Badminton update
On Wednesday 29 March Jen Monaghan's Grade 3B Mix hosted the Grade 3 League Champions Baltinglass. This match can only be described as an epic contest. After the first four games Jen's team were 3-1 down with only Vincent Coller and Oisin Egan winning in their second mens game. Chelsey Cox and Vincent Coller then took a game back in first mix. Things again started to look bleak when Kathrin Logan and Enda O’Neill lost their mix in two tough sets. Jen went out with her partner Barry O’Neill and led from the front like all good captains and the KBC pair took their game in three sets, it was all down to the fourth mix with only a victory in the game giving KBC a chance. Out stepped Sarah “The Terrier” Walshe and Oisin “Daddy Cool” Egan and they did not disappoint taking their game in three sets, so the match went to the dreaded countback. With KBC equal in sets it then went to point countback, out with the calculators and lo and behold KBC 307 points, Baltinglass 307 points so the match had to be decided with a sudden death set between the first mix of Baltinglass and Kilcullens premier mix pair, Chelsey and Vincent, one set to 21 with the winner taking the spoils.
If we thought Sarah and Oisin were good under pressure well Chelsey and Vincent were that multiplied by two, in a fine display of Badminton KBC’s duo took the set 21-18, keeping their cool in a fired up atmosphere. Congratulations go to Jen and her team who now will play another tough match this time against Bough in their semi final in April.
In the other end of the Grade 3 draw Mick Cass and his Kilcullen Grade 3A team played their Semi Final also at home to Ballinabranna of Carlow. This contest was a one sided affair with “The Rags” only dropping the one game. KBC were triumphant on a score of 7-1 just showing the talent on this excellent team. It’s a team that will be hard beat in the Final but could it be an all KBC final affair again, we will have to wait and see. Well done and congratulations to captain Mick, Bernie Smyth, Tara O’Neill, Karen O’Neill, Barbara Coffee, Owen Wallace, John Mullen and Ray Dalton.
In the Dublin District League, Olivier and his Division 9 Mix team played St Brigids on Thursday 30 March. Olivier and his team had had an impressive win the night before beating Raheny 4-0. This win had given his team a chance of qualification and needed a 2-2 draw to assure their Quarter Final spot, third place St Brigid's however needed at least a 3-1 to leapfrog second place Kilcullen and secure their place in the knockout stages. Try as they might the KBC outfit couldn’t reach their target and were beaten 3-1, leaving the only one point behind St Brigid's and two points behind table toppers Greystones. Hard luck to Olivier, Meave Valroy, Teresa McGlynn and Sean McGrath.
Oisin Egan and his Division 7 Men also just missed out on the knockout stages by one point. Oisin and his men did finish on a high, however, and beat their Boyne counterparts 4-0. Hard luck to Oisin, Kasi Va, Fintan Phelan and young gun Ben Phelan.
Debbie Mangan and her Division 3 Mix have qualified for the Quarter Finals and will meet Carlow YM next Wednesday 05 April in Baldoyle. Debbie and the gang played their final group match against St Brigid's on Thursday 30 March and obtained a 2-2 draw, keeping them second in the table. Well done to Debbie, Sinead Kelly, Murt Dunne and David Jackson on a great league campaign so far.
