Cork Tennis

Sports Psychology Course

2012-01-27T16:34:00.000Z

Douglas Community School is running a Sport Psychology course for coaches & managers. The Psychology of Sports Performance course is designed to assist individual & team coaching and the individual performance of participants by applying mental fitness techniques.

Monday 8.00 - 9.30 p.m.

Duration 10 weeks
Cost €90

This course is part of the Adult Education Programme at Douglas Community School. Enrolment is taking place now at Douglas Community School and the course starts on 30th January 2012.

E-mail: adulted@dcscork.ie

Phone (021) 4294208

Lower Aghada Press Release.

2012-01-27T11:32:00.000Z

Calling All Budding Rafa Nadals and Maria Sharapovas

Lower Aghada Tennis & Sailing Club to host Open Day

2 – 5pm Sunday 12th February

Lower Aghada Tennis and Sailing Club will host an Open Day on Sunday 12th February from 2 to 5pm, and all budding Rafa Nadals and Maria Sharapovas are invited to come along and find out what the picturesque East Cork club has to offer. The Open Day will showcase the wide range of facilities available at the popular club overlooking Cork Harbour, which include 6 all-weather floodlit courts; a floodlit children’s court; an ultra-modern clubhouse; boating and sailing facilities; indoor carpet bowls, table tennis and much more.

Anyone wishing to use any of the club’s facilities may do so free of charge on the day; and club coaches will be available to offer advice to aspiring and budding tennis players of all ages. Lower Aghada Tennis Club offers coaching for both adults and children all year round, and is available on a group or individual basis. The latest addition to Lower Aghada's coaching programme is Cardio Tennis, a new and fun group activity featuring drills to give players of all abilities an ultimate, high energy workout. There are programmes geared for both existing players and beginners to get a great cardio workout while improving skill; and at the Open Day on February 12th, visitors can give it a go.

Visitors to Lower Aghada Tennis Club can avail of a very SPECIAL OFFER OF 15 MONTHS MEMBERSHIP FOR THE PRICE OF 12 if they decide to join up on the Open Day. The club has more than 250 members in both the Junior and Senior categories, and there are a wide range of membership options available. The club offers so much more than just tennis to its members who can enjoy weekly indoor bowls, fantastic boating facilities, yoga classes and regular social events.

This March, Lower Aghada will resurface four of the existing all-weather courts at the club, and committee members will be on hand at the Open Day to answer any questions guests may have about this exciting development and other club facilities. All are welcome to come along, watch some great matches being played by club teams, try their hand at tennis and quench their thirst with free refreshments, so bring your trainers along and find out more on Sunday 12th February.
For more information on the Open Day or anything about Lower Aghada Tennis & Sailing Club, find the club on facebook, email admin@loweraghadatennis.ie, or call (021) 4661200.

Tennis Apps available for your phone.

2012-01-26T21:09:00.000Z

If you are wondering if your tennis racquet needs to be restrung and you have an iPhone, here's a solution. raquetTune is a downloadable app that allows you to check racquet string tension any time, anywhere.

The app uses the sound of the racquet strings to analyze the frequency of the strings when hit with a pen or like object. The frequency is then converted to the tension of the stringbed. The accuracy is shown by an indicator light on the display and can be improved by repeating the "test" several times in a row.

Here's how to run a test: Set your app to register pounds or kilograms, click the racquet button to set your string's linear density (you can find some on the racquetTune website) or set your string type. Polyester, nylon, gut and kevlar are all options, and then set your gauge (string thickness). This part feels a little confusing as there are so many different strings and materials on the market. Again you can use the listing on their website for help. There is an option that enables you to input a hybrid combination. You then set your racquet head size.

Hold the racquet face over your iPhone in a quiet setting and hit the strings a few times with a pen. The results register right away. You can compare the results to the recommended tension printed on the racquet or base it on your particular likes. Here's a video:

The app has gotten great reviews from stringers who are far more concerned about exact measurements than me. I thought it helpful as it indicated that a couple of racquets in this household's arsenal needed a restring despite the face that the strings looked fine.

For .99 cents my first thought is why not? It's just about the cost of one tennis ball but you do need to know detail on the string you have in your racquet to use this. Ask your stringer for the string package if you are not completley sure of what you are using. Unless you change strings, once you've input the data it's there till you change it again.

Babolat Play and Connect - The Future of Tennis.

2012-01-26T16:30:00.000Z

Babolat announced the development of "The Play and Connect" racket, a racket that offers a new experience to players, thanks to integrated sensors that record the flow of data.

With "Play and Connect" Babolat propose a way to gather data about the game that would be easily accessible to all players - no matter their level - for the purpose of analyzing their game, making improvements to it and enjoying their passion even more.

Discover the prototype at Roland Garros 2012.

Launch expected 2013.

The New Pure Drive - From beginning to now.

2012-01-26T15:21:00.003Z

A recent interview with Garry Cahill, Irish Davis Cup Captain.

2012-01-19T21:22:00.001Z

Video courtesy of TennisNow.com

Irish Davis Cup Debutant Sam Barry hits with Nadal

2012-01-19T21:21:00.003Z

As Sam Barry gets ready to make his Irish Davis Cup debut against Hungary, we bring you a recent interview with Sam, courtesy of Tennis Now, from the O2 Arena in London where Sam was a hitting partner for some of the world's best like, Nadal.

No doubt Sam will have learnt a lot from hitting with and watching these guys practice and this will stand to him as he begins his pro career.

Sam is one of Ireland's leading prospects and we wish him all the best in his Davis Cup debut and also his career ahead.

Video supplied courtesy of TennisNow.com

Pre Season Training

2012-01-19T20:46:00.001Z

Have you done your pre-season training?

Here's what Ireland's best players class as pre-season training.
Hopefully we can have another great year for Irish tennis.

The Pros and re-stringing.

2012-01-19T15:31:00.000Z

Check out the Wilson stringing centre at the Australian Open.

You could win these and more!

2012-01-19T15:22:00.000Z

A sample of some of the new stock Babolat have due out for 2012, and you could win them.
For your chance to win, just enter the Babolat Cork Tennis League by clicking here.

Irish Davis Cup Team Named.

2012-01-19T09:50:00.000Z

Garry Cahill, Captain of the BNP Paribas Irish Davis Cup Team, has today named his players to face Hungary in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Zone Group II first round tie.

Conor Niland will lead the team, and will be joined by Louk Sorensen, James McGee & Sam Barry for the tie at the Szeged Városi Sportcsarnok in Szeged on the 10th - 12th February 2012.

Garry Cahill commented: “We have a strong team heading out to Hungary and we’re really looking forward to the tie. This is a team with the experience, ability and passion to win this tie. Hard work and a good team spirit will also be key to a successful start to our 2012 Davis Cup campaign. I am delighted that Louk will be part of the team once again, his record in Davis Cup speaks for itself and he has showed during past ties what it means to him to represent his country."

Speaking about his selection on the BNP Paribas Irish Davis Cup team for the first time, Sam Barry said: “It is an absolute honour for me to be selected on the Irish Davis Cup team and whilst I am excited about being selected our focus remains on winning the match against some tough opponents.”

Adding weight to rackets?

2012-01-17T23:37:00.000Z

With Nadal adding weight to his racket in the hopes of avenging some of last years defeats to Djokovic, the whole adding weight debate comes to live.

This is something that should be done only with a lot of thought and not just on a whim because you hear the pros are doing it.

There was a very good article in one of last Sunday's papers and for me one comment by Nadal shows how this shouldn't be taken lightly. He said that he only added 3 grams, which is practically nothing, to the very top of his racket but he could feel it in his shoulder and is still adjusting to it.

Now bear in mind this is a professional athlete, who works out daily in the gym, and 3 grams has that effect on him.

Can you imagine how it will affect juniors!

And I say juniors because they are my concern more so than adults. Adults can make their own minds up about these things and suffer the consequences themselves, but juniors and particularly the performance standard juniors live and breathe what their coaches say.

Unfortunately I have come across too many instances where coaches believing their student is the next Nadal or Wozniacki insists they should be using the same string, at the same tension, in the same weighted racket as the pros and now more than likely after reading or hearing about Nadal adding weight will be trying this too.

It amuses me that these professional people cannot differentiate between a professional athlete and a child who has still has plenty of growing left to do. It can only lead to problems and unfortunately it is the child who will suffer.

I know of one coach who has no problem putting weight onto his students rackets even though the rackets they are using are already heavy rackets (320grams plus).
"Ah it gives them unbelievable power".
Don't get me wrong these are talented teenagers who play and practice regularly, but to reiterate what was said earlier, none of them are Nadal or built like Nadal, and if he finds 3 grams hard to get used to and feels the pressure of it on his shoulder, can you imagine the strain that these teenagers must be feeling when they add weight and I'm talking a lot more than 3 grams.

I think a lot of coaches are trying to be something they are not. And they don't do enough research about the long term effects of changes. I know a lot of the problems can come from parents looking for immediate results, so coaches are under pressure to try new things to get quick results, but remember who suffers.
Not the parent and certainly not the coach but the child, who is then forced to sit out the season with a shoulder or elbow problem.

Remember while we may aspire for our kids to be the stars of the future, they are not there yet and their bodies are still developing. Let them and their games develop at a pace their body can handle.

Cork Clubs Roundup

2012-01-13T20:32:00.000Z

Ardfield Rathbarry: Club AGM on March the 5th at 8pm in The Mountain House.

Ballinlough: Club AGM on February 20th.

Carrigaline: Planning submitted for new club.

Rushbrooke: New computerised court booking system now in operation, full details available on club noticeboard.

Tennis Psychology

2012-01-13T14:34:00.000Z

You can beat the player who has your number. Here's how.

Everyone has a nemesis. He or she is your equal in terms of skills, and you have similar records against other opponents. Somehow, though, your nemesis manages to come out ahead in your matches. There’s no way you should lose every time, but you do, and it makes you doubt yourself. Maybe you have some mental flaw, perhaps a character weakness? Soon you don’t want to play against this person, because both of you know who’s going to win, and it’s not you.

Knowing the problem is largely in your head makes it devastating. Fortunately, there is a solution. You have to realise that you have to replace your lack of confidence with emotional discipline.
Never look at your opponent, but rather force yourself to look at the ball continuously, and to divert your mind from the score by mechanically repeating, over and over, “Watch the ball.” It can be mentally draining, but effective.

You can take a similar approach to beating the player who has your number. First, narrow your focus. Between points, keep your eyes on your strings, the ball, your feet or anything neutral nearby. The objective is to stop thinking about your opponent by concentrating on things that won’t trigger negative or distracting responses.

Second, vow to have no emotional reaction to a lost point, no matter how silly the error or great your opponent’s shot. This player makes you afraid and uncertain to begin with, so you’ll have a propensity to get emotional. Be wary and fight it.

Finally, force thoughts about the score and winning the match out of your mind. This is difficult, of course, but try to think of ways to execute your shots and game plan. For example, tell yourself to watch the ball, keep your weight forward, or stay loose. The rituals may vary, but it’s best to keep them simple and unemotional. When thoughts about winning or the score intrude, shove them aside and return to your rituals. Sticking to this tactic for an entire match will take discipline and effort, but the results will be worth it.

This isn’t always going to guarantee results but it will at least make sure you focus on your own game and if you lose it could be that your opponent is just better than you.

Tennis Elbow - What a pain!

2012-01-13T11:29:00.001Z

Up until recently if you had asked me had I ever suffered from tennis elbow? I would have said yes and that I couldn't understand the big deal people were making of it.

Sure I had, what I know now to be, a few niggles but nothing like real tennis elbow. My God it is painful, in all your daily activities as well as when you try to play tennis.

So I went looking to see what causes it and I came across the following article supplied by Bupa, which may be of interest to other sufferers.

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)

Published by Bupa's health information team

This factsheet is for people who have tennis elbow, or who would like information about it. Tennis elbow is the common name for a painful condition affecting the outside part of the elbow. Tennis elbow is most common in people aged between 40 and 50. Depending on the severity it can take from two months to two years to heal fully.

About tennis elbow

The medical term for tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis because it affects the outside of your elbow bone, which is called the lateral epicondyle. The lateral epicondyle is the bony area you can feel on the outside of your elbow. Tennis elbow develops when the tendon that joins the muscles of your forearm to your upper arm bone (the humerus) tears or becomes inflamed. This tendon is called the common extensor tendon (see diagram).

Tennis elbow is a common condition that affects between one and three in 100 people.

Tennis elbow most often happens when you have repeatedly overused your arm. This overuse causes inflammation or tiny tears in the tendon. This may become worse if you continue doing the activity that triggered the pain and may cause a more serious tear or rupture your tendon.

Symptoms of tennis elbow

The main symptom is pain and tenderness on the outside of your elbow and sometimes in the muscles on top of your forearm. Tennis elbow usually affects the arm of your dominant hand (eg your right arm if you're right handed) because this is the arm you use the most. Symptoms usually develop gradually. The pain may get worse when you move your wrist or if you repeat the activity that triggered the pain. The pain may become constant. Your affected arm may also be more painful when you grip or twist something, such as turning a door handle or shaking hands. If you have severe elbow pain, can't move the joint or have any loss of feeling, you should seek urgent medical attention.

Many people with mild symptoms of tennis elbow can use self-help measures to reduce their pain. However, if your symptoms don't improve after a couple of weeks, you should visit your GP or physiotherapist for advice.

Causes of tennis elbow

The most common cause of tennis elbow is repeated overuse of your arm. Playing tennis three times in a week when you haven't played for some time is the sort of overuse that could cause tennis elbow. However, most people who develop tennis elbow haven't been playing tennis. A range of different activities that involve repeated hand, wrist and forearm movements is more often the cause. This includes activities like using a screwdriver, using vibratory work equipment (such as a drill), or even using a keyboard.

Rarely, tendon damage can happen after a single and often minor incident, such as lifting something heavy or taking part in an activity which you don't do very often, such as painting and decorating. These activities can cause a tear in your tendon.

Diagnosis of tennis elbow

Your GP or physiotherapist will ask about your symptoms and examine you. He or she may also ask you about your medical history.

Your GP or physiotherapist can usually diagnose tennis elbow from examining your arm and hearing about how your symptoms developed. An X-ray is rarely needed, but your GP/physiotherapist may recommend having one to rule out other conditions, such as arthritis, that can cause elbow pain.

For severe tennis elbow that has failed to heal with normal treatment, your GP/physiotherapist might suggest a ultrasound scan. These give images of the soft tissues, including muscles and tendons, inside your arm.

Treatment of tennis elbow

To make a full recovery, you will need to change the way you use your arm so that your tendon is rested and has time to heal. How you do this will depend on how your tennis elbow developed and how severe it is.

Self-help

You can treat your symptoms yourself if you have mild tennis elbow. Some of the main self-help treatments are described below.

Rest.

The most important part of your treatment is to rest your injured tendon and elbow by stopping or changing the activity that is causing the problem.

Apply a cold compress to reduce your pain. You can use a cold compress, such as ice or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel as soon as you feel any pain. Hold this against your elbow for 10 minutes every two hours. In the days that follow an injury you can use the ice pack for 10 minutes twice a day. Don't apply ice directly to your skin as it can damage your skin.

Wear strapping or a splint.

You can wear strapping or a splint around your forearm and elbow to help restrict the movement of your tendon and relieve the strain. Some people find that this helps, although there is no evidence to show how well it works. You can buy arm braces and supports from some physiotherapists, larger pharmacies and sports shops. Don't wear any strapping or a splint continuously - you should leave it off at night time.

Change the action that caused the problem. If the problem developed as a result of an activity at work, contact your employer's occupational health advisers, if available, or speak with your employer. They can give advice on how to change the activity that caused the problem, allowing your arm to heal.

Medicines

You can take paracetamol to relieve the pain, and anti-inflammatory medicines, such as ibuprofen, to reduce inflammation. You can take ibuprofen in the form of a cream or gel that you put directly onto your skin, or you can take it as a tablet. Always read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine and if you have any questions, ask your pharmacist for advice.

If paracetamol and ibuprofen don't ease your pain, your GP may prescribe you a stronger painkiller called codeine.

As a last resort, your doctor may also suggest a steroid injection to help relieve pain and inflammation if other treatments don't work, or if your pain is severe. This is an injection of steroid and local anaesthetic directly into the area where your pain is.

Physical therapies

Your GP will refer you to a physiotherapist if he or she thinks physiotherapy will be beneficial. Your physiotherapist may try various techniques to reduce the pain. These may include exercises, deep tissue massage and acupuncture.

You may also be shown exercises to do that stretch your muscles and that can improve the movement and strength of your elbow and wrist. You should start these exercises as soon as possible after any injury, when your pain has eased. Your physiotherapist will be able to advise you on this.

Surgery

Your GP may advise you to have surgery if your tendon is severely damaged, or if there has been no improvement after many months of rest and rehabilitation. However, very few people need surgery.

Prevention of tennis elbow

Tennis elbow is usually caused by overuse of your arm, so it can be prevented. A few sensible precautions include:

warm up before activity with five minutes of gentle movements - this allows time for your muscles to adjust to the extra stresses and strains

Don’t do the same activity for long periods of time - take regular breaks

seek advice early from your GP or physiotherapist if you notice a problem

stop the activity that's causing the problem or find a different way to do it.

To prevent an old tennis elbow injury from coming back, you should:

give yourself proper rest between sessions

don't play sport if your arm is painful

get professional advice on your technique if you play racquet sports regularly

perform exercises to strengthen the tendon in your arm, as advised

by your physiotherapist.

Please note while I am happy to post this is article I am not recommending you do any of the above without speaking to your GP or Physio.

Babolat Cork Tennis League Returns?

2012-01-09T20:43:00.003Z

Congratulations to last years winners, Sheila Stokes and James Cooney.

I would like to thank all those who took part last year and hopefully we will have an event for you again this year.

For the event to run this year I need more people to take part, to be able to sell it to the likes of Babolat.

So it will be done on a pre registered system this year. Therefore I need all tennis players to sell it to their club mates.

Feedback from last year was not a lot of people knew about the league, yet I emailed each club and asked them to promote it on their notice boards and club websites but unfortunately this wasn't really done.

So here's your chance to win 2 rackets, a racket bag, shoes and clothing (to a retail value of 500e), all you have to do is email me (rob_leahy@yahoo.co.uk) with your name and contact number.
Closing date for entries is March 18th.

If there are enough entries at that stage I will run the event.

Pressure Ball - Put the bounce back in your old balls!

2012-01-04T23:05:00.000Z

Never Throw Out Another Soft Tennis Ball!!!

Ensure that your Tennis Balls Always Perform like NEW!!!
Save Money by using your balls longer

Introducing “Pressureball”

Pressureball is a pressurised tube that not only maintains the bounce in new balls, but will also restore the bounce in balls that have lost their pressure. It is a reusable flexible pressure tube that can hold up to 8 tennis balls.

With Pressureball:

* Your balls will always maintain their correct bounce characteristics.

* Most of your existing soft balls can be rejuvenated to their correct pressure

* You will play better, more consistent tennis.

For those who want to know

Tennis balls are manufactured from a rubber compound and have an internal pressure of around 14psi or 1kg/cm2. The Rubber compound however is slightly porous and so the pressure escapes over time. This results in an increasingly soft ball with decreased bounce. To counteract this, new balls are sold in pressurized containers. Once the container is opened, the balls start to lose their pressure . Pressureball is essentially a reusable version of the point of sale pressure can and as such will stop tennis balls going flat indefinitely.Because the tube can be pressurised to a higher level than the internal pressure of a ball, it will revive soft balls. This process will take from 2 days to a week depending on how soft the balls are. There may also be some variation in the speed of revival depending on the age and brand of the ball .

Product Reviews

2012-01-04T22:54:00.002Z

If you are a regular tennis player then you will either have an injury, have had an injury or know someone who is struggling with an injury.

Now we all know someone who is always injured, because God knows you could never beat them if they weren't, but for the genuine injuries out there the 2 posts below cover 2 products that have changed how injuries can affect you.

Physicool is a product that will reduce swelling quicker and more effectively than ice could ever do. It has being endorsed by professional athletes, physios and even surgeons and continues working even when the reuseable strapping has being removed.
To find out more about this article read the post below.

KT Tape is unlike any strapping you may have used in the past. It is not a support in the common sense of the word. It works by applying it along muscles, ligaments, and tendons (soft tissue) to provide a lightweight, strong, external support that helps to prevent injury and speed recovery. KT Tape works differently for different injuries. KT Tape can lift and support the knee cap, holding it in place for Runner’s Knee. KT Tape can support sagging muscles along the arch of the foot, relieving the connective tissues for Plantar’s Fasciitis. And KT Tape can lift the stress off of shin splints to allow pain release and give the body a better opportunity to recover. Depending on how it is applied, KT Tape supports, enables, or restricts soft tissue and its movement. By stretching and recoiling like a rubber band, KT Tape augments tissue function and distributes loads away from inflamed or damaged muscles and tendons, thereby protecting tissues from further injury.

By applying KT Tape over affected tissue, athletes experience an external support which helps to prevent further injury and allows the body’s damaged tissue to rest and heal naturally despite continued activity. KT Tape also reduces inflammation and increases circulation which prevents muscle cramping and lactic acid buildup.

KT Tape - The Tape the Pros swear by!

2012-01-04T22:23:00.001Z

What is KT Tape?

KT Tape is an elastic athletic tape that has been used by pro athletes for decades, but is now available to every consumer. KT Tape:

Relieves
Provides pain relief for common injuries such as Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, runner’s knee, shin splints, ITBS, hamstring strains, sore calves, neck, back, and shoulder pain and more.

Stabilizes
Supports sore or injured muscles, joints, and tendons without restricting motion like compression bands or wraps. KT Tape is like a brace, but better, and even more comfortable to wear.

Endures
The essential piece of athletic gear for every athlete. Each application lasts up to 4 days.

Product Features
Each roll measures 2” x 16.4’ 10-20 applications per roll
Can be worn in the pool and shower
Taping Instructions included in each roll
Available in colors: black, blue, pink, and beige

Product Description
KT TAPE is an abbreviation for Kinesiology Therapeutic Tape. It is a strong, elastic athletic tape that reduces muscle pain, increases mobility, and enhances athletic performance. KT TAPE is pre-cut so that it is fast and easy to apply. Just tear off a strip and apply it to the injured area. KT TAPE provides relief and support for muscles and joints and can be used to prevent or treat hundreds of sports injuries.

Recommended Storage Instructions
To maintain optimal performance, KT TAPE should be stored in a cool, dry, well ventilated place. Avoid extended exposure to direct sunlight, high temperatures (above 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and or high humidity (above 65%). Best performance if used within 1 year of purchase.

Same as KT Tape Pro but packaged with consumer-friendly messaging for consumer use.
Only available in Pre-cut strips in a 16' roll.
Includes printed instructions for common applications.
* Latex Free
* Water Resistant
* Can be worn up to 4 days per application
* 2" x 16' roll
* 140% Elastic *Includes 20, 10" strips per roll

KT Tape Pro is the new choice for clinicians who demand more out of their kinesiology tape. Includes 20% more tape per roll and superior adhesive qualities, KT Tape Pro provides exceptional value and quality. KT Tape Pro is costly prep and cleanup work. The 10″ strips easily rip off the roll and can be used as either “I” or “Y” strips without cutting.

The genius of KT Tape Pro is its versatility and simplicity. Unlike brands that require cutting or are limited to just a single application, KT Tape Pro Pre-cut strips save clinics time and money without limiting your flexibility to use your traditional treatment modalities. Clinics report that precut strips work for 90% of the in-clinic applications and that patients feel it is more comfortable to wear. KT Tape Pro also includes an advanced Step Frequency (SF) adhesive that is 25% stronger than other brands, providing greater support and durability- even in the water.

USED IN VIRTUALLY EVERY CLINICAL TAPING APPLICATION, INCLUDING:

Correcting body mechanics
Creating biofeedback
Increasing circulation & Lymphatic Drainage

PRODUCT FEATURES:

20% more tape per roll
Precut strips or classic uncut rolls
Fast and easy to apply
SF adhesive pattern provides superior durability and comfort
Eash application wearable for up to 5 days
12-26 applications per roll
100% cotton. Latex-free
Available in black, blue, pink, beige

RECOMMENDED STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

To maintain optimal performance, KT TAPE PRO should be stored in a cool, dry, well ventilated place. Avoid extended exposure to direct sunlight, high temperatures (above 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and or high humidity (above 65 degrees Fahrenheit). Best performance if used within 1 year of purchase.

This product is available in Maher Sports and is definitely worth a try. Anyone who has tried has found they can't play without out it now.

Suffering from Injuries - This will help.

2012-01-04T22:08:00.000Z

Fed up suffering from injuries and taking ages to get over them? Ice not working for you! Well here's a product that has proven results and is used by athletes and medical professionals all over.

Have You Got Physicool?

Physicool is a new and unique product range including the fabulous Cooling Tee Shirt, and the stretchy, reusable Physicool bandage that combines cooling, compression and support.

Physicool products provide instant cooling while the bandage also provides instant treatment for inflammation and bruising of muscles, tendons and ligaments.

It is highly effective and quickly reduces swelling and pain. The bandage can be applied in seconds, you just need to have it at hand, and its effects are long lasting, even after the bandage is removed.

Physicool works by drawing heat out through rapid evaporation, as opposed to most other products that work by driving cold in.

It's perfect for domestic, sport and leisure use.

Reduce the pain, reduce the swelling, get your recovery underway quickly, make sure you get Physicool today!

Why Physicool?

The Physicool bandage is a specially fabricated and treated bandage that can be used straight out of the packet.

Quickly reduces swelling and pain
Helps speed up the healing process
Easy to apply, even one handed
No need for refrigeration
Reusable cooling bandage
immediate and long lasting

For more information go to www.physicool.co.uk or visit Maher Sports to purchase the any of the products.

Plenty Happening in Youghal Tennis Club.

2011-10-17T09:48:00.001+01:00

New Members Promo: please contact Frank Delaney (0868406848) for details about an exciting special new rate for becoming a member.

SVP Christmas tournament: This will be held on Sunday November 27th at 11am - our club is located on Kilcoran Rd Youghal beside the Strand Church. All proceeds go towards the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's fighting poverty campaigns. Only €5 to take part, and everybody is welcome then to a tenacious morning's tennis.

Junior Coaching: Martin Cusack is available Sundays from 10am 'til 2.30pm and this will continue into November.

Junior Competition: Just to remind all that the juniors will continue to play every Saturday, weather permitting. As usual there has been an excellent turn out and we thank you for your continued commitment.

Easter Bank Holiday weekend (31/10):
There will be no junior competition or coaching taking place. Enjoy the festivities!

TRETORN TENNIS BALLS: To avoid anyone in the Youghal area having to make the trip to Dungarvan, "Sport and Leisure" in Youghal now stock these.

THURSDAY CLUB NIGHT:

Please join us at 7.30pm every Thursday for scintillating social tennis which is open to members and non members alike. We look forward to seeing you then!

Check our FACEBOOK page (Youghal Lawn Tennis Club) for Club Night photos!

Any comments or queries: Facebook "Youghal Lawn Tennis Club", email youghaltennisclub@yahoo.ie

Bishopstown Open Vets Doubles 2011

2011-10-01T10:47:00.000+01:00

The 2012 Vets selection starts here!

A lot of players will be coming into this event with confidence high following Munsters' win in the 2011 Interpros.

Places will need to be defended, new comers will want to fight their way onto next years team which is looking to make it 3 in a row. It's all to play for and all starts again at Bishopstown.

Entries are now being taken online until the 8th of October, don't delay.

You can enter here.

Tennis Talk Available to All Clubs

2011-09-29T09:59:00.000+01:00

TENNIS TALK AVAILABLE IN YOUR CLUB.

READ ON TO FIND OUT MORE.

As part of my job selling rackets and restringing, I come across a large number of the tennis community daily.

And it concerns me that the information a lot of these people have acquired, either through their own interpretation of something or the advice they have being given is wrong.

Using the correct racket and the most suitable strings for your style of game can make a huge difference to your game.

If a talk on these and other topics is of interest to you, contact me with the best person to talk to in your club to organise such an event.

Contact me at rob_leahy@yahoo.co.uk or 0868215333.

Great New Tennis Book Available.

2011-09-28T15:34:00.002+01:00

I have just received and read a great new book which is a must for anyone involved in coaching or on committees. It was written be Peter Farrell and goes through in detail how to make your club a successful and vibrant facility.

The book is called "Directing Tennis Programmes" and it covers topics such as Club Programmes, The Role of a Coach, Child Protection and Risk Management, Marketing, Working with Parents and many more relevant topics that you will come across regularly when working as a coach or as part of your clubs committee.

This is an adapted extract from Peter Farrell’s new book Directing Tennis Programmes. For further information, contact Peter at peter.farrell@tennisireland.ie

Children can only play tennis with their parents support. Who else is going to pay for their club membership, equipment and coaching? Parental support is crucial in getting children interested in tennis in the first place. Once a young player has become involved in the game and the club, parents are still hugely influential in getting their child to sign up for events, tournaments, and coaching, then transporting them to the venues. Some parents will be experienced players who have been around tennis for many years. But for others the game will be a `foreign field`, and they will need support and guidance to negotiate the difficulties ahead. Nobody would criticize a child for not knowing how to read on the first day of school – why would anyone expect parents to know exactly what to do and not to do from day one?
SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS

1. Keep winning and losing in perspective.
It is easy and tempting to equate success in tennis with the number of matches won and lost, and to assume that losing is always bad. In fact winning too much as a junior can actually harm a player’s development – constant winners have no yardstick with which to measure what they need to do in order to improve.

2. Make sure tennis is fun.
I always remember an article I read many years ago, shortly after Bjorn Borg retired in his mid 20`s. When asked why he had given up at such a young age, he said “it wasn’t fun anymore”. If it needed to be fun at his level, it certainly needs to be fun at junior level!

3. Emphasize the achievement of individual objectives.
Ambitions in tennis can range anywhere between wanting to win Wimbledon to getting some exercise once or twice a week. It is up to each player to decide what they want to get out of the game, and each decision is perfectly valid for that individual.

4. Keep your child involved in tennis.
Progression to a competent level can be a mid to long-term goal for some players. If a child is struggling with the game, a parent must find ways to keep him or her involved and interested. Always stress that tennis is a sport for a lifetime – in the USA there are tournaments for player’s aged 90 and over!

5. Be sensitive in what you say to your child after a match.
Win or lose, it is generally best for a parent to give a player some time alone after the competitors shake hands. While parents are often anxious to make what they see as relevant points, most players like to reflect for a while on a match before discussing it.

6. Get on court!
Children love the fact that they can rally with and against their parents. Make sure you use the correct ball for your child's age and standard (see www.tennisplayandstay.com for details).

Babolat Cork Tennis League Mens Winner

2011-09-27T23:28:00.001+01:00

Congratulations to James Cooney on winning the Babolat Cork Tennis League Mens Section.
James collected his prize of 2 rackets, a racket bag, shoes, t-shirt, shorts and socks today.
After a long tournament season it came down to the last event with 3 men in the running for the top prize. Due to a bad planning one of the 3 eliminated himself so 2 remained. And the semi final of the Mens doubles grade 4 became the Babolat Cork Tennis League Mens final between James and Tim Ryan. After a nervous affair James and his partner came through and that win ensured James won the league.
Well done James and watch out for details of next years event in the near future.
A big thank you to Babolat for sponsoring this event.

Inaugural All Ireland Senior Team Tennis Open Championships

2011-09-27T22:54:00.000+01:00

Limerick Lawn Tennis Club will host a new event in the Irish Tennis calendar over the forthcoming October bank holiday weekend .

Officially launched on Monday 26th September by Club President Judith McGill and All Ireland Team committee in the preseence of sponsor Jim Upton.

The Format is mens and ladies teams of 4 or you may enter as an individual and we will put you in a team. It is a knockout competition, but there will be a plate event so each team is guaranteed at least 2 matches which is 4 games.

The entry fee is €20 per person and entry forms will be available from Thursday. You can contact me through the blog or go to the events facebook page to get entry forms.

A list of accommodation which will be at a reduced rate will be available shortly again on the face book page which you can find by searching for the title of this post.

All grades catered for 1-2 , 2 , 3 ,4 , 5-6. Ideal tournament to enter as part of an introduction to tennis or an elite player.

Mr Upton said he was delighted to be associated with the Inaugural All Ireland Team Tennis Tournament and to link the new tournament with a new product using the slogan ' Make Christmas Magic with Magic Turkey Bags'.

A programme of clubhouse entertainment along with Happy Hours and food offerings is being planned for the holiday weekend . A fun filled action packed weekend of fun and tennis in store !!!!!!!!!

The King retires

2011-09-26T22:34:00.000+01:00

Irish tennis has lost one of it's recent stars to retirement. A decision that wasn't entirely his own. Irish tennis has taken huge strides forward in recent years and now has a foundation to produce stars of the future to follow in Barry's footsteps.

Unfortunately, like Conor Niland mentioned in his interview on The Late Late Show, professional tennis is an expensive occupation and at the moment Irish players aren't receiving any assistance in pursuit of their dreams and this contributed in part to Barry's decision.

This doesn't bode well for our sport and hopefully between The Sports Council and Lottery funding our future stars will be given a bit more support than our current crop of professional players.

The following is an article which appeared today in the Irish Times sports section and is a fitting tribute to one of our top players.

Congratulations Barry and best of luck in your future career.

"King ends professional career

Tennis: Irish Davis Cup player Barry King has today announced his retirement from professional tennis at the age of 26. Having exhausted his financial resources and with a series of niggling injuries holding him back from progressing further up the rankings, King felt there was little option but to pull to plug on his professional career at this stage.

He admitted: “Having spent nearly three years on the professional circuit and achieved many of goals, I am now eager to resume my business career. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the professional tour, particularly the time I spent as part of the Irish Davis Cup squad.

“I now look forward to channelling the energy I brought to these matches into new pursuits. I will always be passionate about Irish tennis and wish to continue to contribute to this development in any way possible.

King achieved a career high ranking of 600 in November 2009 and has been a member of the Irish Davis Cup team since 2010. The former Gonzaga schoolboy was Ireland’s Davis Cup hero in July this year when he defeated Anis Ghorbel to win the Davis Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group II play-off against Tunisia on a 3-2 score line.

King accounted for Ghorbel in straight sets 7-6 6-2 6-1 to claim the fourth singles match and overall victory at Riverview. Irish Davis Cup Captain Garry Cahill said: “Barry’s retirement is a huge blow for Irish tennis. He has had a really impressive career to date and he is a proven match winner in international competition.

We acknowledge his enormous talent and while his retirement is a setback, we understand very well his decision. He has been an inspiration for all the junior members of the BNP Paribas National Tennis Academy and we all wish him the very best of luck in his future ventures.”

Senior Open Season ends with Bandon Open

2011-09-26T21:43:00.000+01:00

Well another summer of opens has come to an end, and what a way to finish.

Finals day at Bandon provided some very tough and competitive matches and despite the weather finished on time.

Looking through the results some of the finalists have appeared in other finals throughout the year and will surely be upgraded next year, probably to the relief of some of their opponents.

Well done to all who won and got to finals in Bandon and congratulations to the organising committee on another very successful tournament.

Results:
MD3 - Niall Cloke/Kieran Hackett V Aidan Cotter/Eoin Moynihan 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
WD3 - Karen Barry/Joanna Riordan V Marion Healy/Monica Williams 6-3, 6-1
MX3 - Karen Barry/Jonathon Mulcahy V Louise Nestor/Niall Cloke 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
MD4 - James Cooney/Kevin Day V Ed Condren/Des Greene 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
WD4 - Deirdre Duboy/Monica Twomey V Jo Cahalane/Jenny Warren 6-2, 6-3
MX4 - Monica Twomey/Rob Jenkins V Sandra Higgins/Tom Reidy 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
MD5 - Conor Ahern/Michael O Driscoll V Ray McDonald/John Murphy 7-5, 6-4
WD5 - Jo Cahalane/Jenny Warren V Teresa O Donovan/Jacqui O Mahony 6-2, 6-1
MX5 - Bridgett Webb/Frank Delaney V Liz Brosnan/Liam O Regan 3-6, 7-6, 7-6
MD6 - James Cooke/Liam Kelleher V Declan Casey/Ivan McCutcheon 6-0, 6-1
WD6 - Martina O Sullivan/Brenda Crowley V Majella Daly/Linda Murphy 6-1, 6-1
MX6 - Majella Daly/Ray McDonald V Karen Holmes/Jason Preston 6-3, 6-0.

The truth!

2011-09-26T17:18:00.000+01:00

D - Day for the mens winner of the Babolat Cork Tennis League

2011-09-24T10:27:00.000+01:00

The Mens Grade 4 semi finals in Bandon will decide the mens winner of the Babolat Cork Tennis League.

Tim Ryan and James Cooney are both on 21 points and they meet this afternoon in a semi final, with more than just a spot in the final at stake.

The winner gets for himself, from Babolat, 2 tennis rackets, a pair of shoes, a t-shirt, shorts, socks and a racket bag to hold them all, not bad for a seasons work.

The ladies winner was Sheila Stokes.

I'll be in touch to organise the prizes soon guys.

Best of luck to both Tim and James this afternoon.

Babolat Cork Tennis League

2011-09-17T15:41:00.000+01:00

Here is the updated table with one tournament to go:

MensJames Cooney - 21points
Tim Ryan - 21points
Conor Ahern - 13points
Piotr Czarnecki - 5points

WomenSheila Stokes - 26points
Trish O Leary - 13points.

The mens event goes down to the last tournament where Conor would need 2 wins and hope the guys above him don't win.. Bad choice of partner there Conor as a 2 wins would keep Tim ahead of you.

Tim and James are in one event each and all going to plan they meet in the semi's to decide who wins the mens title.

Congratulations to Sheila Stokes on winning the womens event.

Senior Vets win back to back Interpros

2011-09-16T15:16:00.000+01:00

The Senior Vets Interpros were held last weekend in Sundays Well tennis club and even though the weather wasn't favourable the quality of tennis was still of a very high standard.

The matches were very competitve and the new format again proved it's worth in providing a very close fought battle to the end.

After the first afternoons play Munster and Leinster were tied on 11 matches each out of a possible 16.

Play began Saturday morning with all teams knowing there was still a lot of tennis to be played and 32 points up for grabs.

The new format doesn't have just one province playing another, it has three of the four age groups playing different provinces. This means until the last ball is hit on Saturday evening you don't know how you have done against any one province.

After the mornings matches, Leinster and Munster were still tied having picked up 12 points each.

With the afternoon session left it was all to play for and the Munster players were determined to defend the title for the first time in their history (we think!). Players and spectators alike spent the afternoon trying to figure out how the scores were tallying up. While we were able to calculate Munster's scores, finding out how Leinster were doing was proving a bit more difficult. This all added to the excitement.

Last year when Munster won, there were a few comments about our team being illegal as we played a few people down an age group. An argument which if you sit down and think about it, is quiet ridiculous as a player could be giving away as many as 9 years. How is that an advantage?

Well this year not only was the team legal but Munster retained their title by the narrowest of margins, two points.

This was a magnificent achievement and the plan now is to go for the hat-trick in Connaught next year. Well done to all.

Ballinlough Senior Open Results

2011-09-16T13:37:00.001+01:00

MX3 - Karen BArry/Jonathon Mulcahy V Berni Kenny/Paul O Callaghan 6-1, 5-7, 6-0
MD4 - Martin Bourke/Kenny Ding V Dan Linihan/Vladimir Shevchenko 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
LD4 - Sandra Higgins/Nime Stfansson V Tara Mukerjee/Monica Twomey 7-5, 2-6, 6-2
MX4 - Deirdre Duboy/Kevin Moynihan V Catherine McCarthy/Niall Coonan 6-0, 6-1
MD5 - Dan Linihan/Vladimir Shevchenko V Tom Fannon/NIgel Smith 6-1, 6-4
LD5 - Catherine Griffin/Maria O Keeffe V Maria Crowley/Ann Humphries 6-2, 6-4
MX5 - Ann Humphries/Liam Murphy V Mary Woulfe/Con Sheehan 6-4, 7-6
MD6 - Martin Hurley/Tony Lyons V Tim O Leary/John Underwood 6-2, 0-6, 6-1
LD6 - Carmel o Hea/Linda St.Ledger V Tina Bushe/Shirley Kenneally RET.
MX6 - Therese Crowley/Joe McSweeney V Teresa Lynch/Brian Hennessy 7-6, 6-1.

Congratulations to all the winners and runners up and to the organising committee of Ballinlough tennis club on another very successful tournament.

East Cork Senior Open Results

2011-09-16T13:21:00.000+01:00

Here are the results for the East Cork Senior Open which finished recently in Lower Aghada Tennis Club.

MD1 - Duncan Cronin/Conor Kelly V Vince Lawton/Rob Murphy 6-4, 6-2
LD1/2 - Marie Duffy/Mary Claire McCarthy V Liz Clifford/Karen Higgins 6-4, 6-1
MD2 - Paul Flynn/Ger Sheehan V VInce Lawton/Donal Neary 6-4, 6-2
MD3 - Aidan Cotter/Keith Kenny V James Cooney/Leo Lyons Troy 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
LD3 - Karen Barry/Joanna O Riordan V Marian Gargan/Monica Williams 7-5, 6-0
MX3 - Carol Daly/Niall Ahern V Nick Cloke/MArgaret Roche 6-2, 6-4
MD4 - Tony Lawlor/Jonathon Mulcahy V Kevin Day/Leo Lyons Troy 6-4, 7-5
LD4 - Dara Carberry/Sandra Higgins V Cathy Dorrian/Susan Hamel 6-7, 7-6, 6-2
MX4 - Trish O Leary/James Cooney V Maggie Brosnan/Declan Whelan Curtin 6-2, 6-1
MD5 - Conor Ahern/Michael O Driscoll V John Barry/John O Neill 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
LD5 - Majella Blackburn/Liz O Brien V Catherine Griffin/Caroline Lawlor 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
MX5 - Naomi & Ray O Sullivan V Bridget Webb/Frank Delaney 6-1, 3-6, 6-0
MD6 - Com BUrke/Donal McCarthy V Darragh Fitzgerald/George Ross 6-4, 7-6
LD6 - Karen Holmes/Linda Murphy V Tina Bushe/Siobhan Cronin 6-3, 7-5
MX6 - Linda & John Murphy V Sally Hayes Diarmuid Cronin 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

Babolat Cork Tennis League points:
James Cooney - 10 points
Trish O Leary - 5 points

Veterans Interpros comes to Cork.

2011-09-03T10:48:00.000+01:00

Sundays Well Tennis Club will host the Veterans Interpros on Friday and Saturday the 9th and 10th of September. Play will commence Friday afternoon around 3pm (time to be confirmed).

Last year Munster won the Interpro Championships for the first time in 10 years and will be doing their best to retain the title.
Pressure will be on though, as rumour has it Leinster didn't like losing and have a packed team travelling to Cork with the intention of winning back the title.

This is where we need your support. the atmosphere at interpros is always great and this Munster team is hoping the people of Cork will come out and make some noise.

You will be guaranteed an entertaining weekends tennis with some excellent matches to watch.

The Team:
O-35
Louise Carmody, Jennifer Ann Mulholland, Toni O Keeffe.
Rob Cummins, Derek Lane, Stan Dvorsky, Rob Leahy.

O-40
Trudy Kennedy, Deirdre McSherry, Carmel Daly, Juliann Foley O'Neill.
Rob Murphy, Willie Reynolds, Paddy McGrath, Barry McCarthy.

O-45
Ger Flynn, Un Ryle, Niamh Kennedy, Grace Reidy.
Des Dillon, Liam O Brien, Joe Smyth, Joe Donovan.

O-50
Marie Duffy, Gail O'Meara, Ann Naughton, Connie Creed.
Pat Smith, Pat Coleman, Martin Ormond, Ron O'Mahony.

Non playing Captain: Alice Fawsitt.
Best of luck to all involved.

Great Article from the New York Times Tennis Blog.

2011-08-30T09:38:00.000+01:00

Tennis in Ireland has struggled to get coverage from the Irish Media something that has annoyed me for a long time. This is an article from the New York Times Tennis Blog, hopefully some sports reporters see this and think maybe tennis is worth covering.

At the Open, Two Players from Ireland Make History
By DAVE SEMINARA
When Novak Djokovic steps onto the court for his first round match at this year’s Open, it’ll be his New York debut as world number one, but it will be the unfamiliar player on the other side of the net who will be making history. That man is Conor Niland, a 29-year-old Irishman, who, together with countryman Louk Sorensen, will be the first Irish players ever to compete in the main draw of the U.S. Open.

“We’re pretty certain in saying that no Irish player has made it into the U.S. Open main draw,” said Des Allen, the C.E.O. of Tennis Ireland, who is at the moment stuck in Dublin due to Hurricane Irene, trying to find a flight to New York for the Open.

Allen said that this is probably the biggest thing to happen to Irish tennis since 1983; that was the year Ireland made it into the world group of the Davis Cup and faced John McEnroe and the rest of the U.S. team in Dublin. The Irish team was then led by Louk Sorensen’s father, Sean, and an Irish-American named Matt Doyle. Doyle was born in the U.S. and competed in the main draw of the Open on four occasions–but at that time he hadn’t yet obtained Irish citizenship.

The Irish lost to the Yanks, 4-1, but Doyle gave the home crowd a thrill by beating Eliott Teltscher, who was then a top ten player, leveling the tie at 1-1 on the opening day.
“At the time, the movie ‘E.T.’ was big, and the Irish crowd was taunting Telscher, yelling ‘E.T. go home!’” recalled Allen, who was in attendance that day.

But Irish tennis fans have had little to cheer about since that moment nearly 30 years ago. Tennis is considered a second tier sport in Ireland, well behind soccer, Gaelic football, hurling and rugby in terms of popularity and participation. Allen estimates that there are only about 2,000 tennis courts in the country and about 150,000 players. Allen said that so far the Irish press hasn’t taken much interest in their two homegrown players at the Open, but he hopes that Niland’s match against Djokovic might galvanize them to take an interest in the sport, particularly if it’s scheduled during the day in New York, so Irish fans don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to watch it.

Niland grew up in Limerick, the hometown of Frank McCourt, and trains at Tennis Ireland’s National Academy in Dublin, which boasts seven indoor courts with a surface that is “nearly identical” to that of Flushing Meadows, according to Allen. Niland has spent much of the last four years competing on the challenger circuit, after playing for four years at University of California at Berkeley, toiling in places like Sarajevo, Casablanca, and Savannah, amongst hundreds of other cities.

He peaked at #129 last year and fought his way through the qualifying tournament to make the main draw of Wimbledon this year. He narrowly missed a chance to play Roger Federer, after failing to close out a 4-1 lead in the fifth set against Adrian Mannarino. Before that showing, Niland had never made it out of the qualifying rounds at a major and the closest he’s come to facing top ten talent is some sparring sessions with Andy Murray. Nonetheless, Allen believes that Niland won’t be “undone” by Djokovic, who has lost just two matches all year.

“It’s a wonderful draw and I think that’s how Conor feels about it, it’s a huge opportunity,” Allen said. “Almost certainly it will be on Arthur Ashe, and no matter what level you’re at or who you are, the idea of playing the world number one in front of 20 odd thousand people is something that Conor won’t be shying away from.”

Allen said he believes that the crowd is likely to be on Niland’s side.

“I don’t know how popular Djokovic is in New York, he’s had his ups and downs there,” he said. “I think Conor may very well have the majority of support in the stadium, particularly if the match gets a little tight.”
Anyone predicting a Niland victory over Djokovic would probably be accused of tucking into a bit too much green beer, but no matter what the result is, the publicity can only help Irish tennis.

Louk Sorensen, ranked #618 in the world, is also not likely to be picked by many to upset his first round opponent, the sixth seed, Robin Soderling. Sorensen, who grew up in County Cork and has an Irish father and German mother, nearly quit the sport earlier this year after being plagued by a variety of injuries over the last few years, but decided to give it one more go after regaining his health and form this spring.

The 26-year-old won a round at the Australian Open last year but has played mostly on the challenger circuit. He barely squeaked into the qualifying tournament but after beating three opponents will have more recent match play than Soderling, who hasn’t played in a hard-court tournament since March.

No matter what the results, the long Irish drought at the Open is over. The press in Ireland still may devote more space to Rory McIlroy’s romance with women’s tennis’ number one, Caroline Wozniacki, but Allen thinks that the sport has a bright future in the Emerald Isle.

“The statistics are stacked against us, but this is a huge platform for Irish tennis,” he said.

If he can’t find a flight to New York, Allen will be watching Ireland’s two native sons, even if that means staying up all night staring at his computer screen in bed.

“For a fanatic like me, it may be the only way,” he said.

Ballinlough Open starting soon

2011-08-24T22:32:00.000+01:00

Ballinlough Open is due to get underway soon and entries are still being taken.

To enter online click here.

Ballinlough have built this tournament up over the years to be one of the most enjoyable on the calender.
Their hospitality and friendliness is second to none and this is always reflected in their entries.

For a very enjoyable week whether you are playing or not why not drop into the club from the 1st of September to the 10th of September and you will be made feel very welcome and will get to enjoy some very good tennis.

Interfirm In Rushbrooke

2011-08-24T22:15:00.002+01:00

Calling all tennis players: Teams are coming through for the Inter-firm in aid of the Irish cancer society. To enter use the on-line link above or contact Eamonn Crotty on 087-9863805 or entry forms are available from the bar.

Anybody not part of a team and wishing to play can also send in their details and they will be put into a team. Please note that all proceeds from this event are going to the Irish cancer society.

Online entry here.

Eamonn, his family and friends are putting a lot of time and energy into fund raising for the Irish Cancer Society.

This is one of many events they organise to help raise funds and all have being very successful with a lot of money raised to date.

If you can lend your support in anyway, either by entering a team or coming down and supporting the event please do so.

East Cork Senior Open Underway

2011-08-24T22:02:00.000+01:00

The East Cork Senior Open is on at Lower Aghada tennis club since Sunday.
This is an all doubles event and should provide some very competitive matches.

To keep to date with scores and to check the schedule click here.

Douglas Senior Open Singles Tournament

2011-08-24T21:45:00.000+01:00

I love the idea of this tournament, a singles only event. Even though I have yet to play in it, I think it is a great idea and hopefully more clubs follow suit.

Judging by the number of entries it obviously is a very popular event and fittingly finals day produced some very close and entertaining matches.

Congratulations to the organisers and to all the participants.

Results:

MS 1: Duncan Cronin V Kevin Higgins 6-4, 6-2
MS 2: Paul Flynn V Conor McCarthy 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
MS 3: Jonathon Mulcahy V Egon IIyes 4-0 ret.
MS 4: Kevin Moynihan V Jonathon Mulcahy 6-1, 6-4
MS 5: Brendan Noonan V Mark O Connor 6-4, 7-5
MS 6: Mark Cronin V Martin Hurley 6-2, 4-6, 7-6

WS 3: Joanna O Riordan V Karen Barry 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
WS 4: Monica Twomey V Ann Bogan 6-3, 6-3
WS 5: Susan Wallace V Siobhan Cronin 6-1, 6-3
WS 6: Siobhan Cronin V Emer Groarke 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

William Fry Junior Irish Open - Fitzwilliam

2011-08-24T21:38:00.000+01:00

A long summer came to an end for our juniors in Fitzwilliam last weekend. We had a very large number of Cork players taking part in the various events. The standard was very high in all age groups and competition for places in the main draw were not guaranteed, with a lot of events having qualifying rounds.
I would like to congratulate all players who made it into main draws and say well done to all who reached finals.

Cork had one winner and this was Siobhan Ryan Bovey in the Girls U-18 doubles when she teamed up with Sinead Lohan of Tramore to win a tough 3 set final.

Other finalists on the day were Emily Daly in the U-14 Girls singles and doubles finals, Rachel Daly in the Girls U-16 doubles finals, Niall Casey in the Boys U-14 singles final.

Other players who made it through in the main draws were:

Boys singles U-12: Davydas Sadauskas
Boys singles U-14: Sean O Callaghan, Niall Casey and Daniel Moloney.
Mixed doubles U-14: Cathy O Neill
Boys doubles U-14: Ben Rasmussen and Adam O Sullivan
Boys singles U-16: Gary Stack and David Gardiner
Girls singles U-16: Rachel Daly
Boys Doubles U-16: David Gardiner
Mixed doubles U-16: Rachel Daly and David Gardiner
Boys singles U-18: Adam Rasmussen and Sam Thompson
Girls Singles U-18: Siobhan Ryan Bovey, Jane Daly and Danielle Geary
Boys doubles U-18: James Reidy, Adam Rasmussen, Gary Stack, Mark Hannon and Sam Thompson

Well done to all, keep up the hard work.

FDC Championships of County Cork

2011-07-20T23:02:00.000+01:00

Rushbrooke LT & CC are entering their crazy season again, with 4 big tournaments in 3 weeks. The first of these finished last Saturday on a day of mixed weather. Thanks to the co-operation of the players and the organistaional skills of Martin Cusack and his team the day finished on time.

Rushbrooke is one of the only events with singles for all grades and this adds to the popularity.

Over the next 2 weeks Rushbrooke will also host their Junior open which is then followed by 2 international events, an U-14 ETA event and an U-18 ITF event. These two events will attract players from all over the world and promises to provide some very entertaining tennis.

Results:
MS 1 - Jamie Blake bt Rob Leahy 6-2/6-3
WS 1 - Niamh Coveney bt Siobhan Ryan Bovey 4-6/6-3/6-4
MD 1 - Kevin Rea/Rob Leahy bt Conor Kelly/Duncan Cronin 5-7/6-3/6-1
WD 1 - Niamh Coveney/Joanne Williamson bt Danielle Geary/Hannah May Morrissey 6-1/6-1
MX 1 - Joanne Williamson/Kevin Rea bt Niamh Coveney/Duncan Cronin 6-4/1-6/6-3
MS 2 - Kevin O Keeffe bt Colin Laffan 5-7/6-2/6-2
WS 2 - Un Ryle bt Joanna O Riordan 6-0/6-3
MD 2 - James Hewitt/Colin Laffan bt Gary Stack/Adam Rasmussen 6-4/6-4
WD 2 - Clodagh Fitzgerald/Siobhan Murray bt Aine Kiernan/Sinead Power 6-3/3-6/6-2
MX 2 - Aine Kiernan/Kevin O Keeffe bt Sinead Power/Martin Cusack 6-2/6-4
MS 3 - Keith Kenny bt NIck Cloke 6-1/6-0
WS 3 - Joanna O Riordan bt Karen Barry 6-4/6-2
MD 3 - Niall Ahern/Niall Cloke bt Nick Cloke/Jeremy Forde 3-6/7-6/7-6
WD 3 - Gillian/Louise Brohan bt Kay Lynch/Daragh Quinn 7-6/7-5
MX 3 - Kay Lynch/Niall Cloke bt Carla James/Jeremy Forde 6-1/6-3
MS 4 - Eugene O Mahony bt Kenny Ding 6-1/4-2 ret
MD 4 - Peter Howie/Tim Ryan bt Dermot Carbery/Tom Reidy 6-2/6-1
WD 4 - Ann Bogan/Deirdre Duboy bt Fiona Burke/Gill O Donovan 7-6/3-6/7-6
MX 4 - Mary McGarry/Brendan Nolan bt Fiona McCarthy/Ger Russell 2-6/7-5/6-3
MS 5 - Diarmaid Hurley bt Gary Hurley 6-4/6-3
WS 5 - Anne Humphries bt Siobhan Cronin
MD 5 - Kenny Ding/John O Donovan bt Gary/Diarmaid Hurley 6-2/6-1
WD 5 - Cathy Dorrian/Susan Hamel bt Jo Cahalane/Jenny Warren 6-2/6-4
MX 5 - Catherine McCarthy/Niall Coonan bt Anne Humphries/Liam Murphy 6-4/6-2
MS 6 -Brendan Noonan bt Barry Foley 6-2/7-5
WS 6 - Susan Wallace bt Siobhan Cronin 6-1/6-3
MD 6 - Martin Hurley/Tony Lyons bt Ray McDonald/John Murphy 6-3/2-6/6-2
WD 6 - Julie O Sullivan/Susan Wallace bt Karen Holmes/Sheila Stokes 6-2/7-5
MX 6 - Susan O Regan/Brendan Noonan bt Helen McCarthy/Tim O Leary 7-5/6-4

Babolat Cork Tennis League points collected from this event.
Sheila Stokes - 5 points
Tim Ryan - 8 points

Carrigaline Senior Open Results

2011-07-20T22:10:00.000+01:00

Yes believe it, Carrigaline eventually got the weather to finish one of their tournaments on the day it was supposed to finish.
Report to follow shortly, for now the results.

MD 3 - Niall Cloke/Kieran Hackett bt John Hurley/Ken Murphy 6-4/6-2
WD 3 - Kay Lynch/Daragh Quinn bt Denise Fenton/Evelyn O Connor 7-6/7-6
MX 3 - Monica Williams/Paul O Callaghan bt Carla James/Jeremy Forde 6-0/6-4
MD 4 - Rob Jenkins/Johnathon Mulcahy bt Dermot Carbery/Dominic Crowley 7-5/4-6/6-4
WD 4 - Deirdre Duboy/Deirdre Murphy bt Ann Marie Collins/Gillian Wall 3-6/6-3/6-2
MX 4 - Deirdre Duboy/Kevin Moynihan bt Monica Twomey/Rob Jenkins 7-6/7-5
MD 5/6 - Brian Hennessy/Derek Murphy bt Gary Hurley/Liam O Regan 6-4/6-3
WD 5/6 - Cathy Dorrian/Susan Hamel bt Catherine Griffin/Maria O Keffee 6-3/6-2
MX 5/6 - Bridget Webb/Frank Delaney bt Val Cremin/Brendan Noonan 6-1/6-2

Lakewood Senior Open Results

2011-07-20T21:58:00.001+01:00

Lakewood Open 2011 - Report provided by Emma Crowley.

Every year religiously during the Open week, we ask the same question will we run an Open the following year. Work for the Open starts in January trying to organise sponsorship, who’s doing what, should we make any changes etc etc. . With five tournaments in a row, (Sundays Well, Arigeedeen, Lakewood, Carrigaline, Rushbrooke) we wonder will we get the entries, will the weather hold out and more specifically what will non availabilty be like. As tournament organisers trying to facilitate all players can be cumbersome and if I’m honest stressful at times.

This year though, we were very fortunate with all of the above, the players were great, the sun was shining for the week - literally not a drop of rain fell, and to be honest at times we were saying it was too hot to play (a rare comment in itself) and of course with the pleasant evenings, it makes the delays that little bit easier to handle !!

Finals Day was a treat, once again the sun was shining. Great tennis commenced at 11am and then continued for rest of the day. We finally concluded the day with a 3 set match Mixed1&2 between our own Toni O’Keeffe & Frank McDonald against Sommer Craig & Robert Murphy. After some amazing tennis, Sommer and Rob won.

Eamonn McCarthy (President of Munster Branch) came in his all glory, I should clarify I mean his chains ;) to present the prizes and this was very much appreciated.

All in all, the week itself ran smoothly, with no major hiccups and this could not have happened without the support of our own club members who gave up much if not all of their own free time to help out. I would also like to thank the players for their support, its great to meet so many new players on the scene and hopefully this will continue.

MX 1/2 - Sommer Craig/Rob Murphy bt Toni O Keeffe/Frank McDonnell
MD 1/2 - Paul Cotter/Joe Donovan bt Ken Duffy/Vincent Quirke 6-3/6-2
WD 1/2 - Sommer Craig/Carmel Daly bt Marie Duffy/Grace Reidy 3-6/7-5/6-0
MD 3 - Jim Connolly/Johnathon Mulcahy bt Niall Cloke/Kieran Hackett 6-3/6-4
WD 3 - Marion Healy/Monica Williams bt Siobhan Fahy/Carol Leland 4-6/6-3/6-3
MX 3 - Mairead/Martin Neary bt Nick Cloke/Marion Healy 6-2/6-1
MD 4 - Li Haoning/Diarmaid Hurley bt Declan Alton/Martin Neary 6-3/7-5
WD 4 - Dara Carbery/Joanne O Keffee bt Anne Marie Collins/Gillian Wall
MX 4 - Ann Bogan/Kevin Moynihan bt Tara Mukerjee/Martin Neary 7-6/6-1
MD 5 - Diarmaid/Gary Hurley bt Ross McDonald/Padraig Mullane
WD 5 - Teresa O Donovan/Jacqui O Mahony bt Mags Cronin/Maria Crowley 6-2/3-6/6-3
MX 5 - Pauline Murphy/Padraig Mullane bt Liz Brosnan/Liam O Regan 6-1/6-2
MD 6/7 - Diarmaid/Mark Cronin bt Ray McDonald/John Murphy
WD 6/7 - Karen Holmes/Kitty Moynihan bt Betty Fitzgerald/Helen McCarthy 7-6/6-7/6-1
MX 6/7 - Carmel Morrisson/Michael Murphy bt Linda/John Murphy 6-3/6-4

A double for Coveney in fine style.

2011-07-02T22:45:00.001+01:00

Congratulations to Niamh Coveney, Irish Close Champion 2011.

When you lose you have different thoughts racing through your mind, and you have choices to make. You can get down about things and let a slump begin or you can learn from it and use your losses as the start of a new beginning.

A couple of weeks ago Niamh lost, what has become her title, The Munster Senior Open, and standing there watching the final she could have left her slump begin.
This was just another disappointment following on from her omission from the Fed Cup team but Niamh's true character shone through, and she headed to Donnybrook to get things back on track.

Seeded 2 behind Irish Fed Cup player, Lynsey McCullough, Niamh would have some tough matches if she were to progress to the final.

An early walkover was followed up with wins over Tanya Murtagh, currently on tennis scholarship in the states and fifth seed Sinead Kennedy to set up a final against Lynsey.

The final was a topsy turvy event with the first set going to Lynsey on a scoreline of 6-2.
Not a great start, but followed up with an impressive second set, Niamh won 6-0.
So into the last, with both players showing why they were seeded 1 and 2, they stayed together until 4-4 before Niamh dug deepest to come out on top 6-4 and with it become the Irish Close Champion 2011.

Niamh then teamed up with Lynsey to win the ladies doubles and maybe highlighting the error in her omission from the Fed Cup team?

Congratulations Niamh.

Gardiner is on a roll.

2011-07-02T22:25:00.001+01:00

David does it again and again.

This isn't the first time I have written pieces about David this season and i'm predicting now, it won't be the last either.

In a previous article I spoke about David being a player to watch for the season ahead and he hasn't let me down.

A couple of weeks ago he travelled to Malahide to take on Ireland's best juniors both in his own age group of U-16 and also the U-18 event.

David was seeded 1 in the U-18 event and true to the seeding he came through to the finals where he took on and beat Galways' Michael Clarkson 6-0, 6-1.

The U-16 event was the big one.
Here David was seeded 2, and considering he was seeded 1 in the U-18 event it just shows how difficult this draw was. David made it to the final where his opponent was Coilin MacNamara.
Coilin hadn't lost at this age group yet this year. David has played Coilin on a few occassions over the last couple of years and they have always had good battles, with results being unpredictable and both tasting success.

There was, however, only going to be one winner this time and with the form David has being showing it was he who succeeded on a scoreline of 6-2, 6-4.

Following Malahide was the Munster Senior Open, where as a fourteen year old David was the youngest in the draw. Age didn't seem to matter and playing beyond his years David beat senior interpros along the way before succumbing to eventual winner Jamie Blake in the semi finals.

After good performances in singles and doubles David headed to Naas Junior Open with confidence high.
Playing in the U-16 singles, David was seeded 2 behind Sean O Rourke, his doubles partner.
Following some very impressive performances and none more so than the final, David beat Eoin Fitzsimons 6-2, 6-0 to add to his list of titles for the year.

Then teaming up with Sean they took on the number 1 and 2 from the U-18 singles draw and won 6-4, 6-2, to give David another double in Leinster.

Congratulations David and I have no doubt there is more to come.

Fitzgerald rules in Limerick

2011-07-02T21:55:00.000+01:00

Paul Fitzgerald was top dog in the recent South of Ireland Open in Limerick Lawn Tennis Club.
The South. as the locals like to call it, is a big open that can attract players from all over and it was good to see Paul continue his good form (following his win at Rushbrooke Easter). This bodes well for Munster's chances in the upcoming Interpros, with their top players performing well throughout the country.

Paul teamed up with fellow interpro Cian Blake in the doubles but unfortunately this was a bit of a non event as they received walkovers the whole way through.

Bishopstown Junior Open - Enter here

2011-07-02T21:47:00.000+01:00

Bishopstown has one of the most active junior programmes anywhere in Ireland and they will be hoping this is reflected in results in their upcoming junior open.

To enter click here.

Season well underway across all levels.

2011-07-02T21:45:00.000+01:00

Here's a few events just getting underway, so if you have any spare time and want to watch some tennis head to Sundays Well during the day for the Munster Junior Ope and watch some of our future stars in action.

You can keep up to date with the scores and schedules here.

Also just starting is Carrigaline Senior Open. Now they have to have fingers, toes and whatever else they have crossed in the hope they get a dry finals day. This is an event that has had its finals rained off for the last 2 years, so with a bit of luck they get a glorious week, which will be no more than they deserve.

Keep in touch with what's happening here.

Just finished is Lakewood. Scores and report to follow shortly.

Babolat Cork Tennis League Updated Scores

2011-06-21T11:19:00.000+01:00

After the recent tournaments here's an updated list of how the scoring looks.

James Cooney 16 points

Tim Ryan 13 points

Conor Ahern 5 points

Piotr Czarnecki 5 points

Sheila Stokes 21 points

Trish O Leary 8 points

There is still plenty of time to register and lots of tournaments to play to give yourself a chance of winning the fabulous prizes on offer from Cork Tennis and Babolat.

Find out how here.

Munster Senior Open 2011 - Results

2011-06-21T11:00:00.000+01:00

The Munster Senior Open finished at Sundays Well Tennis Club on Saturday in tough windy conditions.
The weather however didn't dampen peoples spirits as there was a good turnout of supporters who were provided with some very entertaining matches throughout the day.

The Munster Senior Open is a title everybody wants and this was obvious all week when you could see how hard players battled to get through to finals day.

The event was very well organised by Stephen McCarthy, Alice Fawsitt and the rest of the team and on arrival you were always greeted with a warm welcome.

One of the talking points of the week was the food. This was supplied by Brook Catering who were also the title sponsors. This made perfect sense to me and I can't understand why it hasn't being done before. How often to sponsors get an immediate return on their investment and also have the opportunity to promote what they do best to a large number of people. This could be start of a trend, Liam.

There are so few tournaments where all grades are represented and also where players get the chance to play singles as well as doubles. In fact there are only two and this definitely adds to the event.

A few players did the double and they are worth mentioning, Clodagh Fitzgerald, Joanne O Keeffe, Jamie Blake and Ronan Conway. Well done to all on their great achievement.

Another player worth mentioning is Nicola Drummy from Dublin (but of Cork blood. Nicola's father Victor is a four time winner of the premier singles). Nicola at 14 is possibly the youngest winner of the Ladies Premier Singles. That is a fabulous achievement and Nicola is a player definitely worth watching in the future.

Results:
MS1 Jamie Blake V Rob Leahy 6-1/6-4
LS1 Nicola Drummy V Lucy Easton 7-5/6-2
MD1 Jamie/Cian Blake V Antoine Bercy/Rob Leahy 6-2/6-3
LD1 Niamh Coveney/Joanne Williamson V Deirdre Collins/Toni O Keeffe 6-0/6-2
MS2 Conor McCarthy V Silvio Di Blasi 6-3/6-3
LS2 Clodagh Fitzgerald V Un Ryle 6-2/6-3
MD2 Paul Cotter/Joe O Donovan V Silvio Di Blasi/Donal Neary 6-3/2-6/7-5
LD2 Clodagh Fitzgerald/Siobhan Murray V Connie Creed/Grace Reidy 7-6/6-7/7-6
MX2 Sommer Craig/Dave Thompson V Sinead Power/Eddie Ronayne 3-6/6-3/6-2
MS3 John Ryan V Gerard Sheehan 6-2/6-2
LS3 Karen Barry V Joanna O Riordan 7-5/6-2
MD3 Richard Bywater/Jeremy Forde V Paul O Callaghan/Hugh Harrington 6-0/6-3
LD3 Gillian/Louise Brohan V Kay Lynch/Daragh Quinn 3-6/6-0/6-2
MX3 Carol Daly/Niall Aherne V Daragh Quinn/Hugh Harrington 7-5/6-3
MS4 Rob Jenkins V James Cooney 6-4/6-2
LS4 Ilona Stuntebeck V Tara Mukerjee 6-3/2-6/6-2
MD4 Dominic Crowley/Tom Reidy V Leo O Leary/Rob Jenkins 6-1/6-2
LD4 Joanne O Keeffe/Margaret Roche V Nime Stefanstonn/Sandra Higgins
MX4 Joanne O Keeffe/Brian Dennis V Sandra Higgins/Declan Malone 6-4/6-3
MS5 Ronan Conway V Diarmuid Hurley 6-4/7-5
LS5 Marie O Sullivan V Dervilla Griffin 7-6/6-4
MD5 Ronan Conway/John O Donovan V Kenny Ding/Tim O Donovan 7-6/6-2
LD5 Jo Cahalane/Jenny Warren V Therese Horn/Carol O Shea 6-0/6-4
MX5 Sarah Dwane/Kenny Ding V Kitty Collins/Paul O Connell 7-6/6-4
MS6 Brian Hennessy V Martin Hurley 6-2/2-6/6-4
LS6 Emer Groarke V Roma Buckley 6-1/6-3
MD6 Tony Lyons/Uilliam O Lorcain V Daragh Fitzgerald/George Ross 6-1/6-3
LD6 Kitty Moynihan/Sheila Stokes V Tina Bushe/Shirley Kennelly 6-3/7-6
MX6 Alicia Collins/Diarmid Cronin V Martina O Sullivan/Paul Hogan 6-3/6-4.

Congratulations to the winners and the runners up.

Babolat Cork Tennis League points picked up by Sheila Stokes and James Cooney.

Finalists make note you are all missing out on the chance of winning a full kit including racket from Babolat.

Best of luck Conor.

2011-06-20T23:10:00.000+01:00

I know everyone will have their stories about the time Conor did this, or when I played Conor, and this I'm sure is the same all over the world as many players play Wimbledon for the first time this year.

But if anyone deserves their chance to perform on the big stage it is Conor and knowing him he won't be thinking about just one match, he will have his sights set on a certain Roger Federer.

This achievement alone will do more for Irish tennis than anything or anyone gone before him. I say this without being disrespectful to Louk Sorensen's achievement or as the media are mentioning Matt Doyle, the last 'Irish' man to play in Wimbledon.

The difference for me is, Conor grew up playing his tennis in Ireland, he travelled around playing the tournament scene, he played interpros for Munster, he has won Irish titles, he plays and trains in Dublin so he is more accessible to the Irish public and much better known.

All our up and coming juniors know Conor and have met him and no doubt have received words of encouragement or wisdom from him at some point. To a lot of them he is their inspiration and tomorrow he will be their hero playing in, what to us, is the biggest of the Grand Slams.

I have no doubt when I say 'GOOD LUCK' to Conor, I'm not just saying it from me, I'm saying it from the whole tennis population in Ireland.

Read a very interesting article written by Conor for this blog and you will get an insight into how tough it is on the tour and how hard you have to work to make a living. And then you will get an appreciation of what Conor has achieved in qualifying for Wimbledon.

Kinsale Open Results

2011-06-18T10:30:00.000+01:00

LD 1\2 Lisa Long\Mary Claire McCarthy V Aine Kiernan\Joanna O Riordan 6-2\6-3
MX 1\2 Lisa Long\Conor Kelly V Sommer Craig\David Thompson 6-2\6-4
MD 3 Radim Pokopochiem\Frank Walsh V Jim Connolly\Leo O Leary 6-3\6-4
LD 3 Marion Healy\Rom Preston V Marion Gargin\Monica Williams 6-4\6-3
MX 3 Kay Lynch\Niall Cloke V Jesse Morris\Jim Good 5-7\6-2\6-3
MD 4 Rob Jenkins\Leo O Leary V Martin Neary\Declan Alton 6-3\6-3
LD 4 Sabine Graef\Jesse Morris V Therese Hurley\Tara Mukerjee 6-1\6-3
MX 4 Deirdre Duby\Kevin Moynihan V Jesse Morris\Sebastian Kadau 6-3\3-6\7-5
MD 5 Derek Murphy\John O Donovan V Brian Hennessy\Ken Hourihane 6-4\1-6\6-2
LD 5 Ursula Hogan\Jacqui O Mahony V Jo Cahalane\Jenny Warrren 6-1\3-6\6-3
MX 5 Catherine McCarthy\Niall Coonan V Sarah Morris\Paul Hogan 6-1\6-4
MD 6 Garry Fitzroy\Tony O Reilly V Alan McCarthy\Niall Stanley 6-3\6-4
LD 6 Kitty Moynihan\Sheila Stokes V Julie O Sullivan\Susan Wallace 7-5\6-3
MX 6 Therese Crowley\Brian Hennessy V Majella Daly\Tony O Reilly 6-3\6-0

Well done to Kinsale on another very successful open tournament.
Congratulations to the winners and runners up and to all who took part.

Babolat Cork Tennis League Points from this event.
Sheila Stokes 8 points.

Amusing!!

2011-06-16T10:28:00.000+01:00

I find it very amusing the way the Irish media jump on the band wagon of tennis when one of our guys is on the verge of a breakthrough into a Grand Slam.
Don't get me wrong the coverage is great for the game, but why can't it be covered on a more regular basis.

Tennis is played all over Ireland week in, week out. With competitions running all year round. We play in hail, rain, sleet and sometimes snow but without a mention.

Our open tournaments don't get covered by local papers, our Interprovincial championships might get a mention (a few lines in a small column in one of the national papers) and our Davis Cup or Federation Cup might as well be invisible.

People might say well would you not contact someone, or provide the papers with some information, but even this isn't always enough.

Last year prior to the Interpros for the U-14, U-18 and Senior teams, I contacted a local and a National paper and offered them information on who was playing, where the events were being held and also said I would feedback to them afterwards with results. None of the two papers replied.

The events were played and the Senior team returned victorious, their first win after seventeen years, and again there was no mention of this in the papers.

After speaking to a few people about this and them agreeing it was a disgrace I decided to contact the papers again and one of them replied saying if I put something together they would publish it.
They did! without any editing and gave credit to one of their reporters.

My point in all of this is, if you go through the local papers you will see pages on local GAA, local soccer, horse racing, road bowling and hockey, local dart leagues are mentioned, premiership soccer or intercounty matches have about four writers writing about the same match, yet tennis can't get a look in.

What do we need to do to get the papers to help us promote our game?

It would be great if people took it upon themselves to keep onto the papers about the lack of coverage our sport gets and hopefully they might give it a mention in the future.

All that being said Best of luck today Conor, you're doing us proud.

Federer - Did he do it or not?

2011-05-31T22:46:00.000+01:00

Babolat Cork Tennis League Updated Scores

2011-05-31T22:41:00.000+01:00

After the recent tournaments here's an updated list of how the scoring looks.

Tim Ryan 13 points
James Cooney 8 points
Conor Ahern 5 points
Piotr Czarnecki 5 points

Trish O Leary 8 points
Sheila Stokes 5 points

This league is still open for entries and with prizes for the winning man and woman, you will be kitted out from head to toe.
Don't miss out!
Enter Here

St.Michaels Open Vets

2011-05-31T22:35:00.002+01:00

St.Michaels have being running an Open Vets tournament for the last few years but this was the first one that was officially on the Tennis Ireland Calender and so making it a counting event for Munster Interpro selection.

While it will take time to build up numbers, the standard of entries was very high, with a lot of last years winning interpro team members playing for places on this years team.

For those who haven't played it before, and this was my first time, you will have to go along way to find a more enjoyable and welcoming event.
On finals day the bar b que was free to all who were in attendance and this was a lovely way to finish a very enjoyable tournament even if we did lose to double winner Rob Murphy and his partner Liam O Brien.

MD 35 Rob Murphy/Liam O Brien V Derek Lane/Rob Leahy 3-6/6-4/12-10
WD 35 Joanne Williamson/Toni O Keeffe V Trudy Kennedy/Deirdre McSherry 6-4/6-2
XD 35 Deirdre McSherry/Rob Murphy V Carmel Daly/Vince Lawton 6-3/6-3
MD 45 Joe Donovan/Pat Smith w/o
WD 45 Ann Naughton/Un Ryle V Alice Keating/Margaret O Sullivan
MD 50 Pat Horgan/Pat Smith V Pat Coleman/Noel Fitton 4-6/7-6/12-10
WD 50 Ann Coveney/Connie Creed V Mary Donnelly/Jean Downey 6-3/6-4
WD 55 Maggie O Toole/Freeda Roycroft V Joan Gollins/Kalene Kenefick
XD 55 Ann Coveney/Hugh Harrington w/o
MD 60 Barry Gollins/Larry Power V Willie Hanover/Lar Thompson 6-4/6-2
XD 60 Suzanne Hayes/Noel Murphy V Freeda/Billy Roycroft 6-2/6-0

Well done to all involved in organising this event especially to Ken Duffy for making us all feel welcome over the weekend.

Douglas Senior Open Doubles

2011-05-31T22:22:00.000+01:00

When I was a junior playing open tournaments Douglas was always one of the big ones and when I got to the age where I started playing senior tournaments it was one of the main three.

Unfortunately for a few years Douglas lost some of its prestige and standing among the tournament circuit, but thanks to people like Oliver Barriscale (and the new committee who are doing great work reinstating Douglas as one of Corks' main clubs) the tournament is again gaining popularity.

This was evident in the standard of the entries in their Open Doubles tournament this year and with some epic matches, finals day proved to be a very entertaining place to be.

MD 1/2 Derek Lane/Rob Murphy V Pat Horgan/Donal Neary 6-2/7-6
MD 3 Paul Healy/John Ryan V Mick McCabe/Paul O Callaghan 6-2/6-7/7-5
MD 4 Dermot Carberry/Dominic Crowley V James Cooney/Kevin Moynihan 2-6/6-4/6-4
MD 5 Padraig Mullane/Owen Rea V Conor Ahern/Michael O Driscoll 6-3/6-3
MD 6 Ray McDonald/John Murphy V Gary Fitzroy/Tony O Reilly 3-6/6-4/6-4
WD 1/2 Connie Creed/Grace Reidy V Sommer Craig/Carmel Daly 6-1/6-3
WD 3 Berni Kenny/Daragh Quinn V Marion Healy/Monica Williams 6-1/4-6/6-1
WD 4 Margaret Roche/Nime Steffanson V Dymphna Lordan/Fiona McCarthy 6-4/6-1
WD 5 Christine Airey/Fabiola Schnier V Teresa O Donovan/Jacqui O Mahony
WD 6 Francie McCarthy/Carmel Morrison V Julie O Sullivan/Susan Wallace 3-6/6-1/6-3
XD 1/2 Toni O Keeffe/Frank McDonnell V Karen O Donovan/Colm Cronin 6-3/6-3
XD 3 Monica Williams/Gus Bowen V Daragh Quinn/Hugh Harrington 6-3/6-3
XD 4 Maria/Dominic Crowley V Joanne O Keeffe/Tom Reidy 2-6/6-4/7-6
XD 5 Jacqui O Mahony/John O Donovan V Sarah Dwane/Kenny Ding 5-7/6-4/7-5
XD 6 Therese Crowley/Joe McSweeney V Ger O Callaghan/Scott Weaver 6-1/3-6/6-3

Congratulations to Dominic Crowley on doing the double, never an easy task.

Babolat Cork Tennis League points were picked up by Conor Ahern and James Cooney.
Remember it's never too late to enter.

Bishopstown Senior Doubles Results

2011-05-31T21:56:00.001+01:00

Firstly apologies for the delay in posting the results, new baby keeping me busy.
Anyway congratulations to Bishopstown on running another very successful tournament this year. Considering the horrendous weather that they endured during the week it was a great achievement to get the tournament finished on time.

MD 1/2 Aylmer Barrett/Paul Fitzgerald V Antoine Bercy/Martin Higgins 6-1, 6-4
WD 1/2 Lisa Long/Joanne Williamson w/o
XD 1/2 Joanne Williamson/Derek Smith V Connie Creed/Antoine Bercy 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
MD 3 Niall Cloke/Nick Cloke V Gus Bowen/Aidan Cotter 6-2, 6-2
WD 3 Gillian O Grady/Roceliza Reyes V Berni Kenny/Daragh Quinn 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
XD 3 Carla James/Jeremy Forde V Berni Kenny/Paul O Callaghan 6-4, 0-6, 6-2
MD 4 Rob Jenkins/Leo O Leary V Pat Donnellan/Diarmaid O Mathuma 6-2, 6-2
WD 4 Margaret Roche/Nime Steffanson V Mary Barnes/Tricia O Leary 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
XD 4 Dervilla Griffin/Pat Peate V Anne O Sullivan/Paddy Quinn 6-0, 6-1
MD 5 Padraig Mullane/Tim O Donovan V Piotr Czarnecki/Thomas Mullane 6-4, 6-0
WD 5 Patricia Hickey/Paula Mullane V Angela O Mahony/Lucy Quill 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
XD 5 Liz Moore/Nigel Smith V Sarah Dwane/Kenny Ding 7-6, 6-3
MD 6 Brian Hennessy/Joe McSweeney V Tim O Leary/John Underwood 6-1, 6-4
WD 6 Francie McCarthy/Carmel Morrison V Kitty Moynihan/Sheila Stokes 6-2, 6-3
XD 6 Teresa Lynch/Joe McSweeney V Martina O Sullivan/Paul Hogan 6-3, 6-3

Congratulations to all the winners and runners up and to Tricia O Leary, Sheila Stokes and Piotr Czarnecki on picking up points towards the Babolat Cork Tennis League.

New website for Douglas Tennis Club

2011-05-06T23:10:00.000+01:00

Over the last year Douglas tennis club has undertaken the task of re-promoting itself and the latest stage in this task is their new website.

The site is in it's early stages but once all the headers are filled in you will have no excuses for keeping up to date with what's happening in the club.

This site along with the club's Facebook page should cover all angles for existing, new and potential members.

Well done on all the hard work.

Check out the new site here http://douglastennis.ie/

Cork Senior Open Tournament Calender

2011-05-01T12:28:00.000+01:00

On the right of this blog there is a list of all the Senior events on the Cork tennis calender for 2011.

You will be able to enter any of these tournaments from here by clicking their link.

The links will become active as the tournament organisers publish details of their event.

Some events will be done through the tournament software site, others will be email entries, but all can be entered from here.

Don't forget these are all the tournaments that count towards the Babolat Cork tennis league and some great prizes.

South of Ireland Open Veterans Championship 2011

2011-04-30T10:06:00.002+01:00

The South of Ireland Veterans Open Championship 2011 or as they refer to it in Limerick, The South, is on this weekend in Limerick Lawn Tennis Club and looking through the draws there should be some top quality tennis on display for the weekend.

Cork players travel in force and are well represented across all age groups, so expectations are high for a few title holders to return to the Rebel county tomorrow evening.

Some events to watch out for are the Mens O-45 singles where Joe Donovan of Lakewood will renew battle with two travelling interpros, Ray McGinley of Leinster and Tim Blomley of Ulster.
These three squared off recently in Sundays Well and Joe came out on top, we hope the result will be the same at the end of the weekend.

The Mens O-50 doubles looks to be another promising event with strong partnerships throughout the draw, with Cork pairings holding the first and fourth seeding.

Best of luck to all involved and keep up to date on the latest happenings here.

Babolat Cork Tennis League Underway

2011-04-26T23:37:00.000+01:00

For those early birds who got their entries in for the Babolat Cork tennis league prior to Rushbrooke, the points have started to build up.

Remember you can enter at any stage, but results cannot be back dated.
For more information on the league, just click here.

The table to date:
Tim Ryan - 13 points
James Cooney - 3 points
Trish O Leary - 3 points.

Bishopstown Senior Doubles next up.

2011-04-26T23:30:00.000+01:00

Now that the appetite has being wet after Rushbrooke, the circuit moves on to Bishopstown.

This is a doubles only tournament and always attracts a big entry of a very high standard.
The tournament runs from the 1st to the 8th of May and you can keep to date with the scores and schedule here.

The tournament promises to provide some very entertaining matches so why not drop in and be entertained.

Coveney Cleans up at Rushbrooke

2011-04-26T23:19:00.000+01:00

Rushbrooke Easter open finished yesterday and after some very hard fought finals the season has started well for all our winners.

None more so than Niamh Coveney who made the perfect start to the season with a hat trick of titles.
Niamh was made to battle hard in her singles where she came from behind to beat one of the new up and coming brigade, Siobhan Ryan Bovey and eventually won in 3 sets.

Again in the ladies doubles, Niamh teamed up with Tracey O Rourke and it took the pair 3 sets to overcome another two of the future stars, Rachel Daly and Nicola Drummy in what was a very entertaining match.

To finish off her hat trick, Niamh teamed up with the Mens singles winner Paul Fitzgerald to win the mixed doubles title.

As can be seen from the results below there were no easy finals and from speaking to some of the people who watched the finals, all matches proved to be very entertaining. This bodes well for the season ahead if the standard of the finals in the first tournament of the year was this high.

A special mention has to go to the tournament organiser, Martin Cusack and his team for running a very successful tournament. His organisational skills received numerous compliments over the weekend and his easy going nature in the office made for a very enjoyable tournament.

Results:
MS1 - Paul Fitzgerald V Jamie Blake 6/1 6/1
WS1 - Niamh Coveney V Siobhan Ryan Bovey 4/6 6/1 6/3
MD1 - Cian and Jamie Blake V Kevin Rea/Paul Fitzgerald 2/6 7/5 7/5
WD1 - Niamh Coveney/Tracey O Rourke V Rachel Daly/Nicola Drummy 7/5 3/6 6/3
MX1 - Niamh Coveney/Paul Fitzgerald V Siobhan Ryan Bovey/Cian Blake 6/3 6/4
MD2 - Aylmer Barrett/Killian O Brien V Ger Finan/Silvio Di Blasi 4/6 6/3 6/2
MX2 - Joanna and Mark O Riordan V Aine Kiernan/Kevin O Keeffe 6/2 5/7 6/3
MD3 - Jim Connolly/Jonathon Mulcahy V Kevin McCarthy/Kevin Moynihan 7/6 6/2
WD3 - Carol Daly/Kay Lynch V Marion Gargin/Suzanne Hayes 6/3 6/2
MX3 - Carol Daly/Niall Ahern V Louise Davidson/Kieran Hackett 6/2 7/5
MD4 - Peter Howie/Tim Ryan V Rob Jenkins/Leo O Leary 7/6 7/5
WD4 - Margaret Roche/Nime Stefansson V Deirdre Duboy/Susan O Donovan 7/5 6/0
MX4 - Sheila McCarthy/Tim Ryan V Trish O Leary/James Cooney 2/6 6/3 7/5
MD5 - Ross McDonald/Padraig Mullane V Noel Devitt/Willie Fawsitt 6/3 6/3
WD5 - Dolores McCarthy/Breege O Reilly V Ursula Hogan/Jacqui O Mahony 6/2 6/1
MX5 - Fabiola Schnier/Padraig Mullane V Sheila Healy/Kevin Day 6/2 6/2
MD6 - Darren Fitzgerald/Brian Hennessy V Alan Preston/Brian Stromsoe 6/4 7/5
WD6 - Rhea Monkhouse/Ger O Callaghan V Tina Bushe/Linda St Ledger 3/6 6/3 6/1
MX6 - Rhea Monkhouse/Scott Weaver V Una O Callaghan/Alan Preston 7/6 6/4

Congratulations to all the winners and best of luck to everyone for the rest of the season.

FDC South of Ireland Omni Court Championship 2011

2011-04-22T10:14:00.000+01:00

The first Senior Open of the year is underway at Rushbrooke Tennis Club. This is a very popular tournament and always attracts a big entry and this year is no different.

With a weekend that promises to provide beautiful sunshine, this could be the place to be to sit back, relax and enjoy some very entertaining matches.

You can keep up to date with scores and schedules here but if you get the chance pop down and enjoy the atmosphere and banter that goes with it.

Sundays Well - Munster Vets Open 2011

2011-04-22T09:57:00.001+01:00

The Munster Open Vets tournament was on last weekend in Sundays Well Tennis Club and as always it attracted a large entry, of a high standard, with players coming from all over Ireland.

The finals were played in glorious sunshine and the matches were equal to the weather.

The results can be found by clicking here.

The photos for this event were supplied by James Reidy, many thanks James.

Draws now available for Sundays Well Vets Open

2011-04-12T21:35:00.000+01:00

Sundays Well Vets Open is one of the big Vets events on the Irish calender and it starts this Thursday.

Draws and schedules are available here and you can keep up to date on all the happenings over the weekend.

Enter Rushbrooke Easter Open here.

2011-04-12T21:18:00.002+01:00

I hope you have all being practicing because the first Senior Open of the season is only a week away.
Entries are now being taken for Rushbrooke Easter Open and you can enter here.

This tournament is a graded tournament with an open singles event and graded doubles event. It always attracts a large entry and you will be guaranteed some very enjoyable tennis.

Babolat Cork Tennis League - Don't miss out!

2011-04-09T11:13:00.000+01:00

The first counting tournament is fast approaching for the Babolat Cork Tennis League.

What you don't want to happen is that you win the tournament and find the points don't count because you haven't registered.

For all the details on how to enter click here

Don't miss out on your chance to win rackets, clothing, footwear and a bag.

Emily Daly, top of the pile.

2011-04-08T12:08:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Emily on a fabulous achievement last weekend, where she won the Girls U-14 National Matchplays Title.

This was a great achievement and one that was fully deserved.

During the course of the weekend Emily played some outstanding matches and had to take on the top seed along the way.

In the finals not only did Emily have to overcome a very difficult opponent but she also had to deal with blisters, but this girl is a fighter and wasn't going to let anything come in the way of a National Title.

If you haven't seen Emily play yet you are missing out. I have seen her play many times and as talented as she is what I love most about watching her play is , she plays with a smile on her face.
She looks as though she is enjoying the game.

From what I have seen over the last few years, watching many ITF and ETA events and even local junior opens everyone seems to have gotten so serious. They play with the weight of the world on their shoulders and seem to be missing out on the enjoyment of the game.

Emily keep smiling and I bet you will keep winning.
Well done to Emily, National Champion.

Winter League Finals this weekend.

2011-04-08T11:57:00.000+01:00

Rushbrooke tennis club plays host to the Munster Branch Winter League finals this Sunday.

The finals will cover six grades from across the province, and promises to provide a very entertaining days tennis.

The atmosphere at the finals day is very different to finals days of open weeks because tennis is such an individual event.
It is in these team events that players find they have an extra level to their game. This is because you are now playing for your team, your club and you don't want to disappoint.

This is something Djokovic has credited for his recent run of good form. By helping Serbia win the Davis Cup following some amazing games, where he had to dig deep, he found a believe in himself and his game to realise he can win no matter who the opponent.

Now don't get carried away, I'm not comparing any of you to Djokovic, but within everybody is another level if you really believe and hopefully some of you find it this weekend.

Enjoy the finals and good luck to all the teams involved.

The String Thing - Coming soon to Maher Sports.

2011-04-05T16:12:00.000+01:00

Fed up with having to move your strings back into place? Watch this!

Pacific Tennis - The brand of the future?

2011-04-04T14:44:00.000+01:00

Shared Access Information supplied by Tennis Ireland

2011-03-25T15:49:00.000Z

Introduction

Tennis Ireland is working with clubs to bring to their attention a significant commercial opportunity with a blue chip company called Shared Access (SA). Tennis Ireland originally approached SA because we feel that mutually beneficial agreements can be reached that would assist clubs in the development of their infrastructure and we have written to you all in the past few weeks outlining the scheme.

Shared Access

Shared Access is a private, well capitalised Irish company which manages communications infrastructure for wireless operators at major Irish developments such as Dundrum Shopping Centre, Dublin Port Tunnel and sports stadia such as Thomond Park, Musgrave Park amongst others. Shared Access has been the exclusive agent for the Government Office of Public Works which has responsibility for locations including Garda stations across the country. It is also rolling out lighting schemes for the FAI and telecommunication schemes for Topaz amongst others.

Q: What can clubs get out of participating in the scheme?

A: Should SA secure interest from Operators, clubs can expect:

- An annual rental income which increases with each Telecommunications Operator locating on site.

Plus

- A full set of Floodlights.

or

- A once off capital contribution

Plus

- The chance to win one of 3 trips to see the French Open, including flights, accommodation and one day’s entry to the Championship.

Q: How can clubs participate in the scheme?

A: By filling out the enquiry form following this link or contacting Shared Access on 01 6429888 or mailto:tennis@sharedaccess.com

Tennis Ireland Pin Numbers

2011-03-25T15:40:00.000Z

Hi All,

Urgent notice for your attention:

TENNIS IRELAND PIN NUMBERS REQUIRED

As you will be aware at the beginning of this year's winter league campaign all participants are meant to have a "TENNIS IRELAND PIN NUMBER" in order for your results to be entered into the National Player Database . Having gone through the first phase of results (Round Robin Phase) it has come to our attention that some players still have not supplied their PIN number . Due to this reason not all results have been shown . It is necessary for "BOTH" players to have a Tennis Ireland Pin number in order for the results to be displayed in the National Player Database . If you have still not obtained your PIN number please do the following:

Please contact a club official to see if you have been registered (Club Captain or person involved in the organizing of your winter league team)

If you have not been registered by your club you can also register through the Munster Branch Web Site on "http://www.munstertennis.com/"

Or alternatively please contact a member of the clubs Senior Committee to get the club to upload their players

TENNIS IRELAND PIN NUMBERS SHOULD BE ASSIGNED TO ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR CLUB . THEY WILL BE NECESSARY FOR ALL PLAYERS TO ENTER COMPETITION AND THEY ARE ALSO REQUIRED FOR NON COMPETITIVE MEMBERS.

ALL TECHNICAL ISSUES OR QUERIES SHOULD BE SENT TO "itn@tennisireland.ie"

If you have any questions as regards any of the above please contact :

Conor O Callaghan,
E-mail - cpoc1@hotmail.com
Mobile - 0876882286
Ella McCarthy
E-mail - branchadmin@eircom.net

Telephone - 0214812330

Regards,

Munster Branch
Tennis Ireland

First counting event in the Babolat Cork Tennis League

2011-03-25T15:26:00.000Z

Hi guys,

The first counting event of the Babolat Cork Tennis League 2011 is only a month away.

For those of you who don't know about this, it is a league (based on your results in each senior open) that will run from Rushbrooke Easter to Bandon Open at the end of the summer.

The leading male and female will receive for themselves, 2 Babolat rackets of their choice, a racket bag, clothing and footwear.

All you have to do is register. You can register at any stage during the season, but your results will only count from when you do register. Get in early so you can accumulate more points. For more information on the league and to find out how to register click here.

Rushbrooke is always a great event and this year will hopefully prove no different. Players set out their markers for the season ahead and show people what they are going to be up against.

The tournament runs over the Easter weekend from the 22nd to the 25th of April and entries will be taken soon.

Any information regarding entries will be posted here as it becomes available.

First Open Vets due shortly.

2011-03-25T15:07:00.000Z

The first Vets open of 2011 in Cork will take place at Sundays Well Tennis Club from the 14th to the 17th of April.

Following on from the success of last years Munster Vets team rumour has it that competition for places this year will be hotly contested. Seemingly people have being practising hard all winter and some have being travelling to Belfast, Kildare and wherever else they can to play matches.

This bodes well for defending the title especially seen as the Interpros takes place in Munster this year.

Entries for this event close on the 10th of April and you can enter by clicking here.

Djokovic at his best!

2011-03-22T16:00:00.000Z

Looking for someone to play against.

2011-03-05T14:39:00.000Z

Hi all,

Some of you will have regular games arranged in your own clubs, others will be new to clubs or new to Cork and may not have found someone to play against yet. This is open to everyone.

What I am suggesting is an opportunity for everybody to broaden their choice of playing partners. If you are on a day off and looking for a game but can't find anyone in your own club to play with, by coming to this site you will have access to a list of people.

If you are interested in playing more games against a wider variety of players, then email me your name, contact number, your club, if you are off a certain day every week, or your preferred playing times and I will put this information up on the blog so at any stage you can log on and choose from a list of people who may be off at the same time as you.

My email address is rob_leahy@yahoo.co.uk

Davis Cup coming soon.

2011-02-24T23:14:00.000Z

On March the 4th, 5th and 6th Ireland will play Luxembourg in the David Lloyd Riverview Centre, Dublin.
This should be a weekend of very entertaining and high quality tennis, with the hope that a win leads to a home match against Andy Murray and Great Britain.
After some fine team performances last year and our players performing well in tour events around the globe, expectations are high.

Let's hope all goes according to plan and we get the dream tie we had hoped for last year.

Come on Ireland.

Youghal Tennis Club Notes

2011-02-24T22:33:00.000Z

New Members:

Kindly note a reduced rate will apply to new members.
The months of March, April 2011 are free.
The new year commences 1st May 2011 - 30th April 2012.
Current Rates are as follows: Family €200, Adult €150, Student €60 and Junior €50.
All Welcome.

Rushbrooke Tennis Club Prediction League 2011

2011-02-17T16:33:00.000Z

Following the great success of this league last year, Rushbrooke are opening up entries to everyone.

2011 SPORTS PREDICTION COMPETITION

RLTCC

• From the list of Sporting Events for 2011 listed below, simply select one answer to each question/event.

• Scoring for each event is as follows: Winner – 20 points, Runner-Up – 15 points Third -10 points Fourth -6 points, in the event of joint finish/losing semi finalists points will be divided between the relevant positions. (8+8)

• 20 POINTS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR QUESTION 14+15 (for correct answer.)

• In the event of a tie at the end in the overall score, closest answer to the tie-break will be the winner.

• Entry costs €20

• Prize money will be determined by the number of entries received and will be a percentage of all fees received.

• (The bigger the entry the bigger the prize funds.)

• This completed form, plus payment can be given to any committee member or left behind the bar marked 2011 prediction comp. Entries WILL NOT be accepted without payment. All entries must be in by March 31ST.

Entry forms available from the club.
These are the questions to get you thinking.
1) 2011 US Masters Golf winner (April): __________________________________________________________________________
2) 2011 World Snooker Championship winner (April – May): ________________________________________________________
3) 2011 Rugby Heineken Cup winners (May): ______________________________________________________________________
4) 2011 Winners Champions League (Final May) ___________________________________________________________________
5) 2011 Winner Women’s French Open Tennis (May) _______________________________________________________________
6) 2011 Munster GAA Hurling Senior Champions (June – July): ______________________________________________________
7) 2011 Men’s Wimbledon Tennis (June – July): ____________________________________________________________________
8) 2011 Women’s Wimbledon Tennis (June – July): _________________________________________________________________
9) 2011 British Open Golf Championship (July): ____________________________________________________________________
10) 2011 US Men’s Open Tennis (Aug – Sept): ______________________________________________________________________
11) 2011 US Women’s Open Tennis (Aug-Sept) ______________________________________________________________________
12) 2011 GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Winners (May – Sept): ______________________________________________________
13) 2011 Winners Rugby World Cup (Sept-Oct) _____________________________________________________________________
14) 2011 Highest Try Scorer in Rugby World Cup.(20 points only)______________________________________________________
15) 2011 Rugby world cup final points total (20 points only)____________________________________________________________
16) 2011 Formula One World Championship (March –Nov): ___________________________________________________________
17) 2011 League of Ireland Premier Division Winners (ends November): _________________________________________________
18) 2011 FAI (Ireland) Cup Winners (ends November): _______________________________________________________________

TIE-BREAK: Number of points Formula 1Champion will have in 2011________________________
(If target of 100 entries reached: 600/ 1st 300/ 2nd 100/ 3rd+75/4th)

Entries can be posted to:
Prediction League 2011, Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Rushbrooke, Cobh.
(Before 31st march 2011 and including entry fee.)

Winter Leagues well underway.

2011-02-13T15:06:00.000Z

Well it really has being Winter leagues this year with some of the worst weather in years. I knew there was a reason I stopped playing these leagues. Sunday afternoons in the freezing cold, and the possibility of rain, how appealing!

But there are plenty of brave souls out there who have battled hard for their clubs over the winter months and, are now reaching qualification stages, so all the hard work is paying off and should give them a good footing for the season ahead.

There isn't long to go now to the beginning of the 2011 season. Yes, the camera will be out again this year, so I hope Santa was good to you all with new gear.

All tournaments will be reported on with schedules, draws, links and results posted here on the blog.

I hope you are all looking forward to the season ahead as much as I am.

Just as well they can play tennis!

2011-02-01T16:43:00.002Z

40 Great Tennis Sessions.

2011-01-25T15:42:00.002Z

‘Drills are the basic elements that define the structure of all tennis practices.’

Tennis Psychology, International Tennis Federation (2006)

Why do people play tennis? Research tells us that the overriding motive is ‘to have fun’. Fun stems from playing the game and experiencing the excitement of rallying, and from the challenge of competing at the appropriate level... Each chapter of 40 Great Tennis Sessions contains a series of exercises or drills relating to a particular shot or tactic. As a general rule each exercise is a progression from the previous one. This design leads a player forward in a series of small steps, ensuring fast understanding and improvement. Taken as a whole, the exercises in each chapter provide a complete on-court practice session for an important tennis skill. All of the exercises are proven to be effective; I have fine-tuned them on court in the course of my thirty years teaching the game...

This extract is from the foreword to the book '40 Great Tennis Sessions' written by Peter Farrell.
Peter is a prominent Irish tennis coach and with years of experience, Peter has put together a very helpful and interesting read for tennis players of all levels.
The book is available to buy on http://www.amazon.co.uk/ and should be worth a read.

Babolat Cork Tennis Ladder Tournament Schedule

2011-01-25T11:07:00.002Z

Ok guys here is the schedule we will be working from for the Babolat Cork Tennis League.
There are 13 events to pick up as many points as you can.
For a full list of the points breakdown click here.

22\4 - Rushbrooke Easter Open
1\5 - Bishopstown Open Doubles
14\5 - Douglas Open Doubles
29\5 - Kinsale Open Doubles
11\6 - Sundays Well Open
19\6 - Argideen Vale Open (handicap events don't count)
25\6 - Lakewood Open Doubles
2\7 - Carrigaline Open Doubles
9\7 - Rushbrooke Summer Open
13\8 - Douglas Singles Open
20\8 - Lower Aghada Doubles Open
4\9 - Ballinlough Doubles Open
17\9 - Bandon Doubles Open

At this stage we should have our male and female winner, with each one receiving a load of gear in association with Babolat.

Remember you must be registered before you play your first event! Points will not be backdated.

Big win for young David Gardiner

2011-01-21T22:55:00.000Z

2011 has continued in the same vain as 2010 for young Gardiner, playing good tennis and winning tournaments.

This was a big win, this time his win was in an LTA series event in Manchester, where in a 19 man draw, David played some very solid and impressive tennis to win the event.

This doesn't bode well for David's opponents here when the summer season kicks off. He will definitely worry a lot of opponents over the summer.

David is a very dedicated and hard working player and one who is constantly improving. He has something very rare, something a lot of kids his age who play competitively don't have anymore, and that is he actually loves playing and being on court.

I have watched many ETA(U-14) and ITF(U-18) events and very few of the kids look as though they are enjoying themselves, even when they are winning. But David is different, he is looking to play games all the time and during the summer months he spends most of his time on a court, playing, practising or just messing about.

Congratulations Dave on a great win and all the best for the rest of 2011.

Pre Season Training

2011-01-17T21:28:00.000Z

Presumably you are all now well into your pre season training programmes, if you're not why not.

This part of the season is as important if not more important than the on court stuff.

Here's a young Federer to show how his hard work paid off.

New Season gets under way soon

2011-01-14T13:07:00.001Z

The new season gets under way soon and with it the chance for 2 people to win loads of gear from Babolat.

This season using the 2011 Senior Tournament Calender, all winners and runners up will accumulate points and at the end of the season, 1 woman and 1 man will win 2 rackets, a racket bag, a pair of shoes and shorts (or skirt) socks and a t-shirt.

If you play open tournaments and this interests you, all you have to do is register and pay before you play your first tournament.

For a full list of the rules and how to enter click here.

Another title for Niamh Coveney

2010-12-31T09:11:00.000Z

Congratulations yet again to Niamh on winning the National Indoors Doubles Title with Grainne O Neill in Dublin yesterday.

Seeded 2 in the event, they were never really pushed, even in the final where they beat 2 current players on scholarship in the States on a scoreline of 6-3, 6-3.

Well done Niamh and best of luck for 2011.

End of Year Review

2010-12-28T12:19:00.001Z

Well what a year it's being for Cork tennis!

As I sit here with courts just re-opening after the snow, I look back to a very active year for tennis in Cork.

We have had loads of very successful open tournaments, two winning interpro teams packed with players from Cork, internationals at all levels, Irish Open Champions, new courts laid in some clubs and plans for more work in others.

So where to start?

Well firstly let me start by congratulating and saying a big thank you to all volunteers in all clubs who give their time freely to run tournaments, help organise events and generally just give a hand in the day to day running of our clubs.
I had first hand experience of this, when running my own clubs' open tournament this year. The amount of people that were willing to pitch in and give a hand made me very proud to be associated with such a crowd.

Next I want to mention the coaches, yes, it is their job, but they do so much to promote and make tennis enjoyable for all involved and thankfully, at long last, are producing players of a very high calibre.

This year the junior scene in Cork was very strong. I mentioned in an earlier post Bishopstowns Academy and the success they have had, Whitechurch are another club with a very promising junior section and also have players on Munster squads, so this will definitely be a club to watch in team competitions for the coming year.
Rushbrooke are very lucky with the strength they have currently in the junior section and this showed again this year with a lot of their juniors winning open tournaments, doing very well in National events and then having 2 of their juniors picked to represent Ireland in the recent Four Nations, Rachel Daly and David Gardiner.
Well done to all the juniors and keep working hard and who knows soon Cork will be the main provider for all Irish teams.

The senior scene is very active both socially and competitively with more than 500 players taking part in open tournaments across the county. It is a long season for the seniors but none the less very enjoyable and competitve. The season starts at Easter in Rushbrooke and finishes in September with Bandon. And looking at the tournament results for the year, there are a few recurring names but also a good spread of winners across the clubs.
This lead me to design a points system for next years tournaments where by each winner and finalist will receive points and at the end of the year the top man and top woman will win a full Babolat tennis kit, rackets included. For more info click here.

Some of our top seniors had success in various opens around the country this year, in particular Niamh Coveney, who had an amazing year. She was firstly selected to make her Federation Cup debut in Egypt, then was part of the Senior Interprovincial winning team, where she lead from the front and to cap off the year was again selected for Ireland in the Four Nations in Cardiff. She was joined on this team by Jamie Blake who made his Irish debut. Jamie's was a well deserved selection and recognition of a fine year in which he too helped the Munster Senior Interpros to victory in Dundalk.

Finally the vets! Whoever said you mellow as you get older never played Vets tennis. This is as, if not more competitive than any senior event I have ever played in.
We had internationals, double National title winners, a winning Interprovincial team and a competitive circuit that the ATP would be proud of.
Congratulations must be passed on to Grace Reidy and Liam O Brien on representing Ireland in the World Championships in Mexico, to Ann Naughton and Un Ryle with their two National titles and to those four and all Cork players who were part of the winning Interpro team in Belfast this year.

Tennis is fine and healthy in Cork and let's hope it grows stronger in 2011.

One person I have to thank is Derek Lane and his camera for providing some fabulous and very entertaining shots over the course of the year. The hairbrushes' and make up were out more than ever this year and it showed, well done boys, so hopefully the girls will make an effort next year.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the blog in 2010 and your thoughts and articles will be greatly appreciated in 2011.

Rachel Daly, National Matchplay Winner

2010-12-28T11:53:00.000Z

Congratulations to Rachel Daly, winner of the girls U-16 National Matchplay Title.
After 4 gruelling matches Rachel came out on top and finished off a great year in style.
Also this year Rachel success in various open tournaments both in her own age group and the one above, she was selected as an Interpro and then represented Ireland in the Four Nations in Cardiff.
Let's hope 2011 is as successful at least.

Cork Juniors in National Matchplays

2010-12-18T10:33:00.000Z

The National Junior Matchplays are on in Dublin this weekend and some of our top juniors have braved the weather to test their skills against the best of the rest.

To monitor their progress over the weekend, click here.

Babolat Cork Tennis League 2011 Reminder

2010-11-23T20:43:00.001Z

Coming soon, Babolat Cork Tennis League 2011.

Find out how you could win, 2 rackets, a racket bag, a set of clothes and a pair of shoes in 2011.

For more details click here.

Life on the Junior International Circuit - John Morrissey

2010-11-23T18:08:00.002Z

John is a young man following his dream.

The Dream, A Professional Tennis Player, and so far so good.

In internatonal junior tennis your ranking is a combined one based on your doubles and singles results, John has a career high of 30, the highest ranked Irish junior player to date.

In this piece written by John he gives us an insight into life on the tour and what it takes to make it full time.

John is an inspiration to all players out there, but especially juniors.

Thanks to John for taking the time to write this piece, it's well worth a read.

"My name is John Morrissey, I am 18 years old and I have been competing on the ITF Junior tour for the last 3 years and recently the ITF Pro tour as well . I first moved away from home when I was 15 years old not knowing what I was getting into nor how long I would end up living away from home .

It has been amazing: I have been predominately living in Belgium and traveling from there to my tournaments . I have travelled to all 5 continents and played countless tournaments . There is certainly nothing better then when you are traveling seeing new places and meeting great new people and winning , though when you aren't getting great results it can also become very lonely .. and you end up wanting just to come home and see your family . It is also very hard for your family as they want to see you too but I have been lucky in that my parents and siblings have been so encouraging and supportive to me .

Traveling as much as I have you get to meet and the know many other junior players as you are competing at all the tournaments together , and I have been very lucky in that I have met some incredible personalities and some amazing friends ! You learn so much about different cultures and even pick up some bits of different languages!! So there is a lot of fun at these tournaments as well as a lot of HARD WORK!!!

I have had the opportunity to play all four grand slams twice and these tournaments will definitely be one of the major highlights of the last few years for me . As a junior player you get to see the Pro's and if your lucky - which I was - you get to hit with them too !! I practiced with Rafael Nadal twice in Roland Garros !! It was unbelievable and I certainly wont forget that : the speed of his ball, his intensity it is phenomenal !! An other cool thing about the Grand Slams is that you get to eat with the Pro's at some of them : for example I had dinner at the table beside Federer at the Us Open!!

Another huge highlight so far for me was the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, it was only a small draw of 32 elite players. I played amazing throughout the week -beating the world no 3 at that time (Berretta) and ended up making the quarter finals where I lost to Yuki Bhambri a former world No.1 junior. It was an incredible experience as apart from the amazing tennis side of it there were all kinds of athletes there and in the athletes village the mix was incredible- you could have a 4 foot tall gymnast walking on one side of you and a 7 foot tall basket ball player on the other side !!!

Just before the start of every season - from about october to december i take 3 months off tournaments and do pre-season training ; This is by far the hardest part of the year!! I Work on my speed/strength/endurance day after day and the only thing that gets me through it is that I know it is going to help me compete harder and better during the next season!! As I said earlier for the last few years I have been based in Belgium and the fitness trainer there was amazing. So along with his help and the comradery of all the other players doing it along side you it makes it easier and very beneficial!!

My coach Owen Casey has been a great help to me , it was so helpful for me to have someone who was always there for me to call whenever I had any questions about my game or needed any encouragement /advice

As I am 18 now I am starting to move onto the the futures tournaments . I got a wild card into the 15,000 futures in FLTC this summer where i got my first point , so I am hoping that when I get back out playing alot of tournaments I will be able to build on that!"

Irish National Vets Champions - Ann Naughton and Un Ryle

2010-11-23T17:06:00.000Z

In an earlier post, following their success in the Irish Open Vets at Elm Park, I said Ann and Un were a pair to watch for the rest of the season.

Well I was right, following on from this success, the two were deservedly selected for the Vets Interpro team that travelleed to Belfast.

And with some excellent performances from both players, they helped Munster win the Interprovincial title for the first time in 10 years.

Their season didn't didn't end there, recently they travelled to Kilkenny, where they won the O-40 womens doubles, and now they're just getting greedy.

To put the icing on the cake of a fabulous season, they travelled to Lansdowne Tennis Club, where they took on the best the country had to offer and won the 26th National Vets O-40 Doubles Title.

Well done to both players on a tremendous season.

I asked Ann to put a piece together for the blog and the following is her very entertaining piece.

"26th VETERANS’ NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 5-7 November, 2010. Landsdowne Tennis Club.

Many thanks and congratulations to Gerry Clarke and his committee, and to Landsdowne Tennis Club for all their hard work and for the warm welcome afforded the Munster players.

Report:

Several Munster players sharpened their weapons and ventured into Viking territory for the 26th Veterans’ National Championships. The terrain was a little alien: strange speech, tolls to be paid, canals to be crossed, and care to be taken not to disturb the Giant Avivabird’s nest. The scene before us was ‘all white’ and tournament-software-free, and the rules of engagement were enforced by the legendary Leinster warrior, Gerry Clarke and his household, whose mastery of the traditional ancient craft of Running a Tournament with Pens, Paper & No Fuss is certainly to be admired and cherished. The High Queen of Ireland was in attendance all weekend, dispensing graceful smiles and good humour, and her presence from Belfast was very much appreciated.

There were minor skirmishes on Friday night but most Cork players survived, supported by their Munster colleagues from Tipp and Waterford, the Earl of DESmond and Dick of the Decies. Major exchanges took place on Saturday morning, with the Earl of DESmond, Donovan Joe, Ron son of Ó Mahuna, Dave son of Carthaigh, accompanied by their personal Smyth (P), not to mention our Korean martial arts mercenary, Un Fu, all taking scalps in the early part of the day, and facing deadlier opponents in the afternoon session.

As the light faded, some were forced to retreat southwards, leaving the Earl of DESmond, Dick of the Deicies, Un Fu and Ann of the Littler People, all preparing for the final showdowns. Sunday dawned clear and bright and the Earl fought side by side with the best Korea can offer in single combat against Neilus Wilsonia and the Spanish siren, Mitti Cosmos. Our heroes tried valiantly, abused some rackets, but had to concede eventually to stronger players on the day, but not before 3 sets and inflicting some hurt. Mutterings from Mitti to the effect “I’m going mental” may, just may, have had something to do with the Korean Deadly Slice Dropshot!

Dick of the Deicies, naturally, and in his own nonchalant way, claimed another national title partnered by his affable ally from the North, George Lucas. Ann and Un finished the year with their second national title in the ladies doubles over 40, much to the pleasure and bemused smiles of their husbands and children, who hadn’t seen them since they left home for Causeway Vets in late August.

Normal services have now been resumed in all the homes of those who travelled!"

Comments and Feedback Greatly Appreciated

2010-11-21T00:11:00.000Z

Hi guys, as we come to the end of the first year of the blog, any comments or feedback, good or bad is greatly appreciated. You can leave a comment as part of this post or email me at rob_leahy@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks

What to know about Racket Restringing

2010-11-13T21:54:00.002Z

Would you buy a car and never get it serviced?

That, in a sense, is what you're doing if you never get your racket restrung.

People pay good money for their racket and they like the way it plays when new but, over time, the performance of the racket will change and this is mainly due to strings losing tension and with that their ability to perform.

The strings are the engine of the racket and, if you play regularly, your strings should be changed AT LEAST every 6 months.

In most rackets there is only one string throughout the whole racket. Over time, this string can stretch, slip at the knots or, in our weather, absorb moisture and become lifeless.

In this piece, I will go through the various types of strings available, the type of player they suit, their benefits and downfalls and the tension range recommended for your frame.

Generally, unless you buy a frame-only racket and specify the string type and tension, most rackets will be strung with synthetic gut and midway in the recommended range.
The recommended range is the range at which the suppliers think the racket will perform at its best.
Each recommended range usually offers a 10lb margin eg. 50-60lb.

The higher the tension the greater the control, the lower the tension the greater the power.

Different string types offer different levels of power or control. Below are the different string materials available and also the types of player they suit.

String thickness has a strong bearing on how your racket will perform. String thickness or 'gauge' ranges from 15 (thickest) to 19 (thinnest).
Generally, thinner strings offer greater playability and the possibility of more spin as they embed into the ball more while thicker strings offer greater durability.

Material Types:

Synthetic Gut:
This covers both nylon and synthetic gut, since in reality they are the same thing. Synthetic gut is made up of high quality nylon. Most people still use this type of string as it offers a good level of durability, as well as playability, which is what most club players want.
Even in hybrids, which will be explained later, nylon is generally used as the cross strings.

Topspin:
This is still a synthetic gut but with a roughness to it. It offers everything normal synthetic gut offers but with the potential for more spin as the roughness grips the ball more.

Polyester:
This is the fashionable string of the moment and alot of people ask for this string without really knowing what it is supposed to do. It is a more durable string so for the person that is regularly breaking strings it is one worth considering but know what it does before changing over to it.
It doesn't move and deadens the string bed. This allows the hard hitters, fast swingers, to really go after the ball and still have good control.
Polyester strings offer little power or feel, so expect balls to land short of the baseline unless you increase your swing speed to compensate.
Polyester string is not recommended for beginners, or those suffering from tennis elbow.

Hybrids:
This is where players combine polyester mains with a softer cross string, either synthetic gut, or for the professional feel, natural gut.
This offers the durability benefits of polyester and reduces the stiff, dead feel from the string bed.
Again, not recommended for beginners or players with, or prone to tennis elbow.

How to choose your tension:

As I said earlier "the higher the tension the greater the control, the lower the tension the greater the power".

Control - tighter strings, means less deflection and because of this the ball deforms more, providing less return than looser strings. This means the ball won't take off when you hit it.
Beginners who say they want control don't need tight strings, they need a soft, forgiving stringbed that lower tensions provide.

Power - When you lower the tension the stringbed will deflect more and therefore the ball less, returning greater energy to the ball thus giving more power.
One of the benefits of stringing the racket at lower tension is less chance of tennis elbow. This is because lower tensions provide a softer feel and larger sweetspot, reducing the amount of shock and vibration to the arm.

I hope you find this a useful article and if you have any other questions you can email me at rob_leahy@yahoo.co.uk.

Bishopstown Junior Tennis Academy

2010-11-07T20:57:00.000Z

I have being involved in tennis a long time now and it is really only since I started this blog that I have really become aware of how many people play tennis, how important it is to these people and how much work people do to help promote and improve the game here.

One of these people is Conor Twomey, who 2 years ago was given the job as Head Coach for Bishopstown Tennis Club, and his good working relationship with other coaches in the club has produced a Tennis Academy of the highest level, which is now after a very successful year showing the benefit of all their hard work.

I asked Conor to put a piece together to let us know how the Academy started and how the hard work is paying off.

The following is Conors' account of things:

"Overall Bishopstown has had a very successful year, not only in Juniors but in Seniors and in Veterans. Recently, Cork Blog asked me would I be interested in mentioning a few words in relation to our coaching set up as we have had such a thriving year. To fully understand our coaching set up I have to take you back in time to thoroughly appreciate what we have achieved.

I'm in my car and i'm driving home. It's eight o'clock in the evening and i've just had my interview to become the head coach of Bishopstown Tennis Club. I'm feeling confident about how things went but not overly certain, but I believe i've laid out a good plan of where I would like the club to be in three to five years time. The following day, the call comes through, i've got the job as head coach of Bishopstown Tennis Club.
The first thing to do is to assess where we are at as a club, primarily the Junior side. Over the next few weeks I begin to realise that I am up the creek without a paddle, and a boat that's beginning to fall apart, and the crocodiles are baying for me. We have 1 mini tennis net, 3 soccer balls (punctured) and a couple of furry tennis balls that resemble candy floss from the circus. Numbers are just over a hundred, performance players are thin on the ground, if any. Three of our best Juniors have had to leave the club as there is not a high enough standard for them to play with.

There were plenty of negatives so I had to look for the positives and it was only when I started looking that I realised there were plenty of beneficial aspects to the club. We had a fantastic new chairman, Robert Murphy, and we had some brilliant people involved in the Junior side. Straight away I knew from my experience in sport at any level, you need to have a great team with you so I began assembling a team. The first priority was to increase the numbers attending coaching and the best way to do this was to start making it fun again, the best person I knew to do this was Conor Clarke. In my opinion he is the Rafael Nadal of fun and personifies and is the template of what everything a coach should aspire to be.
Fia O'Farrell also came on board as a Junior co-ordinator and tennis assistant and between the three of us with the support of our Junior committee and chairman, we spent a bit of money, bought some new equipment, pumped up the music, blew up the inflatable targets and started having fun with the kids. Within the year our numbers had increased by a third. Stage one complete.

We're in the car and we're driving home. It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We've just been hammered by Bandon in an U10 friendly. To say the atmosphere in the car is tense would be an understatement. Silence is deafening, followed by loud thumps on the dash board by both myself and Conor Clarke. We swear that day, that this will never, ever happen again.

Year 2 - due to the increasing numbers attending coaching, we are able to expand our coaching staff. The first quality I look for in a coach is passion, passion for the game, passion for coaching but most of all someone who truly cares. In steps Cian Blake. Here was a guy with very little experience at coaching and also very young, but has played and helped coach his brother Jamie to a high level and shown a hunger and a drive to succeed. They are exactly the qualities we are looking for to take us to the next level. It is at this point myself, Conor Clarke, Cian Blake reinvent Bishopstown Juniors to become Bishopstown Junior Tennis Academy.

Over the next two years we set up Academy coaching, where each of our coaches, coach the Academy on a voluntary basis throughout the year. It is in these extra sessions that we begin to develop and nurture the fine young tennis athlethes that we have now. Their results are a testament to the hard work that people have put in but most of all a reflection of what outstanding players they are. We are often congragulated and praised on what a great job we've done, but I don't think we've done a great job, we've just done our job. That's what we're paid to do. To me, the real hard work is the work put in by the players and the fantastic volunteers we have in our club. People like Denise McCarthy, Paula Milanne, Michelle Johnston, Caroline Moloney, Robert Murphy, Sandra Lane, Mary Foyle, Catherine Quinn, Mary Mountjoy, in fact the list is endless.

We're in the car and we're driving home. It's four o'clock in the afternoon and the last tournament of the year (Ballinlough) has just finished. We've just won the boys U9's, runner up in the girls U10's, winner of the boys U10's, winner and runner up of the girls U11's and winner of the girls U13's. There is a silence in the car, but not the silence that was experienced two years ago on the way home from Bandon. This silence reflects a feeling of those summer evenings where you're sitting down, relaxed, watching the sun set with not a care in the world. Absolute bliss.

Im in my car, just pulling in to work, and right now there is coaching six days a week with six coaches and a waiting list for coaching. A fully equipped shed that would be the match of any academy anywhere in the world, and each player has a strong identity with their club and I would hope proud members of Bishopstown Junior Tennis Academy. Where we go from here is down to the energy and drive of everyone pulling together to achieve one goal, which is to be recognised as one of the best clubs in Ireland. As I speak our coaches travel every weekend to different squads all over Munster to enhance their skills and become better coaches which in turn will produce better players, which is our only goal . This is a great sport with some great people. Ask not what your club can do for you but what you can do for your club, and anything can be achieved.

Conor Twomey
Head Coach Bishopstown Tennis Club

Cork Tennis

Sports Psychology Course

Lower Aghada Press Release.

Tennis Apps available for your phone.

Babolat Play and Connect - The Future of Tennis.

The New Pure Drive - From beginning to now.

A recent interview with Garry Cahill, Irish Davis Cup Captain.

Irish Davis Cup Debutant Sam Barry hits with Nadal

Pre Season Training

The Pros and re-stringing.

You could win these and more!

Irish Davis Cup Team Named.

Adding weight to rackets?

Cork Clubs Roundup

Tennis Psychology

Tennis Elbow - What a pain!

Babolat Cork Tennis League Returns?

Pressure Ball - Put the bounce back in your old balls!

Never Throw Out Another Soft Tennis Ball!!!

Ensure that your Tennis Balls Always Perform like NEW!!! Save Money by using your balls longer

Product Reviews

KT Tape - The Tape the Pros swear by!

Suffering from Injuries - This will help.

Fed up suffering from injuries and taking ages to get over them? Ice not working for you! Well here's a product that has proven results and is used by athletes and medical professionals all over.

Have You Got Physicool?

Plenty Happening in Youghal Tennis Club.

Bishopstown Open Vets Doubles 2011

Tennis Talk Available to All Clubs

Great New Tennis Book Available.

Babolat Cork Tennis League Mens Winner

Inaugural All Ireland Senior Team Tennis Open Championships

The King retires

Senior Open Season ends with Bandon Open

The truth!

D - Day for the mens winner of the Babolat Cork Tennis League

Babolat Cork Tennis League

Senior Vets win back to back Interpros

Ballinlough Senior Open Results

East Cork Senior Open Results

Veterans Interpros comes to Cork.

Great Article from the New York Times Tennis Blog.

Ballinlough Open starting soon

Interfirm In Rushbrooke

Calling all tennis players: Teams are coming through for the Inter-firm in aid of the Irish cancer society. To enter use the on-line link above or contact Eamonn Crotty on 087-9863805 or entry forms are available from the bar.

Anybody not part of a team and wishing to play can also send in their details and they will be put into a team. Please note that all proceeds from this event are going to the Irish cancer society.

East Cork Senior Open Underway

Douglas Senior Open Singles Tournament

William Fry Junior Irish Open - Fitzwilliam

FDC Championships of County Cork

Carrigaline Senior Open Results

Lakewood Senior Open Results

A double for Coveney in fine style.

Gardiner is on a roll.

Fitzgerald rules in Limerick

Bishopstown Junior Open - Enter here

Season well underway across all levels.

Babolat Cork Tennis League Updated Scores

Munster Senior Open 2011 - Results

Best of luck Conor.

Kinsale Open Results

Amusing!!

Federer - Did he do it or not?

Babolat Cork Tennis League Updated Scores

St.Michaels Open Vets

Douglas Senior Open Doubles

Bishopstown Senior Doubles Results

New website for Douglas Tennis Club

Cork Senior Open Tournament Calender

South of Ireland Open Veterans Championship 2011

Babolat Cork Tennis League Underway

Bishopstown Senior Doubles next up.

Coveney Cleans up at Rushbrooke

FDC South of Ireland Omni Court Championship 2011

Sundays Well - Munster Vets Open 2011

Draws now available for Sundays Well Vets Open

Enter Rushbrooke Easter Open here.

Babolat Cork Tennis League - Don't miss out!

Emily Daly, top of the pile.

Winter League Finals this weekend.

The String Thing - Coming soon to Maher Sports.

Ensure that your Tennis Balls Always Perform like NEW!!!
Save Money by using your balls longer