Offaly badminton teams preparing for Leinster Community Games finals

Two Offaly Community Games teams are busy preparing for the Leinster Finals to be played in Mullingar on the 25^th of April. Only two girls teams and three boys teams competed in the Offaly rounds of the competition. As previously reported, Kilcormac-Killoughey defeated Edenderry in the girls final. The boys final was played out between Clara and Mucklagh-Rahan-The Island. To reach the final, Clara were drawn against Edenderry in a semi-final.

Clara v Edenderry

The Clara team of Ross Byrne, Zach Cullen, Sam Cornally, Adam Willis, and Jamie Kelly met the Edenderry team, Meehaul McKeown, Shay Curry, Jake Hurst, Tommy Reilly, Alex Carberry, and Luca Romano in Clara GAA Hall. Community Games matches involve both singles and doubles, with only the first doubles counting to determine the winner. Ross Byrne, Clara, met Meehaul McKeown in first singles. In Community Games, the winner must be ahead by two points and the players compete in the best two out of three sets. Ross led off with a 22-20 win in set 1. Meehaul bounced back

With a 21-10 win in set 2. In the third set, Ross was on fire and ran out a 21-11 win which gave victory to Clara, 2 sets to 1. Zach Cullen, Clara, and Shay Curry, Edenderry fought the second singles match. Shay scored a straight forward win for Edenderry in 2 sets, 21-10, 21-13. All eyes were on the 1^st Doubles, the decider, between Sam Cornally and Adam Willis, Clara, and Jake Hurst and Tommy Reilly, Edenderry. Both sets started with the teams exchanging points, and then Clara hit a purple patch in each set and ran out the winners 21-11, 21-11.

In the 2^nd doubles, Jamie Kelly and Ross Byrne, Clara, met Alex Carberry and Luca Romano, Edenderry. Again, Clara were dominate, but had to pull out all their skill in the 2^nd set, with scores of 21-16, 22-20. Clara were match winners and went forward to to meet Mucklagh-Rahan-The Island in the final.

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Clara v Mucklagh-Rahan-The Island

For the final, Clara added Tom Gaffey to their line-up to join Ross Byrne, Sam Cornally, Adam Willis, Zach Cullen and Jamie Kelly. MRI fielded Oisín Coleman, Evan Craven, Max O’Rourke, Charlie Larkin, Conor Kenny, and Daithi Boyle. Oisín won 1^st Singles for MRI in two sets, but had a fight to the end in the second against Ross Byrne, Clara. Scores were 21-16, 23-21. Tom Gaffey, Clara, played Evan Craven, MRI in 2^nd singles in another 3 set battle. Evan won the 1st set 21-17. Tom put Clara back in contention with a 21-15 win. The two boys battled for the 3^rd set before Evan squeaked out a 21-19 win for MRI to give them a second victory. Clara finally got a win in 1^st doubles when Sam Cornally and Adam Willis defeated Max O’Rourke and Charlie Larkin, MRI, in a nail-biting 1^st set 25-23, and the second set, a more comfortable 21-15.

Due to time constraints, second doubles was only played to 2 sets, and finished a draw. Jamie Kelly and Zach Cullen, Clara, won the 1^st set 21-16. Conor Kenny and Daithi Boyle, MRI, bounced back in the 2^nd set 21-17. With 2 wins in the first 3 games, Mucklagh-Rahan-The Island players received the Gold Medals from Offaly County Community Games Treasurer, Carmel Carroll. Clara received the Silver Medals. Good luck to MRI and KK in the Leinster finals.