Two young ladies from the Castleisland based Kingdom Badminton Club won the Kerry Badminton Association U-14 Doubles Championship title recently.
Grace McGovern and Kate Harmon overcame the challenge of the Listowel club’s pairing of Kate Nolan and Sinéad Kelly in their final.
Between the two Castleisland players, their inherited dedication and love of the game goes back many generations.
Several Generations Back
Well beyond mothers and fathers playing, but grannies and grandads, great grandfathers and grandmothers, gran-aunts and uncles it goes back several generations in both families with many Kerry and Munster titles between them all.
On Kate Harmon’s mom’s side, the Kerry and Munster roll of honour is peppered with the Hannon name and Grace McGovern will find her grand-dad, Ger McGaley’s name alongside that of Ballymac’s Murty McEllistrim as they won a Kerry minor doubles title in the early 1970s.
The Old Library
Carnegie Hall, better known as the Old Library, which also sat the Castleisland District Court for many years, is still a favorite badminton hall among all local Kingdom club players and throughout the county.
It is blessed with its beautiful high ceiling and original wood floor and a ghost or two.
Back into Training
After a quite couple of seasons, and being away from the sport, the girls jumped right back into training as soon as restrictions were lifted.
“My auntie Lorna is great for giving me tips. We were delighted with the win – and although it was close – we knew we could do it,” said Kate.
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