asked Mary’s life long friend Jojo Tobin
to present the prizes. Jojo presented the Plate prizes, to the runners up Nigel
Aird and Eileen Keoghan and to the winners Craig Tobin and Loretta Dwyer. To
conclude proceedings Jojo presented Gary Alcorn & Rena O’Brien with the cup
runners up prizes and Jason & Mag with their winners’ prizes and the Mary
Pratt Perpetual Cup.