Catherine Byrne, Karen Walsh, Brenda Walsh and Emma Bolger at Carlow Lawn Tennis Club
Photo: Thomas Nolan Photography.
By Kieran Murphy
THE Women in Sport Come and Try Day on Saturday which was jointly organised by Tennis Ireland, Badminton Ireland, Irish Squash and Table Tennis proved to be a tremendous success. Hosted by Carlow Lawn Tennis Club there were over 55 registrations while a number of people also turned up on the day.
Clíona Connolly, who is Chairperson of Carlow Lawn Tennis Club, was delighted with the turnout where all four sports at their Oak Park venue entertained inquisitive visitors who expressed an interest in playing some if not all the racquet sports.
“The organising bodies put on a great spread. Teas, coffees and refreshments were provided for the coaching conference which started off the day,” said Clíona.
The club provided racquets, balls, shuttle cocks etc. free of charge and anyone who turned up was introduced to the club facilities.
“We got some great feedback in regards to all the sports including table-tennis which was great to see,” said Clíona who emphasised that all sporting disciplines are treated equally in the club.
“It is important that we have all four sports. Tennis is hugely popular. Badminton has grown immensely. Squash continues to grow and we have seen a lot of new members coming in especially in the women’s end to it as well.
“We would love to get table-tennis going in a formal capacity. It is popular at the moment but it is informal. It would be great to get a coach on board if there was any interest shown.”
Nothing happens without the work of leaders and diligent volunteers. Clíona says the club is lucky to have so many people who want to take leadership roles or get involved at committee level.
“We have a fantastic squash captain in Fintan Olwill. An amazing badminton captain in Gokul Sethuram and Paul Murray who is very active in the club.
Aoife O’Sullivan is employed by Tennis Ireland but she is also involved in the Carlow club itself,” explained Clíona.
“Along with the captains and the executive committee a huge amount goes on both behind the scenes and playing games. We aim to keep all sports going and we want to keep the balance between all the sports. It is really important to keep that.”
All disciplines in the club have a mixture of men and women who compete against each other and do so very successfully.
“In the squash we have Ciara Moloney who is a fantastic squash player. It is really great to see so many talented lady players coming through in all sports.
“The ladies are definitely holding their own which is fantastic to see. Some of the ladies are very strong and would give many of the lads a run for their money. We know the men are quite happy to allow ladies fill in with their groups. There is a very even ground when it comes to men and ladies playing together,” pointed out the club Chairperson.
If you want to contact the club regarding joining, you can email [email protected]
