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Broadford badminton to take on All-Ireland challenge

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BROADFORD Badminton Club received another boost this weekend when they were crowned Munster Community Games champions in the University of Limerick Arena, for a  second year in succession.
After their win over Ennis St John’s last month, to win the Clare title, the U-15 team, led by Clare star Damien Kiniry, booked their place at the national finals after emphatic wins over Kerry and Waterford.
The Community Games national finals are being held in Athlone at the end of May (28, 29 and 30) and the East Clare parish will no doubt travel in great numbers as the team hopes to go one better this year after losing out to Wexford in the 2009 final and bring an All-Ireland home to Clare.
The Broadford team consisted of Lorraine Kiniry, Cliona O’Brien, Siobhán O’Connell, Róisín O’Connell, Aoife Dillon, Damien Kiniry (captain), Shane Taylor, Diarmuid Moloney, Shane Kiniry and Stiofán Marsh McMahon.

In Munster squad

BROADFORD Badminton Club was well represented at the inter-pros, held last week in Badminton Ireland’s headquarters in Baldoyle. Damien Kiniry, Lorraine Kiniry, Shane Taylor and Diarmuid Moloney travelled with teammates Megan Bredin and Ciara Dwyer from Ennis, Cork’s Lisa Howard and Waterford’s Conor Brown and Stephan Walsh to compete against Connacht, Ulster and Leinster teams. Munster were drawn against Ulster first in the round robin tournament, followed by Leinster in their second match and finally against a very strong Connacht. Ulster were victorious on the day beating Leinster in the final.

Clare figure in inter-county finals

CLARE Badminton sent four teams to the UL Arena last Sunday to compete in Series 2 of the highly successful Munster Inter-county Challenge. Clare had already won the first series in Limerick’s Ard Scoil Rís, at U-13 and 15 and were determined to do the double on this occasion. Under the rules as winner of Series 1, Clare had to field a completely new team in both age groups. It is a testament to the work being at county level, that the children selected for Series 2, proved every bit a strong as their victorious teammates the last day out, as Clare had three teams in finals at U-11, U-13 and U-15.
The U-11 team, managed by Mary Browne, took home gold beating a fancied Cork outfit, seeing off Kerry and Tipperary on the way to the showdown with Cork. The team consisted of Ennis’ Sally Molloy, Allana Browne, Karen McNamara, Cathal Ruan, Aaron Moloney and Brian Meeney, Broadford’s Alexandra Troy and Paraic Donnellan and Ardnacrusha’s Brian McNamara.
The U-13 team were runners-up to Cork in a great final, having pulled out all the stops by beating Kerry 11 – 9 in the semi-final. The team was managed by Wilma Ryan and consisted of Annaghneal’s Edel McNamara, Conor Hayes, Ciarán Hickey, Broadford’s Siobhán O’Connell, Ardnacrusha’s Michelle Powell, Nicole Shanahan, Ennis’ Áine Ryan, Maurice Molloy and David Moloney and Milltown Malby’s Seán Hanrahan.
The U-15 team met Cork again in another thrilling final, the two teams level on eight points with two mixed games to play and four points at stake. Cork had the upper hand though in two well-contested games, taking all four points. The Clare team consisted of Broadford’s Shane Taylor, Diarmuid Moloney, Shane Kiniry and Lorraine Kiniry, An Droichead’s Moya Ryan, Ennis’ Sarah Jane O’Connell, Killaloe’s Peter O’Leary and Ardnacrusha’s Róisín Rynne.
The U-17 team managed by Al Bredin gave a good account of themselves against strong opposition from Kerry, Waterford and Tipperary. The final was won by Kerry beating a fancied Waterford team. The Clare team was Broadford’s Damien Kiniry, Milltown Malbay’s Daniel Blake, Gus Labane and Paraic Flynn, Ennis’ Kate Bredin, Sinéad Flynn, Megan Bredin, Amy McNamara and Suzy Molloy.

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