ACE! - The Official Magazine of Munster Tennis - May 2021 by Munster Tennis

THE MAGAZINE OF MUNSTER TENNIS

In This Issue :

Our Davis Cup Co-Captain

Interview with Cyprus bound Cian

Thank You, Mr. President Appreciation To Eddie Ronayne

Brighter Times Ahead

Performance squads photos

Talented Youngsters Photos of Satellite squads

Magic Number 20

Meet the new committee

Club Visits Return Bishopstown up first

Plus Much More In 60+ pages

Edition 3 - May 2021

Cover Pic : Cian Blake at The Munster Tennis Hub in Fota Island Resort for a photoshoot for this editon of ACE! to celebrate his co-captaincy of the Irish Davis Cup Team. Photo and artwork by Kevin Mullen.

THERE IS NEW HOPE & POSITIVITY Dia daoibh a chairde. As the new president of Munster Tennis I would like to welcome you to the third edition of ACE!, the Munster Tennis Magazine. I am honored to have been recently elected as President of Munster Tennis and I will endeavor to do my very best for the advancement of Munster Tennis itself and Tennis in general in our Province. I wish to offer my sincere thanks to the outgoing president Eddie Ronayne who worked tirelessly in the interests of Munster Tennis for the past two and a half years both as President and previously for many years as Tournaments Convener and as a very active Branch Council member. As I write there is new hope and positivity even though it is still a very difficult time for everyone. Tennis Clubs are finally open again and we can look forward to an announcement in the not to distant future of Tournaments being allowed again even with some restrictions. I am determined that Munster Tennis will make every effort to run and host as many tournaments as we can to help get our sport moving again. We will work closely with Tennis Ireland in this regard. Tennis is one of the safer sports in relation to the issues related to the current pandemic and hopefully this will allow for the safe running of Tournaments for the rest of the year. When Tournaments do open again the great new innovation is the World Tennis Number (WTN) which is a universal Ratings system for all players and will help to ensure that Tournaments are more evenly seeded in 3

future and that every single match will go towards a players rating and it can go up or down. This will ensure more competitive matches for the future for all. For much more details, visit this quick link : bit.ly/tennisirelandwtn I am also delighted to see after many years of effort by the Branch Council and campaigning by many players to see National Rankings for Junior, Senior & Seniors online in recognition of our best players and their efforts on the court. Munster Tennis has grown significantly in recent years (up to last year) and we hope as we move out of the pandemic that we can grow Munster Tennis even further. At the last count we have 48 Affiliated Clubs across the six counties and we have set a target to try to reach a total of 55 by the end of the year. It isn’t going to be easy but there are many important areas where Munster Tennis & Tennis Ireland can help clubs such as Child Protection, Safe-guarding, Tournaments etc. And we are confident more clubs will affiliate. I would like to welcome all the newly affiliated Clubs in 2021. The most important consideration is that working together as a team we are stronger. It is important that all Tennis Clubs in Munster affiliate and contribute their own small bit to supporting our sport. Furthermore, the more Clubs we represent, the more supports we can get for those clubs either ourselves and Tennis Ireland or through Government Agencies. Munster Tennis will continue to strive this year to work with as many stakeholders are possible such as Local Authorities to further advance our sport and to cater for all parts of our communities and to help expand Tennis Facilities in the Province. It is important that Local Authorities understand what our sport and our clubs have to offer. As things open up and we are running events again we will look to once more work with our Commercial partners and in particular Fota Island Resort where our Offices are based. Keep a watch out on developments in this 2 4

area and please support Munster Tennis Partners where possible. I think that Munster Tennis is in a strong position to bounce back once things are fully opened up. We have a strong branch council of 20 people and numerous sub-committees together with our staff working tirelessly for the advancement of our sport. If we don’t continuously promote our sport and get the message out about it and our tournaments we will fall behind other sports and activities. To this end we have set up a new Communications committee which will help develop this area for Munster Tennis going forward and provide support to our Commercial Manager. I hope you enjoy this edition of the magazine and I hope to see some of you during the year at one of the many events that hopefully will be going ahead. The Tennis community is a great community with a great social scene. Long may it continue. Déanfaimid ár ndícheall. Is mise le meas

Robert M. Cummins Uachtarán Leadóige na Mumhan

Meet The New Committee - turn to pages 64/64 to see who is serving on the Munster Branch for 2021/22

THANK YOU, EDDIE! It’s all change at Munster Tennis this year as Eddie Ronayne comes to the end of his term as President. Eddie is a keen and active tennis player and member of Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club for many years where he served in a variety of committee roles, including Tennis Captain and Chairperson. He brought all of his experience from both playing in and running tournaments with him when he joined Munster Tennis, and his experience and know-how has been a real asset. On becoming President Eddie was clear from the start that his intention was to promote tennis as a game for all. Being President is a huge commitment that stretches beyond Munster and Eddie proved to be a strong representative for Munster in Tennis Ireland. Whether it was Finance committees, Competitions committees or strategy development, Eddie ensured that the Munster perspective was well represented at National level. The last two years have been a busy time. Munster Tennis has seen a tremendous increase in player participation and club involvement in events. Winter League, Summer Cup, Schools Tennis, Junior Squads, Seniors/Vets or Club Mark. Eddie was always available, and working hard to make sure Munster events were a success. Wherever possible, he also attended various events at different clubs throughout the region. When the COVID pandemic struck and Tennis came to a halt, under Eddie’s leadership, Munster Branch continued to meet, to provide support and ensure all protocols, guidance and restrictions were available to clubs as they endeavoured to comply with the requirements of life in a pandemic.

Notwithstanding the challenges faced over the tenure of his presidency, Eddie remained cool under pressure and passionate about tennis across Munster. His calm voice and wry sense of humour were weapons he wielded with aplomb and tact and he led by example through a difficult time for all. We thank him sincerely for the enthusiasm and dedication he showed throughout. Happily Eddie’s experience and energy will not be lost to Munster as although he steps down as President, he is continuing on as a member of the Branch. Thank you, Eddie!

FINALLY, WE ARE BACK! It is great that we are all finally on court, singles, doubles, mixed, juniors, coaching. With return to competition looming on the 7th June we are awaiting “Return to Competition” guidelines from Sport Ireland and on receipt of those we will be back in the swing of things. Senior and Junior Opens, Seniors Tournaments and Munster Tennis competition all on the card. It is anticipated that things will be a little different however, with reduced entries and smaller draws, reduced scoring and perhaps, at the start, no spectators. A matter of priority of course will be completing the Summer Cup Finals from 2020. 12 finals to be played and once we receive the guidelines we will inform those involved as soon as possible of dates, venues and all the necessary information. The directory is constantly being updated with additional players and I would remind clubs that if you have new members please ensure to get them graded and on the directory before we return to competition. All points stand until the end of this season. We are running a number of summer camps in Fota over the months and further details of these will be available shortly. Have a great summer of tennis everybody! ________________________________ Tríona Buckley - Administration Manager admin@munstertennis.ie 087 706 1230

ENJOY TENNIS BACK AT LIMERICK LAWN Getting back on court has meant Enjoy Tennis activities could start moving again as well. Limerick Lawn Tennis Club hosted the first session with Dochas - Midwest Autism Support on May 2nd. Two groups attended coaching with Sinead Dunne, with all going very well and the players enjoying their experience on court and happy to report enthusiastically that they would all be back soon! Keep an eye out for more new groups getting going over the next while across Munster, or please do feel most to contact me if you would like your club to get involved with Enjoy Tennis.

RE-ACCREDITATIONS BEGIN FOR CLUBS The Clubmark accreditation lasts for three years, with re-accreditation required after this period. We are currently at the stage where the first clubs to originally achieve their Clubmarks are going through the re-accreditation process. Sunday’s Well Boating & Tennis Club were the first to complete their re-acceditation in January and I was delighted to presented them with their new plaque in April. There are currently three other clubs going through the re-accreditation process and five clubs at various stages of their original application across the three levels, who we hope to complete by the end of the year.

Liz Presents The Re-Accredited Gold ClubMark to Dave Hannam of Sunday’s Well Boating & Tennis Club Liz Clifford - Regional Development Officer liz.rdo@tennisireland.ie 087 758 1214

MUNSTER’S IRELAND CO-CAPTAIN! Ireland will compete in the Davis Cup Europe Group III event in Larnaca, Cyprus from 16th to 19th June with the goal of qualifying for Group II later in the year. The official draw takes place on 15th June where two pools of teams will be decided.

Other nations in Europe Group III include Cyprus, Luxembourg, Monaco, Georgia, Iceland and Malta. The Ireland team selected is Simon Carr, Julian Bradley, Osgar O’hOisin and David O’Hare. With Ireland’s Davis Cup regular captain, Munster’s Conor Niland, unable to travel, the honour of leading Ireland has been awarded to Ulster’s Performance Director, the former Spanish Junior International Carlos Miranda, and Munster’s own Performance Director Cian Blake, to travel as Co-Captains. After the formal announcement by Tennis Ireland, we caught up with a delighted Cian to capture his thoughts on what is a prestigious accolade for the 35 year old proud Munster Man & Corkonian to help lead his country in one of the most high profile team competitions in the World .........

Carlos Miranda

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Conor Niland

Many congratulations from all of us at Munster Tennis. A huge acknowledgment to your coaching career to be given the opportunity to share the captain role with Carlos of Ulster. Tell us, for those who never knew the young Cian, how did you get into tennis and how did you progress to now help lead your country in the world’s top tennis team event? I didn’t come from a tennis playing family as such. My dad, John, played for St. Finbarrs GAA in Cork and won an All Ireland Senior Winning Medal with Cork and three Munster medals too, so GAA was very much a part of my early childhood. Tennis all started for me when my family moved to Bishopstown in Cork and I joined the local club at the age of just seven years of age. My coach at that time was the fantastic Don Aherne who had a huge influence on my passion for tennis from such an early age. I played a lot of soccer back then as well and only started to really focus on tennis at around 13. You then went on to enjoy a hugely successful junior career and found Doubles to be your game with many titles to your name and representing Munster in the Interprovincial Championships. What about the players who you shared the success with …. Thank you. I went on to a have decent junior career, representing Munster as well as having success in many open events. As I grew older, I realised that doubles was “my game” and I had good success winning all the major events in Munster as a Junior and Senior. I had fabulous doubles partners down through the years. In my Junior years I partnered with Paul Brickley, who was a top junior at the time and still is a good friend to this day. In my later Junior years I played in a lot of senior events. For these events I partnered with my coach at the time, Liam O Brien. I learned so much from Liam and he is still a person that I would chat to regularly and have the utmost respect for. The most successful period of my playing career came when I partnered with my brother, Jamie. Jamie and I always had a very close brotherly 16

“My dad, John, played for St. Finbarrs GAA in Cork and won an All Ireland Senior Winning Medal with Cork and three Munster medals“ 17

relationship and that definitely helped us on court, that isn’t to say that there weren’t a few fall outs along the way as well of course! I always felt we were a good match as a doubles team. Jamie was a fantastic mover and excellent from the back of the court whereas I favoured the net and felt I could hold my own there against most. We went on to win all the major opens in Munster, remain unbeaten for over 3 years beating some top players along the way. With so many awards, titles and accolades for you and your brother, what was the highlight for you? Undoubtedly winning the senior interprovincial title in Dundalk in 2010. This was special for so many reasons. It was Munster’s first win in 17 years, winning it with my brother, winning it with friends and winning it under the captaincy of my old coach Liam O Brien. Representing my province means so much to me. I have been fortunate to play for Munster multiple times at Junior and Senior level. For so many years as a Junior I watched on as Leinster won

“Undoubtedly winning the senior interprovincial title in Dundalk in 2010. This was special for so many reasons“ 19

another Interprovincial title, so to finally win a title at that level was a huge satisfaction for me and our team! What do you feel you learned throughout those times that possibly shapes you as a coach now? When I look back at my playing career I feel that I have learned so much from it. I know that I did not fulfil my potential as a junior. Yes, I had a good junior career, however it could have been so much better. For anyone that would have seen me play back then they would know that I had a fiery temper on court and I feel that I was actually quite immature as well. These are two reasons, but I feel that the main reason was that I never applied myself fully as a junior. Very honest of you Cian, this is no doubt something you offer as true experience to the young players today? Certainly, this is something that I have taken with me into my coaching career and has made me incredibly determined to work as hard as possible as a coach, sometimes too hard perhaps - as I am regularly reminded of at home! Moving onto your coaching career, we know you are very proud of the people you surround yourself with. Tell us more about who you have learned from, and continue to do so, as you develop your own relatively young coaching career ….. Throughout my playing career I have been blessed to have been around superb people. My individual coaches Don and Liam as mentioned already but also Declan Bray who is a fountain of knowledge and someone that I am delighted is involved in our Munster and Tennis Ireland programs today. At Munster squad level, Tadhg Lambe and Ger Flynn were major influences, again two top coaches and people who I have great relationship with to this day. Nationally, and more so now I am blessed to be the Performance Director across Munster for Tennis Ireland, Garrett Barry and all the performance team at Tennis Ireland have been

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“I know that I did not fulfil my potential as a junior. Yes, I had a good junior career, however it could have been so much better” 21 21

“I always felt we were a good match as a doubles team. Jamie was a fantastic mover and excellent from the back of the court” phenomenal in their continuous advice and guidance as we all look to grow and nurture tennis throughout Ireland. The biggest influences on my playing career were most definitely my parents. The high standards my dad set having come from a highperformance sporting background and the unconditional support given by my mom gave me the perfect footing to achieve what I did as a player. My first experience of coaching was when I started working with my brother, Jamie, while I was still playing at Junior level myself. Jamie had been travelling to Dublin and working under the tutelage of a fantastic coach, Paul Casey, for the previous few years. Jamie would get the train to Dublin every Friday evening on his own, stay in Dublin with a host family and travel down again on the Sunday night. Jamie found this quite tough, especially at a young age, so we decided to train from home. I had always been very interested in Jamie’s tennis so I felt it was a natural progression for me to start working with him. At 13 Jamie had a relatively good amount of international experience. He played in Bressuire at under 12, which is widely regarded as one of the best tournaments in the world for that age. Jamie also played in Morocco and countries around Europe. 2 22

We continued that theme by playing in Tennis Europe events under 14 and ITFs across Europe in the years to come. Jamie went on to have a very good Junior and Senior career. He represented Ireland at the Four Nations at Senior level and has been part of Davis Cup panels also. We both learned so much by travelling to international events and as a coach it was so vital in my development. With you now transitioning from player to coach, and embarking on the club circuit across Cork, where did you first coach and with who? My first club coaching roles came in Bishopstown with Conor Twomey and Lower Aghada with Jo-Anne Williamson. I must thank both of them for giving me the opportunity and I really enjoyed my time in both clubs. Both Conor and Jo-Anne run very successful programs in the clubs they work in and I am delighted to see them doing so well. My first head coach role came when I took over Crosshaven. Trying to implement a performance structure into a small country club was a big challenge, but one that we took on with passion and belief. Crosshaven have won back-to-back Under 12 Munster Cups, Pet Essential Cups, Munster Under 16s Cup and Munster Schools Cups. They have had players selected for Interprovincial teams, National squads, Irish teams that

“All this from a 3 court club, with no previous history of junior success, is something we are extremely proud of” www.MunsterTennis.ie

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“It was a weekend that everything fell into place for us and we won the event having only dropped three matches” have played at Four Nations, Winter Cups and European Championships as well as success in National Tournaments and ITF events. All this from a 3 court club, with no previous history of junior success, is something we are extremely proud of. Again, the coaching team have been fantastic in the club. Siobhan Murray, Gianmarco Cacace and the late Val Twomey all had major roles to play in this success. Stunning achievements indeed. You later then took on the Head Coach role at neighbouring Carrigaline as well? Yes, in 2018 I was delighted to accept the role of Head Coach in Carrigaline tennis club. Again, it was hugely important to surround myself with top coaches and, more importantly, great people. I am very fortunate to have a fantastic coaching team of Sinead Dunne, Paul Fitzgerald, Gianmarco Cacace, William Cussen and Mark Cunningham present in the club. This team, along with a brilliant junior committee, headed by Ken Murphy, have made huge strides in the last few years in developing an active junior program that caters for all players. In 2019, we held the first ITF event in Munster for almost 10 years. As Tournament Director I saw at first hand the benefit holding this event had for the club.

Certainly, a huge event for tennis in Cork and Munster. A good junior career, a growing coaching career, tournament director for ITF events, so tell us about the Captain roles you’ve been honoured with ….. My first captaincy role came in 2015 when I captained the Munster Senior Team at the Interprovincial Championships in Kilkenny. It was a weekend that everything fell into place for us and we won the event having only dropped three matches in the process. In 2016 I captained the team again when we became the first Munster team in history to defend the title. Along with my co-captain, Sinead Dunne, in 2017 we won the Under 14 Interprovincial title in Rushbrooke. In early 2018 I received my first International captaincy recognition when I was named the captain of the Irish under 16 Girls team to play in the Tennis Europe Winter Cup in Lousada, Portugal. The Winter Cup is a fantastic event of extremely high quality. We competed against most of the major players in European tennis over the weekend from Junior Wimbledon Champions to current pro players. Later in the year, Munster completed a clean sweep of Interprovincial titles by capturing the under 14, 18 and Senior titles. It was the first time in history that we had won all three events in the one year.

“In 2016 I captained the team again when we became the first Munster team in history to defend the title” 25

I was lucky enough to Captain the Under 14 team to win back to back titles for the first time, assist captain Paul Fitzgerald with the under 18 team, while Sinead Dunne captained the victorious Senior team. As Munster Performance Director, the Interprovincial series of 2018 is something I am incredibly proud of. You then of course capped an amazing year when you were named Irish captain …. 2018 finished on a high for me when I was named captain of the Irish under 14 team for the Four Nations event in Belfast. It was a fantastic weekend where the team performed magnificently to take the title, winning all 3 ties and only dropping 3 matches in the entire event. Your biggest achievement and proudest moment then put a brief halt to your tennis success, with the arrival of the future Blake junior …. Yes, I stepped away from Interprovincial duty in early 2019 for the birth of my son, Albie. Later in the year, I did Captain the Ireland Under 18 team at the Four Nations event in Cardiff. Again, it was a fantastic event where the team went undefeated in the 3 ties over the weekend only to be pipped by Wales in a sets count back on the Sunday evening. For one still relatively young at just 35, that is a lot of success to a

“Along with my co-captain, Sinead Dunne, in 2017 we won the Under 14 Interprovincial title in Rushbrooke” 26

“I was lucky enough to Captain the Under 14 team to win back to back titles for the first time” Province previously devoid of trophies and titles. With Cyprus and the Davis Cup event coming in June, any final words before we wish you the best of the luck with your continued personal, clubs, Provincial and National success? I have been extremely fortunate to have worked alongside top level players all through my coaching career both in my role as Performance Director and as an individual and club coach. I have learned a huge amount from each player and they have all been part of our shared journey to date. Captaining the Irish Davis Cup team has always been a goal of mine and it is something that I am extremely proud of. Captaining the team alongside my colleague Carlos Miranda is an added bonus and we are both really looking forward to the experience. I would like to thank all the players, coaches, parents and clubs that have helped me to now. Special thanks to the branch, committee, staff and volunteers of Munster Tennis and Tennis Ireland who are always so supportive of me. Finally, massive thanks to my fiancé Sarah and son Albie who put up with my workaholic ways and are always there to support and encourage me. Thank you for your time, Cian. The very best of luck for your amazing continued success for clubs, Province and Country! Follow Cian & Ireland Davis Cup Team, visit : bit.ly/irelanddaviscup

The very best of luck to Cian from all of us involved in tennis throughout Munster & Ireland - may you be adding many more special memories for clubs, Province and Country!

OUR FUTURE TALENT BACK IN ACTION! It has been great to see so many players back on court and the Munster Squads are no exception.

With a total of 19 squads back up and running this term, Munster Branch is

committed to bringing performance tennis and excellent coaching throughout the province.

Work has already started to extend the number of squads in all regions now that inter-county travel is back up and running.

For the current term, these are our teams & squads until end of June 2021 featured over the next few pages.

May we wish all our players and coaches the best of success for the term.

Cian Blake Performance Director performance@munstertennis.ie 087 976 2105

Tennis Ireland – Munster – Performance Squads College

Hugh O Sullivan, Reem Gafurov, Jessie

Fitzgerald, Eabha Curran, Susie Fitzgerald, Lousie O Callaghan, Christian Daly, Ethan

O Brien, David Cotter, Nathan Slattery, Zac

Murphy, Dylan Breen. Coaches - Gianmarco Cacace, Paul Fitzgerald Eric Curry

West College

Hugo Raftery, Jack Raftery, Amy

McCarthy, Darragh Healy, Aiden Foley, David Walsh, Yusha Panezai, Zaac Dooley, Nina

Hegarty, Sam Mulholland. Coaches - Aoife Tonna Barthet, Sinead Dunne

Emma Maguire

French Open

Amelie Curran, Alexa Creighton, Esme Kingston, Grace Roche, Donnchadh

O’Donoghue, Bobby O’Sullivan, Issac Banks, Oran Power & Michael Bertocchi. Coaches -

Gianmarco Cacace, Declan Bray, Willie Cussen, Sean O’Callaghan

Wimbledon

Tommy Fitzgerald, David Nolan, Johnny

Fitzgerald, Luke McDonnell, Romy Barry, Anna

Next Generation

Micanikova, Benjamin Linehan, Jack Tompkins,

Curran, Patrick O Leary, Grace Cantillon, Hugo

Gianmarco Cacace, Eric Curry, Willie Cussen

Maeve Clarke, Clara Bertocchi, Coaches Cian

US Open

Harry O’Donoghue, Patrick Power, Conor Bailey, Emily O’Connell, James Chandler,

Blake, Philip O Callaghan, Gianmarco Cacace,

Jack Cantillon, Charlie Cantillon. Coaches -

Beth Barry, Margherita Braggion, Darragh

Eric Curry

Cantillon, Beth O’Connell, Jack Tompkins, Lily

West Next Generation

Chandler, Jessie Cunningham, Jack Cantillon,

Olivia O’Reilly, Mark Cahill, Oscar Wilkinson, Jess Sutton, Ellie Foley, Patrick Guzikowski, Sean Cahill, Lucy Casserly, Nina Hegarty, Sienna Fahy, Michael O’Leary. Coaches Sinead Dunne & Aoife Tonna Barthet

East Grand Slam

Alex Halley, Katie Dowling, Lauren

Frawley, Charlie Cantillon, Cate Gilroy, Ava

Patrick Breen. Coaches - Cian Blake and Sean O’Callaghan, Adam Taylor

Australian Open

Alex Byrne, Corey Meehan, Mathew

Thompson, Conor Chandler, Max Micanik, Ethan Fullgraf Smith, Ciara Sheehan,

Rachel Guiney, Lily May Kelleher, Poppy

Williams, Evie Breen, Kevin Reynolds, Dara

O’Sullivan, Sophia Creighton, Cathal Brady,

Dowling, Lucia Whelan, Alex Fowler, Tadgh

Gianmarco Cacace, Declan Bray,

Gough, Hugh Murphy, Ronan Geary, Evie

Johnston, Patrick Breen, Aaron Breen, Finn

Madigan, Eimear O’Donnell, Grace Dowling,

Gillian Kavanagh. Coaches - Willie Reynolds &

Fitzgerald Madigan, Verona Fitzgerald

Matthew Linehan. Coaches Eric Curry, Sean O’Callaghan

Munster Tennis Satellite Squads Waterford Under 10s

Sam Hanrahan, Conor Daly, Pearson O Keeffe, Darragh Sullivan, Logan O Keeffe, Ruth O Leary, Aiveen O Donoghue, Evie O Donoghue, Hugo Ennis, Charlie Nolan & Daire Herlihy. Coaches - Emma Maguire & Liam Reynolds

Waterford Development

Oisin Melo, Eiridas Butenas, Rachel Partridge, Kate Ann O Leary, Lily Walsh, Eoin

Campbell, Finn Partridge & Hugh Downey. Coach - Emma Maguire & Adam Taylor North Cork Under 8s

Oscar O’Riordan, Peter Sheehan, Roisin Long, Ellen O’Riordan, Abbi Harrington, Evan Cronin, Tom O’Donovan, Adam Dowling & Ted Buckley. Coaches - Jo O’Rourke & Liam O’Rourke

North Cork Under 9s & Under 10s

J O’Rourke Coach, Andrew Walsh, Eibhlin O’Brien, Grace Glakin, Donal O’Donoghue, Zachariah O’Driscoll, Bobby Byrd & Adam Lawlor. Coaches - Jo O’Rourke & Liam O’Rourke

North Cork Under 12s

Donncha O’Donoghue, Lily Buckley, Daniel Kiely, Nicole Walsh, Mia Glakin, Amelia O’Donovan. Coach - Jo O’Rourke

North Cork Under 14s

Daniel Byrd, Harry Byrd, Dylan Hurley, Charlie Dooher, Jack McFadden, Aoife Coleman, Aoibhinn O’Donoghue. Coach - Liam O’Rourke

Cork Tennis 10s

Ronan Dennis, Roisin Breathnach, Irati Pfuig, Julia Relihan, Frank Fullgraf Smith, David Kent, Isaac Manning, Patrick O L:eary, Conor Curran & David O Regan. Coaches - Declan Bray & Julia Perren

Cork Senior Satellite

Alan O’Regan, Brian O’Regan, Finbarr Murphy, Oisín Power, Sean Fraser, Kate Farley, Anna Jaworska, Aoibhinn O’Donoghue, Matthew Kelleher Coaches - Paul Fitzgerald & Sean O’Callaghan

South East Satellite

Zara Cooke, Julianne Hearne, Shane Howe, AJ Howe, Thomas Hunter, Laura Dowley, Vivienne O Hara, Sarah Barkley, Coach - Willie Guiry.

WEST NEXT GENERATION

WIMBLEDON SQUAD

FRENCH OPEN SQUAD

COLLEGE SQUAD

AUSTRALIAN OPEN SQUAD

NORTH CORK UNDER 12S & UNDER 14S

NEXT GENERATION

EAST GRAND SLAM SQUAD

US OPEN SQUAD

CORK TENNIS 10S

NORTH CORK UNDER 8S

WEST COLLEGE SQUAD

NORTH CORK UNDER 9S & UNDER 10S

SOUTH EAST SATELLITE

WATERFORD UNDER 10S

WATERFORD DEVELOPMENT SQUAD

CORK SENIOR SATELLITE SQUAD

CIAN VISITS BISHOPSTOWN With the easing of restrictions came the return of my club visits, I was delighted to start with a visit to my old club Bishopstown. This trip had been postponed since pre covid - so it was long overdue!

On the day, I got on court with the clubs “On the Rise” squad as well as chatting with head coaches Conor Twomey and Mick Hurley. It was great to see everyone back out on court and the program running as well as it was pre-covid.

If you would like me to visit your club please get in touch with me at performance@

munstertennis.ie. The day can be modelled to your clubs needs with on court sessions with players, coaches meetings, committee meetings and parents info meetings available.

Cian Blake Performance Director performance@munstertennis.ie 087 976 2105 41

FABULOUS ARTICLE IN THE ECHO NEWSPAPER Back in March, Mitchelstown Lawn Tennis Club had a fabulous article featured in The Echo newspaper, written by Denis Hurley :

Mitchelstown Lawn Tennis Club has experienced a boom in the past year and a new sponsorship deal with Kerrygold Park will help ensure that future prospects remain positive.

The butter production and packing facility opened in Mitchelstown in 2016 and provides vital employment in the area.

The link-up with the tennis club is further proof of the business’s community involvement.

The club will celebrate its 130th birthday next year and currently has more than 150 members of all ages.

A new clubhouse was recently completed and, while sport hasn’t necessarily benefited from Covid-19 and the various lockdowns, tennis has fared better than most.

Club chairperson John Paul Cotter was one of the many drawn back to tennis last year as it was one of the few that could be played safely. He believes that the new partnership will allow the club to continue to grow and develop.

“It’s unbelievable to have a sponsor like Kerrygold Park on-site,” he says. “I’m new to the role, I only took over as chairperson at the start of the year, having returned to the club during the lockdown last year.

“Tennis was always a big part of my life, but when I turned 18, hurling and football

and socialising took over! I went back last year and then the role of chairman fell at

the right time for myself. “Kerrygold Park are a new organisation in Mitchelstown and what they do is phenomenal so to have them on board is really positive for the future of the club.

“We have a new clubhouse, with shower facilities available, and last year, we had been due to host our first Munster Open, for adults and juniors, but obviously that

didn’t go ahead due to Covid. We’d be hopeful that it will take place now this year. “It would be fantastic for us to be able to hold something like that, especially for the juniors in the club to come up and see such high-quality players in action.”

The underage arm of the club is burgeoning, aided by dedicated coaching sessions at the weekends.

“The big thing for us as a club is the junior scene,” Cotter says. “At the weekends, we have Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday morning dedicated to ‘the Smashers’, which is the junior section.

“The numbers are very good there and have been for the previous few years, which is excellent. We have members from around age five up and then, especially from around seven to 11 and 12, the membership is very strong.”

“When the club had to limit its services solely to structured junior training and coaching, the club added additional volunteer capacity to deliver a Friday / Saturday/Sunday programme to meet the increased demand under reduced partic-

ipant levels as mandated by Tennis Ireland and public health guidance. It was hard work, but the smile the faces of the children made it all worthwhile.

“During a time when children are kept apart from their friends, it’s important to recognise the value of sports and physical activity for good mental health.”

Hopefully, the return of on-court action won’t be too far away, especially given the in-built social distancing involved with tennis.

“Absolutely,” Cotter says, “and hopefully there will be a movement similar to last

year, where golf and tennis came back. “Whether it’s just singles or doubles and your playing partner is from the same

household, it would make sense. We are ready, when safe to do so, to welcome back all of our members, their families, and friends.

“The future is very bright for Mitchelstown Lawn Tennis Club and it’s fantastic to see. Over the last 20 years, a lot of hard work has gone in from an awful lot of people and it’s great to see where it has come to.

“Now, there’s still hard work ahead but it’s in a very good place.” Seán McHugh, general manager of Kerrygold Park, is delighted to have established such a link with the club.

“Community and belonging is at the heart of how Kerrygold Park operate,” he said. “Giving back to the community is a core value of Kerrygold Park. We are looking forward to building a strong relationship with such an important local amenity.”

LIFTING THE LID ON DISABILITY In April. Jo-Anne Williamson wrote an article for The Echo - “Lifting the lid on disability can open the eyes of all coaches” :

LIFE is like a box of chocolates. We all know that famous line said in the way only movie character Forest Gump could.

These days I prefer the reference “life is like a box of crayons, some sharp, some

pretty, some dull, some bright but they all have learned to live together in the same box”. Inclusion!

I’ve discovered that awareness needs to run alongside acceptance and inclusion.

Lifting the lid on disability in sport has enlightened me to the number of resources

that are available in Ireland and the large number of sports that are on offer for players with disabilities.

From badminton, basketball and soccer right down to golf, tennis and canoeing, pathways for inclusion for players with a disability have been paved.

With participation from many sports, Team Ireland looks set to send 16 players covering 6 different sports to the Paralympic Games due to take place in Tokyo

later this year and with numbers and interest steadily building the next Special Olympics should see Ireland’s flag being waved high but disability sports still need more exposure!

Mark Claffey, an Olympic Golf Gold medalist 2019, said: “I love being included in playing sports, I make friends and it’s good for my health.”

The last five years have seen huge progression with the delivery of sports sessions

to players with Autism, intellectual and physical disabilities, wheelchair players, and those who are visually impaired, amongst others.

With funding coming from the Department of Sport, through sports capital grants, Sports Inclusion Disability program and dormant accounts, clubs around Ireland

have stepped up and embraced breaking down the barriers to participation for people with a disability.

Almost 1,200 organisations and 800 clubs have now adopted the 2018 Sports Inclusion Disability Charter from CARA and are working towards embedding their 5 key areas including activities and facilities.

When we think of the word inclusion I’m not sure how many of us feel that it

affects our everyday lives but imagine being the wheelchair user or the blind person looking to involve themselves in sport but not having the avenue to do so? There’s a sport for everyone no matter who! The FAI Football For All program incorporates a whopping 3,800 players including amputee, blind and wheelchair players. A huge programme running nationwide!

Tennis Ireland jumped on board developing the Enjoy Tennis program a few years ago.

Munster Regional Development Officer Liz Clifford said: “I don’t think inclusion can

be approached in a one-size-fits-all. If we work with the people to be included, they can teach us what inclusion means to them and how we can achieve it.”

The Enjoy Tennis program moved online during lockdown including sessions for the visually impaired. From the 1,200 players involved almost 700 are players with Autism or an Intellectual disability.

“Having an open-door policy inviting players to belong to a structured setting and for them to feel welcomed in a club environment has a huge impact especially for people living in assisted accommodation like Cope,” says Tennis Ireland’s Liam O Donoghue.

“A few years ago we reached out to clubs to support the program, out of 81 clubs 80 got involved but we’ve still a way to go with 200 clubs nationwide and 15% of

the population having some kind of disability we must keep pushing forwards for inclusion in sport.”

Our national culture is community-based and so society is naturally more inclusive

but with fear or a lack of confidence from the coach/volunteer being a factor, that seems to stop people from signing up to sports inclusion programs.

Attitudes need to change! Online training courses run by LSPs, CARA and others are helping education.

They have become fundamental in supporting coaches in being able to create an environment and experience for people with disabilities that is inclusive and empowers the person to reach their potential.

It is important to note that coach/volunteer education plays a key role in the development of the players and the success of the program.

Having attended several sports inclusion workshops recently has helped in growing

my own understanding and I welcome the new challenges of working with players with disabilities.

Along with a new Visually Impaired program ready to be rolled out in the coming months and additional Intellectual Disability sessions on the cards, I look forward to working with the RDO and building the numbers of players involved.

That’s where Cork clubs need to row in behind to support sports inclusion. As clubs reopen, it’s vital that these programs continue to grow, as often the greatest gift we can give someone is to simply include them.

Remember, diversity is having a place at the table, inclusion is having a voice and belonging is having that voice being heard!

COUNTY CLARE Ennis Lawn Tennis Club & Bowls Club ennistennisclub@gmail.com 087 251 7885

www.ennistennis.com Killaloe / Ballina Tennis Club kbtcsecretary@gmail.com 087 223 7447 www.kbtc.ie

Ennis Tennis Club

Killaloe Ballina Tennis Club

COUNTY CORK Ardfield Rathbarry Tennis Club joanoconnellcoaching@gmail.com 087 112 6201 www.ardfieldrathbarrytennisclub.ie

Douglas Lawn Tennis Club tennisdouglas@gmail.com 021 429 4037 www.douglastennis.ie

Argideen Vale Tennis Club amberson25@hotmail.com 087 643 7374 www.argideen.info

Dromahane Tennis Club dromahanetc@gmail.com 087 169 0729

Ballinlough Tennis Club ballinlough.tennis@gmail.com 021 429 1433 www.ballinloughtennisclub.ie Ballyhooly Tennis Club ballyhoolytc@gmail.com Bandon Tennis Club admin@bandonltc.com 083 363 7465 www.bandonltc.com Bishopstown Lawn Tennis Club bishopstownltc@gmail.com 085 867 9879 www.bishopstownlawntennisclub.com Carrigaline Tennis Club secretary@carrigalinetennisclub.com 021 485 2755 www.carrigalinetennisclub.com Clonakilty Tennis Club clonakiltytennisclub@gmail.com 087 117 0552 www.clonakiltysports.com Crosshaven Tennis Club crosshaventennisclub@gmail.com 087 745 4372 www.CrosshavenTennisClub.ie

Garryduff Tennis Club info@garryduff.ie 021 489 1978 www.garryduff.com Hazelwood Tennis Club hazelwoodtennis@gmail.com 083 894 3685 Lakewood Tennis Club info@lakewoodtennisclub.ie 087 415 4768 www.lakewoodtennisclub.ie Kinsale Tennis Club kinsaletennis@gmail.com www.kinsaletennisclub.com Lower Aghada Tennis & Sailing Club loweraghadatennis@gmail.com 021 466 1200 www.loweraghadatennis.com Mallow Tennis Club mallowtennisclub@gmail.com 087 109 3658 www.mallowgolfclub.net/tennis Mitchelstown Tennis Club mitchelstowntennisclub@gmail.com 083 058 3923 www.mitchelstowntennisclub.com

COUNTY CORK Monkstown Croquet & Lawn Tennis Club monkstowntennis@yahoo.ie www.monkstowntennisclub.com Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club tenniscaptainrltcc@gmail.com 087 240 7587 www.rushbrooketennis.com St Mary’s Tennis Club (Dunmanway) anne.sweetnam@yahoo.ie 087 900 2142 Facebook : St Mary’s Tennis Club, Dunmanway

Sunday’s Well Boating & Tennis Club info@sundayswell.ie 021 427 2733 www.sundayswell.ie Whitechurch Tennis Club whitechurchtennisclub@gmail.com 087 136 0474 Youghal Lawn Tennis Club secretary.yltc@gmail.com 086 887 6683 www.youghaltennisclub.ie

St. Michael’s Tennis Club stmichaelsltc@gmail.com 085 617 6095 www.stmichaelstennisclub.ie Argideen Vale Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club

Hazelwood Tennis Club

COUNTY KERRY Tralee Tennis Club

traleetennisclub@gmail.com 085 284 7331

www.traleetennisclub.ie

Tralee Tennis Club

COUNTY LIMERICK Catholic Institute Atheltics Club

Monaleen GAA Tennis Club

086 382 1642

www.monaleentennisgaa.ie

tennisciac@gmail.com www.ciactennis.com

club@monaleengaatennisclub.com

Limerick Lawn Tennis Club lltc1877office@gmail.com 061 454 380 www.lltc.ie

Catholic Institute Athletics Club

Monaleen GAA Tennis Club

COUNTY TIPPERARY Ballypatrick Tennis Club

New Inn Tennis Club

087 757 2553

085 848 7682

rosfoley60@hotmail.com

Castleview Lawn Tennis Club

newinntennis@gmail.com www.newinntennis.com

info@castleviewltc.ie

Puckane & District Tennis Club

www.newsite.castleviewltc.ie

085 143 1982

089 439 0673

Hillview Sports Club Lawn Tennis Club info@hillviewsportsclub.com 052 612 1805

Kilfeacle Community & Tennis Club info@kilfeacletennis.ie 087 966 1344

www.kilfeacletennis.ie Larkspur Park Tennis Club larkspurtc@gmail.com 086 669 9335

Nenagh Tennis Club

puckanetennis@gmail.com www.puckanetennis.ie Roscrea Tennis Club

roscreatennis@gmail.com 087 138 4163

Thurles Tennis Club

Facebook : Thurles Tennis Club County Tipperary Lawn Tennis Club info@tltc.ie

087 314 1264 www.tltc.ie

info@nenaghltc.ie 086 171 6753 www.nenaghltc.ie

Castleview Lawn Tennis Club

COUNTY WATERFORD Causeway Tennis & Bowls Club

St Annes Waterford Lawn Tennis Club

058 42812

051 874 350

causewaytennisclub@gmail.com www.causewaytennisclub.ie

info@stannestennis.com www.stannestennis.com

Dunmore East Tennis Club

Tramore Tennis Club

051 381 426

051 383 200

Lismore Tennis Club

tennislismore@gmail.com

tennistramore@gmail.com www.tramoretennis.com

Facebook - Lismore Tennis Club Tramore Athletics Club

St. Annes Waterford Tennis Club

THE OFFICERS & MEMBERS OF TENNIS IRELAND - MUNSTER BRANCH SOUTH WEST REGION Eddie Ronayne - Rushbrooke Karen Higgins - Lower Aghada (Vice President) Richard Sewell - Rushbrooke Ron O’Mahony - Sunday’s Well (Treasurer) Helena O’Brien - Mitchelstown Emma Crowley - Sunday’s Well Aine Dunne - Lower Aghada (Hon. Secretary) Cliff Carroll - Ballinlough Sinead Hennessy - Bishopstown Sam West - Bishopstown

SOUTH EAST REGION Robert Cummins - Kilfeacle (President) Shane Cooke - Castleview Dick McCarthy - St. Anne’s Enda Dowling - St. Anne’s Andrea Jones Halley - Tramore NORTH WEST REGION Frank O’Keeffe - Nenagh Marcella Kelly - Co. Tipperary Sean Looby - New Inn Eamonn Dalton - Kilfeacle Cathal Sherlock - Catholic Institute

SUB COMMITTEES & CONVENORS

Communications & Sponsorship Aine Dunne

Seniors Selection Karen Higgins & Marcella Kelly

Munster Competition Frank O’Keeffe

Seniors Sub Committee Karen Higgins & Marcella Kelly

Junior Sub Committee Cathal Sherlock

Finance Ron O’Mahony

Directory Sub Committee Karen Higgins

Commercial Developmen Robert Cummins

Junior Selection Cathal Sherlock

Infrastructure Development Shane Cooke

Senior Selection Cliff Carroll

Hearings Sub Committee Sean Looby

ROBERT CUMMINS

KAREN HIGGNS

AINE DUNNE

RON O’MAHONY

HELENA O’BRIEN

EMMA CROWLEY

RICHARD SEWELL

CLIFFORD CARROLL

SINEAD HENNESSY

SAM WEST

EDDIE RONAYNE

SHANE COOKE

DICK MCCARTHY

ENDA DOWLING

ANDREA JONES-HALLEY

FRANK O’KEEFFE

MARCELLA KELLY

SEAN LOOBY

EAMONN DALTON

CATHAL SHERLOCK

Tennis Ireland - Munster Branch t/a Munster Tennis The Munster Tennis Hub Fota Island Resort County Cork 087 706 1230 (office hours only) admin@MunsterTennis.ie