New Ross Badminton Club

September 04

The Badminton club awoke from its summer slumber on Monday the 6th September when it opened its doors for the new season.  Applications are now being taken for membership for both adult and juveniles with new members of all categories most welcome.  Age is no barrier to starting the game but suitable playing gear such as a tracksuit and runners are mandatory.  The first night is free for new adult members with rackets and shuttles available for those wishing to try the sport before making a final decision. Club members are joining for recreational and fitness purposes and for the opportunity of participating in a highly skilful and competitive sport played over the winter months.  Membership is very reasonable and the season extends from now until the end of April 2005.  

There will be no play on Monday next the 13th September when the club’s Annual General Meeting will take place in the Vocational College starting at 8.30 p.m. The outgoing chairman Martin Regan is asking as many members as possible to attend as there are several important items down for discussion that will affect the club for the future.

This season the club welcomes back Colm Byrne to their ranks after a seven year absence.  Colm was the clubs top player before his move to Carlow in 1997 and his return and that of Noel Carton from Clonroche makes the selection for team places on the club teams that much more intense, but a welcome headache for the selectors.   Colm and Noel will also add significantly to the standard of competition in the clubs singles ladder which will begin on the 1st October with Ralph Stone bidding to hold on to the title he won so dramatically last season. The next club competition on the season calendar will be the club team event which will take place in early December. 

Parents and guardians are reminded that applications are now being taken for the junior club membership for 2004/05 (children aged 9 to 13 years ).  A waiting list has applied in this category for the past number of years so anyone interested in joining should contact the club immediately.  Applications are also being taken for new adult members for both beginners and experienced players.  Coaching for beginners and novice players will take place shortly.

New Ross Badminton club has begun the season brightly with large numbers turning up for most of the club practice nights and the club having a more international flavour with players from Ireland , Germany and Poland making up its membership.  

At the clubs AGM it was very much a changing of the guard with many of the out going officers stepping down after many years of service.  In his final address to the club as chairman Martin Regan thanked all the members for their support over his six years in the chair and wished his successor the very best.  Also retiring was the club secretary Brideen Lynch, Treasurer Pat Lynch and vice chairperson Rosemary Burke.  The resulting elections saw Ralph Stone elected as Chairman, with Neil Barrett as Secretary.  Martin Regan is the new treasurer and vice –chairman is Adrian Delaney.  Anne Walsh is the new Youth Officer, with Pat Lynch continuing as the club P.R.O. Valerie Roche, Helen Moore and Andrew Wayland complete the rest of the committee.   After his election the new chairman Ralph Stone said that the club owed a huge debt of gratitude to the outgoing officers for all their hard work and dedication over many years.  He was glad to see that many were not lost entirely to the club administration and that they were remaining on in a different capacity.  He welcomed all the new members and was looking forward to another successful season.  

New Ross Badminton club has 3 teams competing in the Wexford mixed league and one team in the Waterford division 3 men’s doubles league.  Colm Byrne marks his return to the club after a seven year absence on the Wexford division 1 team where he is joined by Rosemary Burke, Pat Lynch and Brideen Lynch.  Ralph Stone heads the division 2 team with Orla Deegan, Celine Hayes and Pat Lynch.  The division 5 team panel will be chosen from Adrian Delaney, Andrew Wayland , Helen Moore, Christina Sinnott and Sue Barrett .  New Ross were runners up in the Waterford 3rd division last season and will be hoping to go one better this time around.  That team is Neill Barrett, Pat Furlong , Andrew Wayland and Wayne Redmond.  

Several members of New Ross Badminton club juvenile section have received invitations to apply for the Wexford Regional Badminton Development Squads.  The successful applicants will be part of an elite group of 16 to receive top level coaching in order to maximise their badminton potential.  Among those invited to apply for inclusion on the squad are: Amanda Kelly, Laura Lynch, Kevin Burke, Peter Meggs, Claire Mernagh, Claire Rheinhart, Aoife Bennett, Eanna Burke, Brian Mernagh, Gavin Mernagh, Joseph Meggs, Aisling Barrett, Cliona Barrett, Grainne Burke, Susan Cullinane and Saibh Dolan.  Closing date for applications is the 15/10/04 and an information pack and application forms are now available from the club Youth Officer Anne Walsh, or by contacting the squad co-ordinator Pat Lynch at 086-3213683.

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