Meath teams bid for final places at Baldoyle

This weekend Meath Badminton Association (MBA) will have teams in action in four categories at the Leinster Badminton Association semi-finals at Baldoyle on Sunday 31st March. 

The Meath teams that will be competing are: 

Grade 1 - Ann Gorman, Clare Martin, Ciara Maguire, Orla Deegan, Seamus Halpin, Paul Ennis; 

Grade 3 - Eoghan Farrell, Tom Somers, Joe Knox, John Healy, Peter Russell, Valerie Lynch, Leanne Whelan, Aoife Maguire, Esther Mulvihill, Fiona Carty; 

Grade 4 - Ollie Mulvany, Kyle Dunphy, Peter Russell, John Mooney, Dermot Crowley, Sean Kelly, Susan Murphy, Mary Bird, Linda Byrne, Siobhan Evens-Jones.

Grade 5 - Shane Harmon, Dan Prunty, Darryl Claire, Anthony Gogarty, Karl Somers, Marie Boyle, Liz McCaughley, Rachel McEntee, Lorraine Fay, Leona Gogarty.

The Meath Grade 4 players who qualified for the Leinster semi-finals (from left): were: back - Kyle Dunphy, Peter Russell, Ollie Mulvany, John Mooney, Dermot Crowley, Sean Kelly; front - Susan Murphy, Mary Bird, Linda Byrne, Siobhan Evens-Jones.

LOOKING BACK 

However, the Meath badminton story started some 50 years ago when the MBA was established in September 1969.

This year the MBA will celebrate 50 years of organising a variety of competitions for players of all ages in the county and surrounding areas with a 50th anniversary outing that will take place on Friday 17th May in the Darnley Lodge , Athboy.

The MBA had its origins in the very successful Kells and District League which was set up by the very progressive Kells Badminton Club in 1959.

By the mid 1960s there were 15 clubs participating in the Kells and District League across three divisions, later expanding to four.

The organising committee also expanded beyond the founding Kells club and had members from many of the other participating clubs which ranged from Mullingar, Cavan, Monasterboice and Kingscourt as well as a host of Meath clubs. By 1968 there were 26 teams playing in this league.

“It was probably a natural progression when, in 1969, the idea of forming a Meath Badminton Association was put forward by the Kells club, and in particular Victor Duffy (RIP) to look after the league and the continued growth of the sport,” Meath Badminton Association official Mary Bird told the Meath Chronicle.

The first officers of the MBA were Victor Duffy, Ray Gillett, Leslie Clarke and Stephen Strong.

CURRENT COMMITTEE

The 2018 / 2019 Meath Badminton Association committee (from left): back - Michael Farrelly, match secretary, (Kildalkey), Mary Bird, treasurer, (Athboy-Kells), Jill Olwill (Wilkinstown), Anneke de Jong (Kilmessan), Cecelia Murtagh (Dunderry), Walter Rountree, chairperson, (Bailieboro); front - Charlene Campbell (Athboy-Kells), Leanna Cusack (Ardee), Deirdre Murray, secretary, (Kildalkey), Catherine McCooey, juvenile secretary, (Longwood). Other members of the committee include Seamus Halpin, inter-county secretary (Kilmessan), Declan Sheridan (Navan), Ciara Maguire (Longwood).

The Meath Badminton Association  took over the running of the league with it being renamed the Meath and District League (shortened over the years since to the Meath League).

In October 1970 the association organised the Meath championships for individual players (singles and doubles) and this is still one of the highlights of the calendar.

Initially it was one open competition but in 1979/’80 a second division was added and then further developed into separate sections to correspond with all league grades. 

The growth in popularity of the sport continued - by 1978 there were 66 teams across six divisions (Senior, Div 1, Div 2, Div 3, Div 4, Novice) from 25 clubs.

By 1984 there were 82 teams from 35 clubs and many of the Meath clubs also competed in the Dublin and District League.

That year also the next milestone in the development of the MBA was the adoption of a new constitution, affiliation and registration rules.

Up to then there had just been league rules. A cup competition for all divisions was also introduced to extend the competitive playing season, in addition to a ladies novice four-person league.

The social aspect of badminton has always been very healthy amongst players – not only at league matches and tournaments, but also celebrating at the end of the season.

In 1986 the MBA launched its first annual presentation night which is now a well-established event 

Those who played in the boom badminton years of the ‘80s and ‘90s will remember that there were eight players on each team in the Mixed League which was the main league.

Each tie consisted of eight matches (nine if there was singles involved), but in the early 2000s the decision was made to reduce the teams in the Mixed League to four.

April 1998 was a historic month for Meath Badminton as an international badminton match came to the Royal County. A match between Ireland and France was staged in Claremont Stadium,  with the BUI afterwards being very fulsome in their praise of how well the MBA organised the event.

It was attended by over 400 people with a presentation to the players after the match made by then TD and Minister for the Environment Noel Dempsey.

In 2006 there was quite a change made to the game of badminton with the introduction by the Badminton World Federation of a new scoring system which was adopted by Badminton Ireland and subsequently by the MBA.

This meant each match would consist of the best of three games to 21 with a point scored on each rally as opposed to the old traditional format of three games to 15, but with players only to score when serving.

This new scoring system shortened the duration of matches and at international level has been welcomed by the TV media, leading to increased coverage of the sport. 

Despite competition from an increasing list of varied sporting and leisure pursuits badminton is still very strong in Meath, with the Meath League second only to the Dublin and District League.

The MBA presently has 19 affiliated clubs with three league and cup competitions – mixed, men’s and ladies, which have an entry of 126 teams competing across eight grades this season.

There are 420 adults affiliated and 160 juveniles who have u-age leagues and championships.

“The present committee of the MBA would like to express their appreciation to all previous committee members for their contribution over the decades, in particular former chairpersons now deceased (RIP) – Victor Duffy, Ray Gillett, Sean Holland, Mervyn Clarke, Michael Denning and Martin Craig,” added the Meath Badminton Association official.