Pot of Gold For Goleen Pair
Ireland claimed a GOLDEN double in the 7 Nations Primary School International in Scotland Saturday the 14th April 2012. Both the Boys and Girls Irish Team win gold in the Team Event. It is History making and the Goleen Table Tennis Coaching Scheme players James Kelly and Kerry O’Mahoney are proud to be part of that.
It is a Fantastic achievement for the youngsters and everyone in Goleen is proud of their achievement and at such a young age it is fantastic. To represent your Country at any level is a tremendous achievement and to Win Gold Medals is such an honour for them and it is an experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
James Kelly is sponsored by Joola, Celtic Table Tennis and the Goleen and District Community Council. He would like to thank his Sponsors for believing in him. And for supporting him in his chosen sport.
Goleen Summer Camp and Festival Tournament
The Goleen Festival got off to a great start this week with the table tennis camp. Around 30 players took part over the four days with some travelling from as far afield as Killarney and Cork, many enjoying a week in West Cork for the first time. Irish National Champion John Murphy made a welcome return and proved popular with all the players. He was joined by a number of ITTA Level 1 Coaches ho all contributed to a great success.
Saturday saw the Annual Goleen Festival Tournament and there were a number of new faces at this year’s event. The event was divided into 4 Divisions in order to give everyone a chance of success the Division 1 event saw a joint top spot between our local Irish National Champion James Kelly and Bantry’s Thomas O’Grady. The Girls event saw another close encounter with Aisling O’Driscoll claiming her first victory over top 10 Irish player Mair Kelly, however the results went the way of Mair ho ran out winner with Mairéad Supple taking 2nd. The Boys 2nd Division saw to lads from the caravan park reach the final with Tadgh taking the eventual victory over Jack Kelleher. The 3rd Mixed Division saw a in for Michael O’Driscoll over Adam Sheehan ith Jasmine Kelly reaching third place. The new “Family Doubles” event proved very popular ith old and young alike. The all kids division saw a terrific final between the O’Driscolls and the Coughlans with Aisling and James taking the O’Driscolls to the top spot. In the aldult/kids section Tadgh as joined by his dad Barry to take his second title as they overcame Michael and his uncle James O’Driscoll. This proved to be a great day out and will be avidly looked forward to next year.
Table Tennis: Munster Selection
Mair Kelly from Goleen TTC was selected for the Munster U12 Girls Team after finishing 4th in this season’s rankings. Mair has shown some marked improvement this season in a very competitive age group. Mair joined the squad of 4 players in Killarney. The team remained undefeated in all its matches and claimed the Gold Medal. Munster had some good results overall and only just missed out to Ulster for the overall Junior Title.
Lissagriffin NS at the All Ireland Primary Schools
Lissagriffin NS became the first West Cork School to qualify for the All Ireland Primary School Table Tennis Finals and travelled up to Banbridge in Co. Down to play on Wednesday 4th May. The team of Sam Coughlan, James Kelly, James O’Driscoll and Padraig Reidy were accompanied by Coach Owen Kelly and chaperone Rachel Coughlan. The four provinces were well represented and Lissagriffin had to play the Connaught team of St Teresa's NS from Kilkelly in the first round. This team was made up of 3 top 10 U12 Irish players and many were surprised when James Kelly defeated Darragh Egan Irish No.3 in three straight sets in the first match. However with their strength in depth the Connaught team ran out winners even after a spirited doubles match with Kelly and O’Driscoll taking it to the final set. St. Teresa’s remained undefeated for the day and won the overall title. However not dispirited Lissagriffin faced the Ulster hosts Kilcoan PS and with straight set wins for James Kelly and Sam Coughlan the match got off to a good start. This was followed up with victories for both James O’Driscoll and Padraig Reidy and after two five set thrillers in the doubles Lissagriffin won with a resounding 6-0 score line. Leinster who had only narrowly lost out to Connaucht were much tougher opposition and it was left to Padraig Reidy to score the only point for our Munster side, both doubles matches went close but the lads had to settle for a well deserved Bronze medal. This was an extraordinary adventure for this small school that was featured on the National Irish Table Tennis site and it would not have been possible but for the support of teachers and the Lissagriffin Parents Association and the generous support of our sponsors Nottages Restaurant.
The Best from the West!
10 year old James Kelly from Goleen capped an incredible season by winning the Irish Table Tennis National Title in Dublin over the weekend. Kelly has remained unbeaten in all Under 10 events since the beginning of the season in September 2010. The National Title will be added to the Ulster, Connaught, Munster and Yorkshire Open titles. The Munster Open being his second consecutive title at the largest table tennis event in the country.
The Irish National Championship is the pinnacle for table tennis in Ireland and attracts all the top players in the country. It was a hard battle from the very first match and Kelly was pushed to his limits with a 3/2 victory in the semi final followed by another 5 set marathon in the final where he fought back from 2 sets to 0 to claim his first National Title against fellow Munster player Paul Cooney.
Kelly has been in top condition over the last few weeks and claimed both the Under 10 and Under 12 Boys Munster Top 8 titles last weekend beating the Irish No.3 Under 12 in the process. This was a unique double win in the history of this event. James has been well rewarded with a place on the Munster Under 12 Team for the upcoming Interprovincial Championships at the end of the month. Kelly’s talent has been well recognised by those in the know and he is currently sponsored by top German Table Tennis manufacturer Joola as well as leading Irish retailer Celtic Table Tennis (celtictt.com) based in Dublin. Locally Kelly has received tremendous support from the Goleen & District Community Council who have provided top international standard training facilities at the Community Sports Centre.
Sister and Goleen club mate Mair Kelly also performed well at the Irish Nationals and has had her selection confirmed for the Munster Under 12 Team for the Interprovincial Championships. These two players are currently at the forefront of a squad of talented players from all over West Cork who are making major inroads into both the Munster and Irish Rankings as the popularity of table tennis in West Cork continues to grow ever stronger. An opportunity for parents, players, club volunteers and potential coaches to learn more about this exciting sport will take place at the Goleen Community Sports Centre where an ITTA Level 1 Coaching Course will be held from the 13th-15th of May. Table Tennis can be played from as young as 5 years to any age and at all levels of ability, for more information on coaching or for those interested in finding out more about table tennis contact Owen on 028-35371.
Final West Cork Table Tennis Rankings 13/03/11
The last in the series of WCTTA Rankings was held in Goleen on Sunday 13th March. There was a great turn out from local players some making their tournament debuts. Goleen’s “Star” players are well documented but it this was an occasion for some new names to emerge and show the increasing depth of talent from the club. Matthew Sheehan playing in his first tournament made his way through the semi-final stage to reach the final of Division 10 and win in some style against Aaron O’Donovan from Dunmanway. The 3rd/4th play-off came down to two more Goleen players in the shape of Erik Olsson and Adam Sheehan, with Erik Olsson taking the Bronze medal. These players are still very young but show great potential and with the youngest player in the event Michael O’Driscoll (U6) winning the 5th/6th play-off there is plenty more to come! Catherine Sheehan collected the Bronze medal in Division 9 just ahead of Michael Sheehan and Jake Coughlan. Goleen was well represented 
in Division 8 with Tadgh Reidy taking Bronze ahead of Maria Sheehan and John Supple. The first of our more experienced players battled it out in Division 4 with Mairéad Supple taking a well deserved Silver, James O’Driscoll Bronze and Padraig Reidy 4th. This Division had to be decided on count-back with the players all tied on wins. Sam Coughlan may well take the prize for most improved player as he has moved steadily up the Divisions reaching the 3rd at the end of the season. He once again proved there is still more in the tank as he took the Division to a 3 way tie for top place unfortunately the scores went against him to leave him in a well credited Bronze medal position. Mair Kelly is another who has excelled this season and finished off the rankings as the No.1 West Cork Girl for all age groups finishing 8th overall and 3rd in Division 2. James Kelly still as an under 10 faced very tough opposition in the top Division and finished 3rd and 3rd overall in West Cork for the season. Thanks once again to the tremendous support from the Goleen Community Council in once again providing the facility, support and catering for the event.
As mentioned in our last article the girls from Schull Community College were in action at the Schools Cup this week and managed a memorable victory without dropping a set, congratulations to the new West Cork Under 13 Champions, Mairéad Supple, Aisling O’Driscoll and Anna Lenz-Lipitch. Many of the players will be back in action at the Munster Rankings being hosted by the WCTTA in Dunmanway on Sunday 27th with 2 Goleen players vying for Munster Interprovincial caps.
Connaught Open Champion
James Kelly captured the U10 Connaught crown after winning the Connaught Junior Open in Castlebar, Co. Mayo over the weekend. This is James’ third major Irish title of the season with only the Irish National Championships to come. James played some of the best table tennis of his short life to take the final without dropping a set and carried this form into the second day where he played in the under 12 event reaching 9th place. Mair Kelly also represented Goleen well gaining more valuable experience as she continues to improve at the national level. Both James and Mair are hoping their current form will stand them in good stead as the Junior Interprovincial Championships approach. A number of Goleen players are expected to represent Schull Community College at the West Cork Schools Championships on the March 8th where a strong girls’ team including Mairéad Supple and Aisling O’Driscoll will be hoping to return as champions. This event is currently the largest Schools event in the country with an entry of over 50 teams expected. The final West Cork Rankings are due to take place on Sunday March 13th in Goleen all Goleen club members will be encouraged to participate.
Ballincollig Junior Open
James Kelly has confirmed himself as the 2010-2011 U10 Munster No.1 after completing
a hat trick of titles at the recent Ballincollig Open, this means he now can not be caught on points.
He confirmed his No.3 U12 ranking after reaching the semi finals of the event. Mair Kelly also reached the
semi finals of the U12 event and is currently in 4th place. She also recorded her first top 8 finish at the
tougher U14 event. Mairéad Supple had a good event with some fine performances taking the Munster
No.4 to 5 sets in the U14 and an exceptional match against Emily Burns the Munster No.3 in the U17s.
Mairéad reached the final of the U17 Plate where she took Silver. Well done to all involved
Irish Selection
James Kelly was selected for the Under 12 Irish Squad Training Camp in Lucan, Dublin over the weekend of 5th/6th February. James who has shown impressive form was the youngest member of the squad and National U12 Coach Shay Logue indicated that if James keeps is current level of progress he will have a very bright table tennis future ahead of him.
 Munster Open Champion 2011James Kelly won the under 10 Munster Open title for the second year in a row, this is the first time this has been achieved. It was not all plain sailing and in the final it eventually came down to the 5th and final set with James winning 12/10. Munster is particularly strong at this age group with 3 of the top 4 from Munster. Mair Kelly also had a good weekend in Killarney as she took 10th place in the Under 12 event her best finish at an Irish National event. |
6 Goleen players travelled to Dunmanway for the 3rd WCTTA Rankings on Sunday. The players have been progressing extremely well this season with the majority successfully moving up through the Divisions, consequently things are getting tougher for them as the standard increases. Mair Kelly moved into the 3rd Division for this event and was up against some tough opposition; however she is playing some of her best table tennis and won the division without dropping a match. She had two particularly tough matches beating Thomas O’Grady from Bantry in 5 sets; 9/11, 11/6, 8/11, 11/4 & 12/10 and also recording the closest match of the day running out winner in the semi final after a mammoth 22/20 victory over Dunmanway’s Severin McCollagh. She eventually won the final in fine style in 3 straight sets. James O’Driscoll also made the final this time in division 5 where he narrowly lost out in the 5th set to Ciaran O’Sullivan (Bantry). James Kelly is the youngest player in the 1st Division and has come close to defeating the top two on a number of occasions; he managed a good win against Skibbereen’s Darragh Cahalane and only just lost out in the semi final to U17 Brian Crowley. Sam Coughlan and Padraig Reidy who have both been moving up through the divisions managed to avoid relegation and remain in Division 3 and 4 respectively. Aisling O’Driscoll finished a fine 3rd in Division 7.
West Cork Individual Primary Schools Table Tennis Championships 2010
There were three division winners from Goleen at the 1st West Cork Rankings of the 2010/2011 Season. Mair Kelly collected the Division 2 title after defeating Thomas O'Grady from Bantry in the Final. Sam Coughlan was the Division 5 Champion, where club mate James O'Driscoll finished equal 2nd but lost out on countback to finish 4th. Aisling O'Driscoll showed some excellent form to secure the Division 7 title after defeating Shane Lyne from Bantry in the Final. 
Goleen had one of its largest squads for this away event. James Kelly caused an upset in the Top Division when he defeated Ruaidhri Gallagher from Skibbereen and after Ruaidhri beat No.1 Seed James Heap all three players were equal on wins but it was James Kelly who missed out on the three way countback finishing 3rd. Mairead Supple finished equal on points with Dunmanway's Anoshi Ghol but narrowly lost out on the title on countback. Padraig Reidy put in a solid performance in Division 6 and was rewarded with a silver medal. 6 year old Michael O'Driscoll was the youngest player at the event and played in Division 9 where he recorded his first ever win and was presented with a performance medal by WCTTA Chairman Owen Kelly. It is hoped that an even larger squad of Goleen TTC players will take place when Goleen hosts the West Cork Rankings on November 28th. |
Season 2010-2011
Yorkshire Junior Open - Table Tennis
James Kelly and Mair Kelly travelled over to Halifax to play in the Yorkshire Junior Open over the half term. This was the first trip abroad for a competition for both players and a further opportunity to gain experience. James played in the U11 and U13 events where he played with his new Joola equipment for the first time. James has been awarded a sponsorship by this leading German table tennis company and he once again proved that he has tremendous talent for such a young player. He comfortably won the U11 title and also reached the quarter finals of the U13 event where he eventually lost to James Rule 11/7, 14/16, 12/14, 6/11. Mair played in both the U13 and U15 event with 12 very competitive matches. She was delighted to finish 3rd in the U15 and 5th in the U13s. Both players will be in action once again with the West Cork Rankings in Dunmanway on the 7th and the Belfast Open on the weekend of the 13th-14th.
Goleen Table Tennis: 6 Goleen players attended the Munster Rankings at Beech Hill, Cork on Sunday 3rd October. There were some great performances from all the players. James Kelly once again took the U10 title and reached the final of the U12s to confirm his 2nd place ranking at the age group and at this early stage puts him in the running for Munster team selection. Mair Kelly also had her best ever finish reaching 6th in the U12 Girls. Padraig Reidy played well to reach the U12 Plate to take 2nd with Sam Coughlan finishing 3rd. Mairéad Supple defeated both Aisling O’Driscoll in the semi final and Mair Kelly in the Final to win the U14 Plate. The standard of all the players has been steadily increasing this season with good attendance on Friday evenings. The Monday sessions start this week and the future looks very bright for the club with so many talented youngsters waiting in the wings. There is also some exciting news about to break as with so much success in both Munster and Irish Rankings James Kelly has been the first Irish player ever to be offered sponsorship by one of the World’s leading table tennis equipment suppliers Joola, who are based in Germany and who recently sponsored the European Senior Championships. More details to follow.
Goleen Player Reaches Irish Final
James Kelly played his first Irish Table Tennis Ranking of the season at DCU Dublin over the weekend and reach the final of the Under 10 Event. James has already established himself as munster's leading U10 and once again beat his nearest Munster rival Paul Cooney in straight sets to reach the final against Eddie Ditchburn from Connaught. James was delighted with his result and will be aiming to go one better when the Irish Rankings move to Belfast for the Ulster Open in November. James also recorded his best ever finish in the older U12 event when he reached the top 10 after loosing out the Irish No.1 Ryan McConkey. Mair Kelly also represented Goleen in her first ever Irish Ranking qualifying from her group into the second round, she was eventually knocked out by Irish No.1 Katie McGlone. Mair also played in the older U14 event where she once again played a top seed Emma Ludlow. Mair came very close to qualifying for the 2nd round but moved into the Plate event where she reached the Semi Final. This was an excellent debut for Mair who will be hoping to build on her top 14 Ranking during the 5 event series.
Munster Classification Killarney
The first major event of the season took place in Killarney on Sunday 12th September. The largest squad of Goleen players travelled up for a Divisional event. Players had a long day with loads of matches. James Kelly had a great start to his season recording an overall win at U10 and 2nd in the U12 event as well. Mair and James will be travelling once again next weekend when the first of this season's Irish Rankings start.
Goleen Squad:
Aaron Beane, Sam Coughlan, Padraig Reidy, James O'Driscoll, Aisling O'Driscoll, Mairéad Supple, Mair & James Kelly.
Festival Table Tennis
Around 30 competitors took part in the Annual Goleen Table Tennis Festival Tournament, with a good mix of local and holidaymakers taking part. Local U10 James Kelly was the surprise winner of the final against Thomas O'Grady from Bantry. Kelvin Forde won the 2nd Division event and Goleen girls Mair Kelly, Mairéad Supple and Aisling O'Driscoll finished in the top 3 places in the girls event. The Festival Tournament was held at the end of a very successful 3 day intensive training camp. A big improvement was shown by a number of players and this bodes well for the up coming season starting in September.
2010 Season
this season has been very busy for the Goleen Club. the club hosted the West Cork Primary Schools Individual Championships where 2 local players won the Boys Under 10 title (James Kelly) and the Girls over 10 Title (Mair Kelly). the club also hosted two of the West Cork Rankings and hosted the Munster Top 8 Compeition one of the most prestigious Munster events of the year. James Kelly won the U10 title and was confirmed as the Munster No.1 for this season. there were many other local achievements including the retaining of the West Cork Primary Schools Mixed title making it 3 in a row for the small local schools.
training continues throughout the year with a National Schools Session on Mondays, open club night on Friday evenings and a family Sunday morning session. for more information contact Owen Kelly 028-35371
West Cork Individual Primary Schools 2009
This season's event lived up to its promise as 9 different National Schools were represented. Local school Lissigriffin made good use of the home advantage and took a double victory as brother and sister James and Mair Kelly took the U10 Boys and Under 10 Girl's Titles. Caoimhe Reidy took 4th place in the under 10 girls. Sam Coughlan finished runner up in the under 10 boys Plate. Catherine Sheehan made the final of the over 10 girls. Padraig Reidy represented the school in the Over 10 boys. Maria Sheehan won the under 10 girl's plate and Ellen O'Driscoll finished in the top 10 under 10 girls.
A Bit About the Club 2009
Goleen Club has many members from surrounding communities and stretches from Glengarif to Skibbereen. Three training sessions are held every week. Mondays the local national school children train. On Friday evenings 7pm - 9pm we have all 11 tables set up and players from all over come to train and play. There is no age restriction but be aware there are some pretty good youngsters always looking for a match. Coaching is available from 2 qualified coaches you just have to let us know if you do want any help.
We are open most Sunday mornings (10am - 12noon) which is an ideal session for families but there are tournaments held on Sundays so check first (028-35371 Owen) Cost is €5 for non members (Membership €12) and €3 for members.
On the performance side of things the Goleen club has players playing in the top 10 junior age groups in the country and many of the players are leading players at their age groups in West Cork.
Aisling 3rd Place Finish
Aisling had an excellent 3rd place finish at the Ballincollig Open and puts her in line for the Munster U14 Team.
Awards for Goleen Players
Aisling Healy and James Kelly joined Ben O'Donnell after they passed their WCTTA Silver Awards.
Top Honors for local lad
James Kelly too the Munster Junior Classification under 10 Title at his first Munster Ranking. James has been playing in a number of tournaments around West Cork but this was his first Provincial event. James also went on to play at the Irish Junior Rankings in Dublin and finished a very creditable 4th in the under 10 event.
Goleen Table Tennis Festival Tournament 2008.
On Saturday 9th August the Goleen Festival kicked off with the second annual Goleen Festival Table Tennis Tournament with a mix of local and
players staying in the area on holiday. 24 players ages from 8 years upward were divided into 5 division according to ability. Accodingly many of the matches proved to be very close
including the match between Catherine Harnedy and Brian Crowley in the 1st Division which eventually saw Munster's No.1 Lady Veteran win 3 - 2.
Many of the players also took part in the Goleen Table Tennis training camp during the week which proved to be very enjoyable and saw West Cork's most successful player Emma Jane Helen
making a guest appearance at the camp. Congratualtions to all those who took part and a special thanks to the parents who helped out with the umpiring on the day. See you next year!
Division 1
Catherine Harnedy, Skibbereen
Brian Crowley, Bantry
Mark Lynch, Bantry
Richard Gostyn, Goleen
Division 2
Aaron Bean, Borlin
James Kelly, Goleen
Gary O’Leary Hayes, Midleton
John Barry, Cork
Aonghus Harnedy, Castlehaven
Division 3
Andrew Barry, Ballincollig
Brian Connolly, Ballincollig
Thomas O’Grady, Bantry
Eoghan Sheehan, Goleen
Mairéad Supple, Goleen
Division 4
James O’Leary Hayes, Midleton
Glen Stokes, Cork
Mateo Fitzsimmons, Ballydehob
James Traecy, Cork
Division 5
Tony O’Donoghue, Cork
Shaun O’Leary Hayes, Midleton
Ruari Harnedy, Castlehaven
Caoimhe Harnedy, Castlehaven
JP O’Toole, Cork
Lissagriffin NS Take West Cork Table Tennis Title
Three students from Lissagriffin National School pulled off a major surprise when they defeated all comers at the 2008 West Cork Schools Championships held at Maria Immaculata Community College (MICC) in Dunmanway. The Schools Cup is the largest schools event in the country with over 40 entries this year and schools from all over the region taking part in 14 events throughout the day.
The combined talents of Eoghan Sheehan, Mairéad Supple and James Kelly only dropped one point in the competition to take the Primary School Mixed Title after Coppeen NS had won the title an amazing 5 years in a row as well as collecting a number of Munster titles in that time. That one point was against Gaelscoil Bheanntrai’s Tolly Franklin who is a regular member of the Goleen Club himself. What made the victory even more remarkable was that all the team members are categorised under 10 and will have at least two more years to compete at this level of competition.
Lissagriffin NS had entered this event before back in 2001 and 2002 when they managed a 3rd and a 2nd place finish but the players were delighted to go one better and put their small school firmly on the West Cork Table Tennis map. Many of the 30 students from the school have taken advantage of the excellent new facilities provided by the Goleen & District Community Council at the Goleen Hall alongside players from further afield.
Schull Community College was also well represented at U13 and U15 Boys standard with players from both teams regularly training at the Goleen Club. Adam Collins was part of the Schull Team that won Silver in the U13 and Josh Lenzlipich, Connor Miller and Oisin O’Driscoll came within a hare’s whisker of winning the U15 Boys title. That was eventually won by Ardscoil Phobal Bheanntrai, with both Brian Crowley and Jack McCarthy also having trained within the Goleen Club. St. Finbarr’s Boys National School in Bantry took both the National School Boys Division 1 and Division 2 titles and a number of those players have regularly made the trip from Bantry to attend training at Goleen TTC.
Goleen TTC is open to all ages and abilities on Fridays 7pm-9pm and Sundays 5pm-7pm with 10 tables and 2 robots available, both adults and kids can train and have fun together. Coaching is always available upon request from qualified ITTA Coaches Owen Kelly and Richard Gostyn.
Congratulation once again to all those who took part.
Current Sessions: Fridays For all 7pm-9pm. Sundays Family Day 5pm-7pm. contact Owen Kelly 028-35371
ITTA Awards
James Kelly from the Goleen TTC was presented with his ITTA 2 Star Award. At 7 years of age James is one of the youngest players to achieve this level in West Cork.
INDIVIDUAL PRIMARY SCHOOL CHAMPIONSIPS 2008
The West Cork Primary Schools Individual Table Tennis Championship 2008 was held in the Goleen Community Sports Hall
on February 25th. The event saw representatives from 8 different primary schools from throughout the West Cork Region.
The West Cork Table Tennis Association (WCTTA) was delighted with over 60 competitors making this one of the largest
primary school events in the country.
The largest of the 4 events was over 10 boys with 24 entries. St. Finbarr's Boys National School have a strong tradition in
table tennis with regular school coaching sessions and the school regularly competes at the West Cork Schools Cup.
All 6 of their squad made it to the ¼ final stages along with Eoin Murray (Togher NS) and Patrick McCaffrey
(Gael Scoil, Skibbereen). Eoin Murray knocked out Tim Cronin to reach the semi final stages where he was eventually
defeated by Anthony Hanley. In the second semi final Cathal McCarthy beat Darren Cronin to take his place in the final
which he eventually won to take the West Cork Over 10 Primary School title.
Eoin Barclay (Gael Scoil Skibbereen) beat Ciaran Nunan (Togher) in the Over 10 Plate Final.
The Under 10 Boys also saw a large entry with 21 players and again St. Finbarr's Boys School showed their strength.
However only one made it through to the ¼ final stages with players from Model School Dunmanway, Gael Scoil Bantry,
Gael Scoil Skibbereen, Togher NS and 2 local Lissagriffin players all being represented. 7 year old James Kelly
(Lissagriffin NS) beat Togher's Finn Pyatt to claim his place against top seed Kieran Hanley (St. Finbarr's) in the
semi final where he was eventually beaten while U9 Tolly Franklin (Gael Scoil, Bantry) beat Eoghan Sheehan
(Lissagriffin NS) to meet surprise semi finalist Nicholas Bryan (Model School). Nicholas had upset the early seeding
by beating top seed Kieran Hanley and once again showed his talent to reach the final. With a repeat of the early
group stages between Nicholas and Kieran it was Kieran who used his experience to redress his earlier loss and to
take the title at the end of a very close competition.
St. Finbarr's and Model School also battled it out in the plate final with Keith Collins (St. Finbarr's)
defeating Ray Jennings (Model School).
Two schools also dominated the Over 10 girls' event with Togher NS and Gael Scoil Skibbereen players reaching the semi
finals when all three of the Gael Scoil Bantry girls were knocked out of the ¼ final stages. It was Gael Scoil
Skibbereen who saw off the strong challenge of Togher when Charli Williams beat Ciara Glenn and Luighsighe Carey beat
Lisa Cotter in the semi finals setting up an all Gael Scoil final. Luighsighe Carey made a welcome return to the West
Cork scene after finishing No.1 Under 10 in Munster last year and showed this experience over tournament debutante
Charli Williams in the final to lift the first West Cork Over 12 Girls title. Togher went on to claim the Over 10
Plate title when Eileen Crowley saw of the challenge of local girl Michelle O'Leary (Lissagriffin) in the final.
5 schools were represented in the under 10 Girls competition with all 5 being represented at the ¼ stages and 4 at
the semi final stage. The West Cork No.1 position is currently shared between two girls. Both reached the final with
Sinead McKennedy (Castlehaven NS) beating Deidre O'Sullivan from Bantry Gael Scoil and Mairéad Supple (Lissagriffin
beating Sorcha Browning. In a closely fought and tense final it was Sinead McKennedy who took the first West Cork
Primary Schools Under 10 Girls Title back home to Castlehaven NS.
The new local Goleen Club were delighted with the overall results from the event and were also able to
celebrate their first title when Aisling O'Driscoll overcame the challenge from Orláith Keating (Gael Scoil
Skibbereen) in the final of the Under 10 Girls Plate competition.
WCTTA Chairman thanked everyone for the tremendous support shown by schools, parents and the local Goleen &
District Community Council who provided the superb facility as well as organising the café and refreshments for all
the spectators. The next major West Cork event will be the West Cork Schools Cup to be held after Easter in Dunmanway.
Sean Kelly opens Goleen Community Sports Centre by Owen Kelly
The Goleen Community Sports Centre was officially opened by Sean Kelly Director of the Irish Institute of Sport but
probably better known in his former role as GAA President. In Goleen he was opening the new sports centre and pitch
to whole community for all sports, not as historic as opening up the home of the GAA to soccer and rugby but as
significant to this small community holding the backline of the country.
The sport centre is state of the art with an imported seamless polymer floor from Poland and as mentioned once or
twice on this website it has 10 brand new tables, training robots and is already alive and buzzing to the sound of
table tennis.
This was a special evening for me as I was one of the original Goleen Community Councillors that put forward the
idea and laid some of the foundations for this project back when it seemed almost impossible. I want to take my small
piece of credit only so that I can share in the pride that so many of our local community feel in what we have
achieved.
We have already begun to develop our local club and it is a joy to me that my own small village can contribute so
much to the already established clubs in the area. We have held a number of local tournaments and recently put on a
West Cork Ranking and the training program has already expanded to attract players from miles around.
On the night of the opening I was invited along with representatives from County Soccer and the GAA County Board to
address the 400 members of the community who turned out in a howling gale for the opening. It was a huge honour for me to be able to
thank all those who have so willingly contributed to the project. I have been recently re-elected to the Community
Council after I stepped down a couple of years ago to concentrate on my family.
I am looking forward to getting back and helping move this and other projects on even further. I am confident that
the table tennis club will continue to grow as more and more people discover what we have to offer. As some of you
may know I am also a qualified cricket, GAA, soccer and athletics coach and I am delighted that I will be able to
use all these aspects of my coaching in the new sports centre. I think I will have a very busy 2008!
Goleen Top of the Table
The West Cork Junior Table Tennis Rankings provided thrilling action in a superb venue with top class facilities
provided by the Goleen Community Sports Centre. There was no clash of ash but there were thrills and spills as the
soft "pok pok" of bat on ball and spin, speed and power took centre stage.
The 2nd West Cork Junior Table Tennis Rankings were played out on ten new tables, including a brand new wheelchair
table provided by the Local Cork Sports Partnership funding. The event attracted players from far afield with clubs
from Bantry, Skibbereen and Dunmanway attending.
The organisers also welcomed a visit from their very Special guest Double World Games Bronze Medallist Pat Dorgan,
who travelled down especially with his family from Cork City. As well as presenting the athletes with their medals
he knocked up with some of the coaches, parents and players.
Entries were Divisioned into 5 groups all matched on ability giving many new players the opportunity to play in a
competition for the first time under the guidance of four qualified ITTA Coaches, thanks to Owen and Kate Kelly,
Richard Gostyn and Vicky Ridgeway.
Division 5 saw entries from five West Cork clubs and with four tournament debutants. The top places were finally
decided between two under 10 players Eoghan Sheehan (Goleen TTC) and Thomas O'Grady (Bantry TTC). Eoghan Sheehan went
on to win a very close match 2-1. Cormac O'Mahony (U10, Bantry TTC) came third. 4th Declan Kilbride (U10, Togher NS),
5th Jacob Clancey Adams (U9, Bantry Gael Scoil) and 6th Sean Finn Gallagher (U7, Skibbereen TTC).
Division 4 also had a 6 player group with three clubs represented. Goleen players proved to have the strength in this
division with all the top 3 places going to the hosts. There was a remarkable division win for the youngest competitor
in the day 7yrs old James Kelly who kept a clean sheet with 2nd Aaron Barry (U12, Goleen TTC), 3rd Darryl Connor
(U12, Goleen TTC), 4th Sinead McKennedy (U10, Skibbereen TTC), 5th Mairéad Supple (U10 Goleen TTC) and 6th Thomas
Black (U9, Bantry Gael Scoil).
Division 3 was dominated by the Skibbereen Club, the longest running of the three major coaching schemes in the
area. Ruaibhri Gallagher is an up and coming Under 11 and has shown some significant improvement in the last couple
of months. He took the gold in some style only losing one set overall to club mate Joe Moore. Joe Moore also took a
set off Bantry's top Under 10 Kieran Hanley who finished 2nd place with Joe taking 3rd. 4th Dominic Samson (U11,
Skibbereen TTC), 5th Declan Gallagher (U12, Skibbereen TTC).
Both the two top divisions were very closely fought out affairs with many matches going to the fifth set. Division 2
had a number of interesting clashes of style with the consistency and defensive style of under 11 Cathal McCarthy
finally coming out on top. A good performance from pen holder Connor Miller (U14, Goleen TTC) saw him reach 2nd place
while a welcome return from Killian Andrews rewarded him with third. U11 Anthony Hanley also from Bantry TTC fended
off the challenge from Robin Smiles (U17, MICC) by winning their match 3-2.
Division 1 displayed some of the best table tennis of the year with so many tight and entertaining matches being
played to an appreciative crowd of parents and interested parents. Under 17 Sebastian Kaehler (Goleen TTC) started
as clear favourite for the event and almost managed a clean sweep without dropping a set but new Goleen recruit
Ben O'Donnell fresh from his Munster U12 Final from the previous day managed to take one set against the hard
hitting long pimpled, long haired German! But it was not enough to secure second place for Ben O'Donnell who
again lost out 3-1 to former club mate Jack McCarthy (U13). Jack had to settle for second place, he had also played
the previous day in the Munster U14s finishing 6th. 4th place went to another Goleen TTC import Josh Lenz Lipitch
(U14) who is showing tremendous improvement and is one of a number of Goleen players who attend Schull Community
College. 5th place went to Brian Crowley (U14, Bantry TTC), Brian was the U14 Plate winner at the Munster Rankings
played in Kinneigh on the previous day.
At West Cork Rankings medals are presented to division winners and trophies are awarded to age group winners.
There were five age group winners at this event with Sebastian Kaehler at Under 17 Boys, U14 Boys Jack McCarthy,
U12 Boys Ben O'Donnell, U10 Boys Kieran Hanley, U10 Girls Sinead McKennedy.
The organisers would also like to thank the Lissagriffin PTA for supplying the cafe and all the assistance from
the Goleen and District Community Council. The next West Cork Rankings are once again in Goleen on 2nd February 2008.
Munster Junior Ranking, Kinneigh
West Cork Players at the Munster Junior Rankings.
Only two Bantry players entered the latest Munster Junior Ranking, this time being held at the Kinneigh TTC. Brian
Crowley and Jack McCarthy are students of the Bantry Secondary School and attend the Bantry Table Tennis Club. Brian
had a close encounter in the first round but was unable to move through to the next round of the competition, he
managed to recover well however and went on to win the Plate without dropping another match. Jack had better luck
in the first round and moved through the competition till the ¼ Finals. He recorded a fine win against Brian Kelleher
of Kinneigh in the 5-8 play offs and finally finished a very creditable 6th.
Ben O'Donnell recently changed clubs and went to the Munster Junior Rankings representing the Goleen Club where he
now trains twice a week. Ben has put in some fine performances this season both at Munster and Irish levels at U12.
He had his best ever performance over the weekend when he beat Peter Kelleher in the Semi Finals to met fellow West
Cork player Brian Kelleher in the final. Brian proved too consistent on this occasion for Ben but he was well pleased
with his second place finish. The next Munster Rankings are in Ballincollig on the 8th December.
ITTA Awards
Three more members of the Goleen Table Tennis Club passed their ITTA 1 Star Award. The Goleen TTC recently started a
series "proficiency" session for players interested in passing their ITTA Awards and 5 club members have already
passed their first stage. It is hoped that after this 8 week series that some players will reach 2 Star standard.
Congratulations to Mairéad Supple, Eimear and Eoghan Sheehan.
An Inter-Club Friendly
Goleen Table Tennis Club and Beech Hill Table Tennis Club organised an evening of fun games and matches for their
members on Friday night. The West Cork Club travelled up with 9 junior players ranging from 7yrs to 17yrs while Beech
Hill provided eight juniors of their own.
This was the first trip up to the city for the new Goleen TTC and all expressed their thanks and enjoyment on a good
night out. The Beech Hill Club is well known for its high standard and players certainly showed their class and the
facilities were excellent. Goleen Club Coaches Owen Kelly and Richard Gostyn were delighted with the way the evening
worked out.
"There are far too few opportunities for us to socialise with players from other clubs. We nearly always meet at
competitions and that is not always the best environment to get to know each other. We all share a common interest
in the sport and sometimes we need opportunities to play this game just for fun and an evening like this is an ideal
way of getting to know each other. Our thanks to Rory O'Connor and everyone at Beech Hill for inviting us up and
showing us such great hospitality."
A number of the players took the opportunity to watch Top Irish International Brian Fitzgerald as he trained in the
hall next door. This was the first time many of the players would have seen a player of this standard training and
it was an eye opener for all of them!
Goleen TTC is part of the Mizen Triangle of clubs including Skibbereen and Bantry. Ruairi Gallagher from Skibbereen
TTC also travelled up with the Goleen players and it is hoped that other players from Skibbereen and Bantry will also
get a similar opportunity in the future.
The Goleen Club is building up to host its first ever West Cork Rankings in their new facility next Sunday (25th Nov).
Over 30 players took part in the first event held at Kinneigh and it is expected that this number will rise as more
players from Bantry, Skibbereen and Dunmanway are expected to travel. Goleen TTC boasts one of the best facilities
in the
country with 11 new tables in one hall. Entries can be taken on the day and Divisioning starts at 10am sharp.
A Very Special Guest to Visit Goleen
Goleen TTC is delighted to announce that World Games Double Bronze Medallist Pat Dorgan will present the Medals and
Trophies for the club's up-coming West Cork Table Tennis Junior Ranking on November 25th. As reported previously on
the Table Tennis Ireland website (www.ttireland.com) Pat Dorgan is from Cork City and was one of the eight members of
Team Ireland Special Olympic Team that recently returned from a very successful Championship in China.
ITTA Awards
Three more members of the Goleen Table Tennis Club passed their ITTA 1 Star Award. The Goleen TTC recently started a
series "proficiency" session for players interested in passing their ITTA Awards and 5 club members have already
passed their first stage. It is hoped that after this 8 week series that some players will reach 2 Star standard.
Congratulations to Mairéad Supple, Eimear and Eoghan Sheehan.
An Inter-Club Friendly
Goleen Table Tennis Club and Beech Hill Table Tennis Club organised an evening of fun games and matches for their
members on Friday night. The West Cork Club travelled up with 9 junior players ranging from 7yrs to 17yrs while Beech
Hill provided eight juniors of their own.
This was the first trip up to the city for the new Goleen TTC and all expressed their thanks and enjoyment on a good
night out. The Beech Hill Club is well known for its high standard and players certainly showed their class and the
facilities were excellent. Goleen Club Coaches Owen Kelly and Richard Gostyn were delighted with the way the evening
worked out.
"There are far too few opportunities for us to socialise with players from other clubs. We nearly always meet at
competitions and that is not always the best environment to get to know each other. We all share a common interest
in the sport and sometimes we need opportunities to play this game just for fun and an evening like this is an ideal
way of getting to know each other. Our thanks to Rory O'Connor and everyone at Beech Hill for inviting us up and
showing us such great hospitality."
A number of the players took the opportunity to watch Top Irish International Brian Fitzgerald as he trained in the
hall next door. This was the first time many of the players would have seen a player of this standard training and
it was an eye opener for all of them!
Goleen TTC is part of the Mizen Triangle of clubs including Skibbereen and Bantry. Ruairi Gallagher from Skibbereen
TTC also travelled up with the Goleen players and it is hoped that other players from Skibbereen and Bantry will also
get a similar opportunity in the future.
The Goleen Club is building up to host its first ever West Cork Rankings in their new facility next Sunday (25th Nov).
Over 30 players took part in the first event held at Kinneigh and it is expected that this number will rise as more
players from Bantry, Skibbereen and Dunmanway are expected to travel. Goleen TTC boasts one of the best facilities
in the
country with 11 new tables in one hall. Entries can be taken on the day and Divisioning starts at 10am sharp.
A Very Special Guest to Visit Goleen
Goleen TTC is delighted to announce that World Games Double Bronze Medallist Pat Dorgan will present the Medals and
Trophies for the club's up-coming West Cork Table Tennis Junior Ranking on November 25th. As reported previously on
the Table Tennis Ireland website (www.ttireland.com) Pat Dorgan is from Cork City and was one of the eight members of
Team Ireland Special Olympic Team that recently returned from a very successful Championship in China.
Goleen's Golden Girl
Mairéad Supple won a Gold Medal in the first West Cork Ranking of the season. The event hosted at the Kinneigh Club
saw an entry of over 30 juniors from 6 different clubs around the region. Mairéad representing Goleen won her Division
beating Sinead McKennedy last year's No.6 U10 in Munster.
Conor Miller and Adam Collins Goleen TTC members both from Schull Community College won Silver in their
Divisions while compatriot Josh Lenz-Lipitch finished a very creditable 7th in the overall rankings. 7yrs old
James Kelly took Bronze in the youngest group.
The next West Cork Ranking will be held in the new Goleen TTC for the very first time later this month.
The event is scheduled for Sunday 25th November all members are invited to attend.
Goleen Summer Festival Tournament 2007
Sunday 12th August Goleen Table Tennis Club held their first annual Open Summer tournament at the new Goleen Sports
Complex. 37 players entered with players from Hungary, Australia, England, Dublin, Cork, Dunmanway, Skibbereen, Bantry joining
the local players in a fun filled afternoon. Players were divisioned on ability rather than age or gender with
players from 7 years old and upward playing against each other. Many of the matches were very close. The 1st Division
final captured the uniqueness of the event with Csillag Moosz a Hungarian woman visiting the area against local Bantry
U12 Ben O'Donnell. The 3rd/4th Final saw a father and son match with Mike Williams (father) against Tadgh Williams (son)
going head to head, it was father who won this time, Julie Williams (mother) finished 6th.
There was another young Bantry player made the final of the Division 2 when Anthony Hanley came up against Rolly Delmaistro.
Rolly and brother Matty Delmaistro are regular visitors to Goleen from the UK with their family. It was Rolly who took the final.
Anthony had put Matty Delmaistro out in the Semi-Final in one of the best matches of the day. Matty went on to beat another
regular Summer visitor Barry O'Connor from Dublin. Barry's son Finbar reached the Division 4 Final where he was beaten
by the Goleen Coach's son James Kelly in the final. Another regular visitor Oscar Wolheim beat Matteo Fitzsimons from Ballydehob
for 3rd place in Division 4.
Division 3 matched up visitor Caspar Harvey with local club member Brian O'Donovan with the visitor winning out. James O'Leary Hayes
came out on top against local lad Daryl Connell.
Trophies and medals were presented by Owen Kelly who thanked all those who had travelled and helped out on the day especially local coach
Richard Gostyn and hoped that everyone enjoyed the rest of the Goleen Festival.
| Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 | ||||
| 1 | Csillig Moosz | 1 | Rolly Delmaistro | 1 | Caspar Harvey | 1 | James Kelly |
| 2 | Ben O'Donnell | 2 | Anthony Hanley | 2 | Brian O'Donovan | 2 | Finbar O'Connor |
| 3 | Mike Williams | 3 | Matty Delmaistro | 3 | James O'Leary Hayes | 3 | Oscar Wolheim |
| 4 | Tadgh Williams | 4 | Barry O'Connor | 4 | Daryl Connell | 4 | Matteo Fitzsimons |
| 5 | Robin Smiles | 5 | John Fitzsimons | 5 | Amy Dineen | 5 | Connor O'Driscoll |
| 6 | Julia Williams | 6 | Vicky Ridgeway | 6 | Aaron Barry | 6 | Maraid Supple |
| 7 | David Venus | 7 | Cormac Browning | 7 | John Barry | 7 | Alexandra Leib |
| 8 | Gabi Bailey | 8 | Daniel Moosz | 8 | Eimer Sheehan | 8 | Kevin O'Toole |
| 9 | Bernard O'Sullivan | 9 | Eoghan Sheehan | 9 | Sorcha Browning | ||
| 10 | Odette Fitzsimons | 10 | Sean O'Leary Hayes |