F IT ZW I LLI A M NEWS
ISSUE NO. 41
Men’s Tennis Club Championships (Singles) Osgar Ó hOisín Winner, David O’Hare Umpire & Stephen Taylor Runner Up
FBD Men’s Irish Open Tennis Championships (Doubles) David O’Hare & Peter Bothwell Runners Up
Cannon Kirk Men’s Irish Open Squash Championships - Adrian Waller Winner
2014
Men’s Irish Open Tennis Championships (Singles) Ed Corrie Runner Up & Josh Milton Winner
Ladies’ Tennis Club Championships (Singles) Georgia Drummy Winner and Sinead Kennedy Runner Up
Appleby Jewellers Ladies’ and Men’s Squash Club Championships Griffin Gillanders Winner Ladies’ Singles and Derek Ryan Winner Men’s Singles
Men’s Tennis Club Championships (Doubles) Gary Kilduff and Stephen Taylor Winners, Graham Smyth & Shane O’Dea Runners Up
Cannon Kirk Ladies’ Irish Open Squash Championship Nouran Ahmed Gohar Winner
FITZWILLIAM LAWN TENNIS CLUB wishes to acknowledge the support of the listed companies and organisations in the hosting of events at the Club in 2014
Principal Event Sponsors
Cannon Kirk Homes
FBD
Irish Open Squash Championships
Irish Open Tennis Championships
William Fry
Irish Open Junior Tennis Championships
AVIVA
Club Tennis Championships
The Irish Sports Council
Irish Open Squash Championships
Appleby Jewellers
Club Squash Championships
Other Event Sponsors Hair Restoration Clinic Blackrock Team Tennis Singles
Home Care Plus Team Tennis Doubles
Supporting sponsors of the Men’s Irish Open Tennis Championships
Other contributors to the Men’s Irish Open Tennis Championships
Fanagans, Ecohygiene, Jonas Software, B.O.S.S., Seating & Access, O’Shea Electrical, Ashview Consultants, Carraig Linen and Laundry, Key Waste, Advanced Hygiene Care, Vernon Catering, Rentokil, Comans Without the support of companies and individuals, the Club would not be in a position to host major racquet events. Any member or company interested in sponsoring or otherwise supporting Club events should contact :
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Peter Moran, Interim General Manager Phone : 01 2310605 Email : pmoran@fltc.ie
President’s Letter Frank Egan / President 2014 has been a busy year in the Club in all areas. We have enjoyed another wonderful summer which stretched into October. This greatly contributed to the success of our tennis events and enabled many of our members to enjoy long summer evenings on the terrace. In July the FBD Men’s Irish Open Tennis Championships provided our touring players with an excellent opportunity to earn world ranking points on home territory against international opposition. Although there were no Irish winners this year, Club members David O’Hare and Peter Bothwell reached the final of the Men’s Doubles. The tournament was the most successful Irish Open for many years from an overall Club perspective and the event enjoyed excellent media coverage and member support. Congratulations are due to Mark Carpenter and his tournament organising committee. The first Irish Junior Tennis Championships took place one hundred years ago in 1914 and was hosted by the Club in its then premises Fitzwilliam Square. This year’s tournament which was once again sponsored by William Fry was run with usual efficiency by Henry Lappin at the end of August and attracted a record entry. To mark the centenary the Club hosted a gala Centenary Dinner on Saturday 27th September. More than 450 people attended the dinner in the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and a great night was had by all. Joe Hackett Jnr was the Organiser in Chief and largely responsible for the success of the event. Aviva sponsored the Tennis Club Championships which enjoyed strong support from the membership both on and off court and benefitted greatly from a fantastic fortnight’s weather. Georgia Drummy became the youngest Ladies’ Club Champion and Osgar Ó hOisín triumphed in the Men’s event. The Fitzwilliam team captained by Morgan Dunne scored the narrowest of victories by 5 matches to 4 in our blue riband annual tennis fixture with the All England for the Sterry Cup over the course of a balmy weekend in Dublin in September. We congratulate our fellow member James McGee on his magnificent achievement in qualifying for the US Open in New York in September where he narrowly failed to make it through to the second round. The Squash Club Championships which were sponsored by Appleby Jewellers started off the 2014 Squash calendar and Derek Ryan was once again crowned Men’s Club Champion. Our top junior Griffin Gillanders won the Ladies’ Singles. For the tenth and final year Cannon Kirk Homes generously sponsored the Irish Open Squash Championships in April which boasted a world class entry in both the Men’s and Ladies’ events. Enormous thanks are due to Owen Kirk of Cannon Kirk Homes for his generous support of the Irish Open over the last decade and also to the Organising Committee of Gina Menzies, Martin Macdonnell and Hugh Fitzsimons.
The Club greatly appreciates all the sponsors of our tennis and squash events both internal and external and we are indebted to each and everyone of them. There are detailed reports of the internal Tennis and Squash tournaments, league competitions and interclub fixtures in the following pages from our Chair of Tennis, Frank Dillon and our Chair of Squash, Gavin Doherty respectively. This edition of the Fitzwilliam News also features reports on the activities of the Snooker, Fitzamblers, Cricket, Bridge, Swimming, Golf, Archive and Wine Committees. Many members have given generously of their time on the various Club Committees during the year and we thank them all. The Club added during the year to its list of reciprocal clubs and there are reports of two of our members in these pages of their experiences at the Olympic Club in San Francisco and the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur respectively. In addition to all the on-court activities in the Club, there has been a busy social calendar of events during the year. The memorable Titanic Nights took place in February and in July we were regaled by Hugh Tinney, our fellow member, and celebrated concert pianist. On the musical front we were also entertained by Nick Kelly and his band during the Summer and by Niamh Kavanagh, former Eurovision winner at the tennis At Home Dinner. There have also been a number of excellent themed Wine Dinners throughout the year. The World War 1 Centenary Dinner in early November was also an outstanding success. The quality and value of the first floor hospitality service has clearly been recognised this year with both indoor and outdoor terrace dining being very busy throughout the year and particularly during the summer months. The building works to increase the area of the Players’ Bar are due to commence in January. Every effort will be made to minimise the disruption caused by these works. I would like to acknowledge all of Fitzwilliam’s excellent staff whose efforts on our behalf we greatly appreciate. In particular I would like to thank our Interim General Manager, Peter Moran. I would like to say a sincere thank you to Owen Dawson for his enthusiastic and skilful editing of the Fitzwilliam News and to Rosalind Dignam for her constant attention to detail. It has been an absolute honour and pleasure to have served as President for the past two years and I am most grateful for the support and courtesy received from my fellow members. Fitzwilliam is one of the best Clubs of its kind anywhere and it has been my experience that visiting teams from leading Clubs in other countries continue to express surprise and not a little envy at its vibrancy and level of activity. As I retire to the back benches, I promise not to speak unless spoken to, and I ask you to nurture Fitzwilliam for me, for yourselves and for those who will follow.
Fitzwilliam News
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Little did we know back in the early the months of 2014 that the summer weather ahead would surpass that of 2013. The Tennis Committee’s activity programme kept the courts busy throughout the year and members were able to enjoy their post-game drink in sunshine on the terrace. Not alone was the summer great but the fine weather extended into October and probably for the first time ever, the two weeks of the Club Championships were ‘rain free’. The first internal tennis event of the year started in February – the Annual Team Doubles, with a capacity entry of 192 players and again kindly sponsored by
FBD Men’s Irish Open Tennis Championships Doubles Winners L/R : Frederik Nielsen & Ed Corrie
Home Care Plus. As an added incentive, contestants who reached the semi-finals were invited as guests to attend the Easter-themed finals night party. Peter Daly’s team won the final beating Jane Curtin’s team 35 points to 27. The Club entered 11 teams in the Winter League and while just one, our Men’s 1st, reached the final, no less than 6 teams secured their place in the play-offs. The Men’s 1st team, captained by Stephen Taylor, narrowly lost the final to Sutton 1/2, with Sutton saving a tie-winning match point in the process. Following a suggestion from new member Teresa Hurley, we entered a team in the Ladies Charity 4
Fitzwilliam News
League for the first time. Captained by Rosie Crimmins, the team won 5 of their 6 matches but unfortunately didn’t qualify for the play-offs. Great emphasis is placed on the social side of this event and apart from playing tennis, the ladies produced a cook book, with the sale proceeds going to charity. The winners of this event receive no prizes but instead donate their winnings to a charity of their choice. Our ladies’ team are eagerly looking forward to participating in this event again in 2015. Organised Play proved yet again to be very popular and to cater for the demand we added a new standard
Frank Dillon
Chair Tennis Committee
on Wednesday evenings. Throughout the year, Organised Play took place over 20 weeks, divided into 4 series. New in 2014 was a complimentary supper which was offered to different groups at the end of each series; this proved to be very popular and promoted lots of camaraderie amongst participants. To ensure maximum enjoyment for all, we urge members to play in the group relevant to their playing standard. For Summer League, the Club entered 6 Men’s and 5 Ladies’ teams. Having been ‘pipped at the post’ in Winter League, our Men’s 1st team were especially keen to go one step further in Summer League and win the event outright. After a lot of careful planning by captain Stephen Taylor and lots of practice, they
succeeded in doing just that, beating Malahide 3/2 in the Premier final. They were also joined on the winning podium by our Men’s 2nd team, who won Class 3. Captained by Rob Fitzgerald, they beat Castleknock 3/2 in the final and as a result of their success are promoted to Class 2. Congratulations to both teams. While the sun shone, we had our usual summer internal events catering for different member requirements: Early Morning Doubles, Summer Round Robins and Clay Court Events; all of these were well supported. Introduced in 2013, we again
Finalists Ladies’ Club Championships Doubles L/R : Sinead Kennedy/Hannahmay Morrissey (Winners) & Alexia Tierney & Emma Doyle (Runners Up)
ran two ‘Inter-generational’ mixed events to promote and encourage our younger members integrate into the Club. A group of 16-18 year olds played doubles and mixed doubles against one another and another group in their early 20’s played a group of early 30’s; both events were followed by supper and thoroughly enjoyed by all participants. The Men’s Irish Open, again sponsored by FBD, was played in glorious weather in July. Finals’ day attracted many spectators who came, not just to see an exciting Men’s Singles final, but also to see a visiting team representing Harvard & Yale Universities play Fitzwilliam. In the Men’s Singles Final Joshua Milton (GBR), come from behind to edge out Ed
Corrie (GBR) 4/6, 7/5, 6/2. In the Men’s Doubles final, the Irish duo Peter Bothwell and David O’Hare were beaten by No. 1 seeds Ed Corrie and 2012 Wimbledon doubles winner Freddie Nielsen (Den) 6/2, 7/5. In August, the top juniors in the country took centre stage in the Club and participated in ‘Junior Fitz’, this year celebrating its centenary. Again sponsored by William Fry, a huge entry of over 500 competed for the many coveted singles and doubles titles. Such was the size of the entry that we had to run some of the qualifying matches in Lansdowne LTC and Leinster Cricket Club; we are grateful to both these clubs for use of their courts. Congratulations to new member Simon Carr, who won the Boys U. 16 Singles title beating Morgan Lohan 6/2, 7/6 in the final. Lauren Deegan was once again involved in another closely fought contest with fellow member Julie Byrne, with Lauren winning 6/1, 5/7, 6/4 in the Girls U.18 Singles final. The recently concluded Club Championships were this year sponsored by Aviva. Close to 350 entries were received with 27 different events being run to cater for all playing standards in the Club. The winner of the Men’s Singles championships was Osgar Ó hOisín who beat Stephen Taylor in the final and we had the youngest ever winner of the Ladies Singles, 14 year-old Georgia Drummy. Both receive tickets to the O2 ATP World Finals in London in November. Congratulations too to Noel Travers, winning ‘Player of the Year’. Noel accumulated more points than anyone else for participating in more events during 2014. He too is off to the O2 in November. Off court, we had three sell-out social events during the Club Championships – Barbeque, Annual Quiz night and the largest ever ‘At-Home’ party. A Development Proposal – details of which were recently circulated to all members - to erect two new additional indoor courts is one of the most exciting Club initiatives planned for many years. Given that the existing roof has to be replaced, it was decided to explore if it was feasible to erect two new courts over indoor courts 1 and 2. Architects have confirmed this is possible and we are now at the early planning stages of this proposal. Given that more tennis is played over the winter months in the Club than summer, and especially on the indoors, the Tennis Committee believe this initiative is definitely a worthwhile proposition. During the winter months, when Team Singles (Nov/Dec), Team Doubles (Feb./March) and Organised Play are on, members’ regular weekly games Fitzwilliam News
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Fitzwilliam Juniors v WJTI (Wimbledon Juniors Tennis Initiative & AELTC Juniors) for the newly presented Harry Barniville Trophy. FLTC Juniors won the fixture 11-9 in October 2014.
are not possible as the existing 4 indoor courts are prebooked for 22 weeks for these events. However the addition of the 2 new courts would mean members, who do not participate in these events - as well as those who do, could continue to arrange their own regular games using the 2 new courts. During 2014, we participated in 19 Inter-Club Fixtures. We are all the time reviewing the list to ensure we are getting the most out of each fixture from both a playing and social point of view. We’re aware of the many members who would like to be selected and we are endeavouring to be as fair as possible to as many as possible. Participating in Club events enhances your prospect of selection.
We hope we have succeeded in our endeavours for the benefit of all. Finally, I’d like to say a special ‘thank you’ to Pat Morrissey who unfortunately leaves the Tennis Committee in December. He has given many years of great service to both the Tennis Committee, as well as to the Executive Committee. Tennis in the Club is most definitely in a better place as a result of Pat’s endeavours during the past few years and we are indebted to him for that.
The Tennis Committee’s theme for 2014 has been ‘Play, Stay and Enjoy’. Our objectives during the year have been primarily two-fold: 1) To encourage member participation in tennis events, and 2) To encourage those participants to ‘stay’...and enjoy themselves socially. 6
Fitzwilliam News
L/R : Robert Burke (son of the late Tommy Burke) presenting the Tommy Burke Clay Court Salver to winner Richard Collins.
Squash Gavin Doherty Chair of Squash
“My definition of winning at squash is playing and surviving, and I’ve never lost a match”
Arlen Specter As is customary, the year began with the finals of the Appleby Club Championships 2013/2014 followed by the championships dinner after finals night on 11 January. The Appleby Club Championships, as befits the highlight of the squash calendar in Fitzwilliam LTC, was keenly contested by virtually every able bodied squash player in the club. (And by some not so able bodied). All players worked extremely hard on the court to win one of the fantastic prizes on offer. All players worked extremely hard off the court to win the “Appleby Voucher”, worth an incredible €2,000 to the lucky recipient. With regard to the latter, many congratulations to Michael O’Shea (aka Alison Clancy). We would like to express our grateful thanks to Appleby Jewellers for its continued support of squash in Fitzwilliam, which support is greatly valued and appreciated and which makes the Club championships such a special event.
Squash Club Championships Dinner Clockwise : Michael Roden, Donal Tierney, Peter O’Reilly, Peter Sandys, Tom Foley, David Monahan, Vincent Crowley, Michael Coyle, John Marks, Paul de Brit, David Dixon and Allan O’Connor.
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L/R : Frank Egan, President, Denis O’Connor, Vicky Menzies and Rosie Barry.
Our season was a busy, and successful, one. We participated in a number of official fixtures throughout the year, namely against Queen’s (led by Kevin Moore), Edinburgh (led by Aidan Sharkey), Jesters (led by Ciarán McCoy) and the UK Vets (led by Karam Singh). Sadly, the annual fixture against Cardiff Squash Rackets Club did not take place this season. Quite simply, the Welsh were afraid of us. (Well, we are writing this article, not the Welsh). We won all of our official fixtures this season, which was a fantastic achievement and we wish to congratulate all captains and team members. The UK Vets fixture was won by the narrowest of margins (3-3 in matches with the Fitzwilliam team winning 12-11 in games on a count back). All of the pressure was then on Kevin and his team in the final fixture against Queen’s but the Fitzwilliam team duly proved that “pressure is for tyres”. We also participated in a number of additional unofficial events, against Chesham 1879 Tennis and Squash Club in Chesham (now an official fixture) (captained by Dan O’Donnell), The Northumberland Club of Newcastle in Dublin (captained by Michael Collins) and a team of squash players from Limerick (captained by Richard
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Internationals tournaments during the season. They were Rosie Barry, Sarah Berkeley, Christine Mooney, Dara O’Flynn, Ciarán McCoy, Gerry Callanan, Michael Cowhie, Damian O’Reilly, John Young, Colm Andrews and, last but most definitely not least, the wonderful Maurice (Mossie) Collins.
Men’s Premier Squash Leinster League & Cup Winners 2014 L/R : Derek Ryan, Niall Rooney, Kevin Moore, Dara O’Flynn and Dermot MacNamara.
Tierney). We comfortably won the Chesham and Limerick events but were outplayed by Northumberland although some of the matches were very close, with Nigel Peyton and Damian O’Reilly both losing 3/2 in hard fought matches. Richard Tierney graciously donated a cup for the Limerick event. By all accounts, the winner of the Champions League receives a smaller trophy. On the league and cup fronts, we also had a busy and successful season. We had twelve league teams entered in various competitions. Our men’s premier A team, captained by the inimitable Kevin Moore, won the league and cup double – a remarkable achievement. Fitzwilliam also enjoyed success in winning the Masters Division 1 and Division 2 titles. Congratulations to, respectively, Damian O’Reilly and Colm Andrews and their squads of players. Alas, our ladies premier team (captained by Rosie Barry, with Griffin Gillanders, Sarah Berkeley and Lily Lloyd) was very narrowly beaten in the Ivy Hatton Cup final by Sutton. During the season, Fitzwilliam hosted a number of official tournaments, namely the Leinster and Irish Masters, the Leinster Senior Open and the Masters Home Internationals. We would like to express our sincere appreciation and thanks to Patrick Murray, without whom these tournaments simply could not take place. Patrick, as we all know, is a tireless servant for squash who, thankfully for us all, appears to get (nearly) as much out of it as he puts in. He is one of life’s gentlemen and we are truly blessed to have him as a member of the club. One of the tournaments held under Patrick’s stewardship was the Masters Home Internationals. We are delighted to report that no fewer than eleven Fitzwilliam members were selected to participate in various Masters Home
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Fitzwilliam News
The only sad note of the season was the very untimely loss of one of our youngest and most talented squash players. Dave Corbet passed away on 31 March after a long, but valiant, battle with cancer. Dave Corbet represented all that is good about sport and about humanity. A winner of a number of titles in the club, he was most impressive both on, and off, court. He always had a very positive outlook and kind disposition and was, quite simply, a wonderful person. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten. In his memory, we have created an annual memorial doubles tournament with a fitting trophy that will be very keenly contested. We know he would have liked that. Our men’s premier team retained the All Ireland Club Championships in April in two very hard fought matches. The semi-final was like a final in some ways as Leinster brought in an English professional at number 1 and Irish junior champion Michael Craig at number 2. Fitzwilliam played and fought well to win on count back as the match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Fitzwilliam winning on count back. The final was equally competitive and both teams only had a few hours to recover from their earlier exertions. Fitzwilliam started strong with wins from Rory Byrne and Derek Ryan. Sutton made a fight back with Eoin Ryan defeating Conor O’Hare in 4 sets. Nigel Peyton was last on and only required 1 set for the overall win. Incidentally, Derek beat young rising star David Ryan (the son of Eoin Ryan) in both the Leinster Cup final and the All-Ireland final reversing an earlier loss to him in the league. Although he has been off the tour for some years now, Derek’s results throughout the year show him to still be a consummate squash player, and the best squash player Ireland has ever produced. Unfortunately, there was no official national final competition for the ladies for a number of reasons. Fitzwilliam was represented in the European Club Championships in Nottingham in September by both a men’s and a ladies’ team. That itself is no mean feat. The European Club Championships is the highlight of the European club squash programme and sees the top squash clubs from Europe doing battle against each other. The competition is fierce with some clubs fielding full teams of current PSA and WSA tour professionals, such as Nick Matthew in the men’s event and Laura Massaro in the women’s event. Our teams were captained
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by Rosie Barry (with Aisling Blake, Griffin Gillanders, Vicky Menzies and Deirdre Byrne) and Derek Ryan (with Nigel Peyton, Rory Byrne, Niall Rooney and Dara O’Flynn) and gave very creditable performances finishing 7th and 9th respectively. Particularly congratulations to our ladies number one, Aisling Blake, who was victorious in all of her matches. The men’s event was won by BW Worms who beat Paderborner 3-1 in an all-German affair while Mulhouse of France beat Newlands of Scotland 3-0 in the ladies event. Then, later in April, another very successful Irish Open, sponsored for a tenth and final year by Cannon Kirk Homes, was held. The men’s event was won by Adrian Waller of England (seeded 2 with a world ranking of 29) who overcame Alan Clyne of Scotland (seeded 4 with a world ranking of 38) 11-6 in the final game in a pulsating and vigorous hour and a half performance. Ireland’s Arthur Gaskin produced his best performance in an Irish Open by reaching the semi-final (losing to the talented and extremely fit Alan Clyne). The ladies’ event was won by rising star 16 year old Nouran Ahmed Gohar of Egypt (seeded 4 with a world ranking (now) of 33) who upset England’s Sarah Kippax (seeded 2 with a world ranking of 28) in four games. Ms. Gohar beat Olivia Blatchford in the semi-final, with Ms. Blatchford having produced the shock of the tournament in beating our own Madeleine Perry, the number 1 seed and 5 times winner, in the quarter-finals. Sadly, our own Aisling Blake also departed the tournament at the quarter-final stages, which was another shock. We are very grateful to all of the players, referees, supporters and sponsors, with a particular note of thanks to club member Owen Kirk and Cannon Kirk Homes for their magnificent sponsorship of the Irish Open over the last 10 years. This Irish Open was the final Irish Open managed and run so very ably and professionally by, amongst others, Gina Menzies, Martin Macdonnell and Hugh Fitzsimons. A huge amount of time and effort is expended in organising such a major event and enormous credit goes to Gina, Martin and Hugh and all others who were involved in its organisation. Where we go to from here is not yet quite clear! Our season finished up with our end of season squash blitz and barbecue in May. The Player of the Year was Michael Donnelly and this year we also had a junior player of the year, which was won jointly by Rex Lloyd and Lily Lloyd, two of the finest young prospects in the club. The Player of the Year awards were bestowed on players who have shown great promise and commitment to squash in the club. Next year, the categories of events that will count towards the Player of the Year awards will be expanded to include the results of league and
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Fitzwilliam Irish Masters Squash Open L/R : Gavin Doherty (Chair of Squash) and Michael Cowhie Winner of the Liam Collins Memorial Salver.
cup matches, to encourage players to participate in these events This article would not be complete without mentioning Kevin Moore (again). After many years, Kevin retired from the squash committee (officially at least!) at the end of the season. Kevin, as you all know, selflessly devoted a huge amount of his time, in such a genial and efficient manner, to all matters squash over the last number of years, having sat on the squash committee, the executive committee, the Irish Open committee; having captained league and cup teams and managed (and played in) the men’s team for the All-Ireland Club Championships and European Club Championships, to name but a few. We are very grateful to Kevin for all of his sterling work, and company, over the years. Similarly, as this is my first address on taking over the role of Chair of Squash from Denis O’Connor, I would like to thank Denis for all of his excellent work as Chair of Squash over the last number of years. Denis is so efficient that the handover was seamless and I was able to hit the ground running (or, not stumbling too badly, at least). Denis was extremely dedicated to his role and spent a huge amount of time and effort in making squash at the club better for us all. Indeed, the introduction of the new, dedicated, squash newsletter in June was attributable to Denis and I can say that it has already produced positive results. Denis has been a great colleague and friend and on behalf of us all, I would like to thank him warmly for (almost) everything. All of us are involved in this sport in one way or another because we love it. Our aim is to do everything we can to grow the sport and introduce new players to it. Your squash committee looks forward to that challenge and to working with you all during the season.
Fitzwilliam News
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Report from Director of Tennis and Squash Jimmy McDonogh
Director of Tennis & Squash
This has been another successful year on the tennis and squash courts of Fitzwilliam. Much of the activity is detailed in the Reports of our Tennis Chairman, Frank Dillon and our Squash Chairman, Gavin Doherty. I outline below a few of the highlights in tennis and squash and in addition will highlight various events planned for the future. TENNIS The achievement of Club member James McGee in qualifying for a Grand Slam event at this year’s US Open was certainly one of the highlights of the tennis year. James has been a beneficiary of the Club’s Development Fund and has been an excellent ambassador for Irish tennis. His current ATP ranking is an impressive 188 and we look forward to watching his continued progress along side other Irish players such as Louk Sorensen, Sam Barry, James Cluskey, Daniel Glancy, David O’Hare and Amy Bowtell, all of whom are making strides on the various professional tours. From a Club perspective the participation levels, camaraderie and fun being enjoyed by members is clear to see and definitely represents an ongoing highlight. The Club’s achievements in certain tennis fixtures, including the Sterry Cup in which we hosted the All England, the Harry Barniville cup for our junior fixture with the All England Wimbeldon Initiative, the Centenary adult and junior events held in Barcelona and Santander respectively and the addition of a new fixture with the Puente Romano Club in Marbella are all examples of ongoing relationships and tennis opportunities for our members. In addition, we hosted a team from Harvard and Yale during the summer. Two significant tennis centenaries were held this year and marked by the Club in a special way. In January the Club marked the centenary of UCD Tennis Club with a fixture between past and present and a dinner for 130 was later held in the Club. In September the Club marked the 100th staging of Junior Fitz with a dinner for all who had participated over
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the years. The event was held in the Doubletree Hilton Hotel, formerly known as the Burlington and a group of 450 of all ages attended a very successful night. Forthcoming events include our team singles league sponsored again this year by HRBR, Hair Restoration Blackrock and a list of likely dates for 2015 events is outlined below.
SQUASH Year after year the squash members of the Club punch above their weight both socially and on the courts of Fitzwilliam. Nowhere is this more evident than at the annual squash “at home” which for the last 10 years has been generously supported by Appleby Jewellers. The 2014 event was, as always, one of the internal highlights of the squash calendar and next year’s event is only around the corner with entry forms due to be available shortly with a usual closing date for entries in early December. Our teams performed admirably both in leagues, cups and the European Club Championships. A host of fixtures including several that will coincide with the international rugby calendar are the Jesters and GB Vets in London and the Edinburgh and Cardiff Squash Racquets Clubs. Again, the friendships both within our teams and with the opposing teams are enduring and special. Our participation in the Leinster Leagues and Cups has just begun and we are represented by 12 league teams for the forthcoming campaigns and wish them all the very best of luck.
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FORTHCOMING TENNIS DATES 2015 (provisional) : Team Doubles : Tommy Burke Clay Courts : Early Morning League : Summer Round Robins : Club Week : Team Singles :
16th February to 27th March 20th April to 29th August 5th May to 28th May 15th June to 25th August 30th August to 12th September 2nd November to 11th December
Organised Play Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4
13th January to 12th February 14th April to 14th May 9th June to 9th July 15th September to 15th October
FORTHCOMING SQUASH DATES 2015 (provisional) : Club Championships : Irish Senior Nationals : Irish Masters Open : Irish Open : Leinster Cup Finals : Master Home Internationals :
27th December to 10th January 20th February to 22nd February 20th March to 22nd March 20th April to 25th April 25th April 1st May to 2nd May
Organised Squash January February March April May
16th, 23rd & 30th 6th, 13th & 27th 6th, 13th & 27th 10th & 24th 8th (Blitz)
Congratulations It would be remiss of us to publish this edition of the Fitz News without acknowledging the great achievement of Club member, Dr Joe Barnes. The still hale and hearty Joe reached a life’s landmark on the 14th Nov. when he celebrated his 100th birthday. Yes, you read that correctly – a 100 years of age. Joe has been a member of Fitz for 61 years and, even more impressively, still makes the occasional visit to the club. We congratulate the Clubs only centurion/centenarian and hope he can continue to visit the Club for many more years.
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Swimming Kevin Feeney
Chair Swimming Committee
Swimming Gala 22 March 2014
2014 was an extremely busy year with more members than ever utiliising the Club’s fantastic pool. Weekends saw the continuation of children’s swimming lessons with instruction by Susan Johnson. The highlight of the year for the children was the annual gala which took place on the 22nd March. Eighty children took part in the 26th staging of the children’s gala. The event was excellently organised by Susan, with assistance from her family. Mrs Maire Callinan and the Deputy President, Pat Hurley, presented the medals and trophies on the day. 2014 saw the introduction of a number of new adult swimming classes to Fitzwilliam. Eamonn Tilley, a highly regarded Triathlon Ireland Coach, commenced lessons in January. Eamonn has run several sessions of triathlon swimming lessons this year, each of which has proved extremely popular with members.
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Susan Johnson also commenced a number of adult swimming lessons, including Aquafit. These lessons have proved similarly popular with members. Many thanks to Susan and Eamonn for their time and ongoing support. It is planned that these lessons will continue in 2015. 2014 was an extremely busy year with more members than ever utiliising the Club’s fantastic pool. In late October the pool was closed for 3 weeks for essential maintenance. It has been a number of years since maintenance has taken place. Fitzwilliam has made arrangements with the Mespil Swimming Pool for any members particularly keen on swimming during the pools closure.
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Cricket Gerard Cullen
Chair Cricket Committee
The 2014 season will not go down in the history books as one of our finest. In a complete reversal of last season where we lost only one match, this year we only managed to win one match. However, while all things did not go our way on the field of play, there were memorable moments, new friendships formed and some positive contributions made to the cricket section. Our season opened with a good win against Dalkey Archives which lulled us into a false sense of security, hoping to just continue last year’s form. Batting first we recorded a modest total of 105 from our 20 overs. On a difficult batting surface, there were excellent contributions from Daire Coady, Will Menzies and Vivek Singh . The bowlers were well supported in the field with three excellent catches and tight bowling by Denis Brennan and Paul Murray. Next up we faced Richview whom we suspect were still reeling from the 177 runs we recorded against them last year. Our suspicions were well founded as this year’s team not only looked the part but backed it up as well. Batting first we posted a reasonable effort of 135, however Richview’s batsmen were very focused and really went after our bowling attack and reached the target with three overs to spare. Our next game took us across the city to the wonderful new home of Irish Cricket i.e. Malahide CC where our total of 96 runs from 20 overs was well below par. It was at this point of the season we could have done with a fit J.T. McVeagh (out for the season with a sore toe!). Our commitment however was never lacking emphasized by Alan McShane narrowly avoiding a fractured cheekbone while valiantly failing to take a very difficult catch at mid-on. On a dark and damp evening in early July (it hadn’t rained in Dublin for the previous four weeks) we returned to Rathmines to face a Leinster team whom we have managed to beat for the last few years. Again batting first we posted another sub-par total of 118 runs. The opening partnership set us up nicely for a good total, however despite a Trojan effort from that old war horse Barry O’Sullivan who when on 19 smashed his last ball for a marvellous six. We toiled hard in the field and there were some fine bowling by our attack led by Daire Coady and Will Menizes ably supported by
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Fitzwilliam News
Players gathering before a match in Railway Union CC’s Grounds.
Paul Murray, Denis Brennan and Barry O’Sullivan, however Leinster CC managed to get across the line by two runs. Our final game of the season was played against Rathgar Ramblers in the High School ground. The opposition batted first and we managed to contained their total to 116 runs with solid performances from Denis Brennan (2 catches), Paul Talini who mesmerized the batsman with a Shane Warne delivery that one rarely witnesses at a Taverners match and helpful contributions from Alan McShane, Paul Murray and Barry O’Sullivan. We were delighted that Kevin Feeney made his return for this match (you were so missed for the earlier games) and opening the batting sets us on the way with a handy 20 and just when it appeared that we were gaining the upper hand, Paul Talini tore his calf muscle just as he was getting into his stride. This left us a little light in the batting department and David Jones tried hard supported at the other end by Gerry Cullen but just ran out of overs. Unfortunately the stand out fixture for Fitzwilliam Taverners against Mount Juliet did not materialize again this year which means we will now never witness our President facing some quick bowling which he assures us would be no problem for him (in fairness he never lacks confidence). Finally, the annual dinner will take place at the club on Friday November 21st where Alan Lewis will be the guest speaker. Alan has amassed 100 caps for Ireland in a distinguished Cricket career as an all-rounder and he is also a recently retired International Rugby Referee. It will be a memorable evening and tickets are still available at the office.
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The Olympic Club, San Francisco
Eddie French Visiting this Club, with which we now have reciprocity, is an experience not to be missed, when you are next in San Francisco. The Club, has a “City House”, which I neglected to visit - but an omission which I hope to rectify soon - and the Lakeside Clubhouse on the southern fringes of San Francisco Bay. This has a very large and gracious Clubhouse together with two golf courses, plus tennis, rugby union, soccer, swimming, et al. Unfortunately, the reciprocal rights do not extend to the golf courses but, I think, a game could be engineered with some diplomacy, and a bit of plámas, at the golf shop and or the reception desk.
of the slope. The USGA insisted on the remodeling of the green before they held it there again - about three years ago. Then, Padraig Harrington was in with a chance on the 72nd hole; a birdie would have put him into a playoff. As you would expect, the standards are extremely high; the whole Club exudes an air of understated opulence - unlike the cars in the car park. It it a totally “cash free” environment except for the golf shop, where credit cards are taken. Other than that, we were unable to put our hands in our pockets! With reciprocity I am sure that has changed. Many members will recall the NYAC 20 years or more, ago when - if you stayed and/or ate, a bill followed home about two months later. It was extraordinarily inconvenient to be arranging $ transfers then or getting drafts, and many of our members had lapses of memory. It got so bad that when I arrived to stay, sometime in the 1980s, I was summoned to the Manager’s Office, on the 18th floor or thereabouts, and asked to convey a forceful message to his counterpart here - concerning the forgetfulness of his Fitzwilliam visitors!
The courses are on the shores of the Bay, and when fog and the “millions” of trees permit, there are great views. Incidentally, nearby, there is a public course in Lincoln Park, which has stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge - but who would want to play there, if the Olympic courses are available? Harding Park, where they have played two WGC events in recent years, is a public course of quality and also quite near. Both Joan and I were lucky enough to be invited to play golf on the Ocean Course, where they have played the U.S. Open, twice in recent years. The first time was the infamous “incident” where the late Payne Stewart putted off the 18th green to lose the chance to win - because of the severity
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Fitzwilliam News
A U T U M N / W IN T ER 2 014
Back to San Francisco. Playing on the Ocean Course with obligatory caddies is a great experience - particularly when you see the pros playing the same holes on TV. Joan had a Colombian caddy who played off 3. He turned her from a 30 handicapper into “lady play like 13” for the day – but the spell soon wore off. The locker rooms were way out of the ordinary – as are all of the facilities. Golf was followed by a great meal, in superb surroundings but with a level of “hush” which certainly would not pertain here – perhaps it was a quiet night. My “Olympic Club” Golf shirt was not of a quality to match its price – but I mind it carefully and make sure I don’t wear it in the company of our real Olympian!
Fitzwilliam News
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Irish Junior Tennis Championships Centenary Dinner
Aisling Drummy, Nicola Drummy, Clodagh Smyth
Irene & Gareth Colgan
L/R : Adrienne and Ken Fitzgibbon, Anne Gibney, Conor Sparks and Robin Gibney
Sara Twomey, Aubree Ryan Flynn, Ruth Dillon, Ciana Bowe, Nicola Drummy, Julie Byrne.
Ethna Cotter, Frances Shields, Pauline O’Grady, Valerie O’Keane Eileen Pentz, Hilary Holmes, Elizabeth Cogan and Joe Cogan
Gearoid Clarke, Edel Clarke, Marguerite McCabe
Fitzwilliam News
Frank Egan & Joe Hackett
The Fearon Family
Elizabeth Cogan, Frank Egan, Heather Flinn
Declan Meagher, Bryan Smyth, David Fassbender, James Pringle
Henry Lappin and Frances Shields.
Saturday 27 September 2014
Cliff Beirne & Susie Egan
Lisa Lawlor, Johanna Burke, Stephen O’Connor
Michael Kemp & Denise Lynch
Philip & Clare Halpenny
Joe Gallagher, Niall Brophy, Ann O’Reilly, John Muir, Roddy Feely
Barbara Cahill, Marie Flood, Denise Breslin
Osgar Ó hOisín & Eoin Fitzsimons
Frank Egan & Sarah Hackett
Declan O’Rourke, Rory O’Keefe, Thomas Lawless, Ben Dillon, Simon Clarke, James Toomey , Patrick Kilcoyne, Ronan O’Keefe, Andrew O’Connor, Mike Johnston
Fitzwilliam News
Joanne O’Halloran, Niamh Sheridan, Rose O’Farrell
Golf Bryan O’Neill
Chair Golf Committee
The Committee would like to thank all those members who participated and for completing their matches on time and trust that they enjoyed the experience of meeting new members and playing on different courses. We would encourage those who have yet to experience the fun and enjoyment of the events to do so. Men’s Match Play (100 entries) in its 30th year The position at the time of going to print is Final : Mark Ryan v Michael Cronin Ladies’ Match Play (20 entries) in its 15th year Final : Winner : Jane Conan Runner Up : Martina Greene
President’s Prize For the first time in a number of years rain was an absentee at the President’s Prize which took place in the Castle Golf Club with dinner afterwards in Fitzwilliam. Winner Ronan O’ Neill Elm Park 39pts Runner UP Karl O’ Neill Blainroe 36pts 3rd John O’ Callaghan Grange 36pts Ladies Adrienne Egan Milltown 27pts
Team Event
11 teams 3rd year
This popular team event now in its 3rd year took place in Milltown Golf Club on 18 June in glorious weather with dinner afterwards in Fitzwilliam.
Winners
Patrick Murray Roddy Feely Sean Burke Una Kelly
The Committee are very grateful for the assistance given by the office and the catering team in the efficient running of the golf events.
Committee:
Bryan O’ Neill Chair, Colm Andrews, Noel Murray, Una Kelly
“ Golf is not just an exercise: its an adventure, a romance...
a Shakespeare play in which comedy and disaster are intertwined”
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Fitzwilliam News
Harold Segall
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Wine Alec Blayney
Chair Wine Committee The Annual Wine Dinner on the 29th November 2013 differed in that we featured an individual from the world of Wine rather than a specific chateau. Pierre Lawton was a most entertaining and interesting guest. Of Irish extraction, his father Hugues was a most popular and influential negociant . Pierre thus grew up in an environment steeped in wine, does the blending for Leoville Las Cases, ships to 50 countries, races dragons internationally and is a member of Portmarnock! On the tennis front it transpired that his great grandfather created the first lawn tennis court in France in the grounds of his Villa Primerose, now a prestigious tennis club in Bordeaux , visited in recent years by FLTC. He chose a broad selection of Bordeaux wines for the evening including : Ch. Carbonnieux Blanc Pessac Leognan 2011, Ch.Rouget Pomerol 2007, Ch.Potensac Medoc 2000 and finally Ch. Calon Segur St. Estephe 1996. These wines accompanied a delicious dinner by Ger Holland of canapés, turbot, mallard, lamb and a stunning cheese board. The standard just keeps going up! 2014 was ushered in by a Southern Rhone Region Wine Dinner on the 30th of January. Hosted by Henry Anderson, this featured a selection of wines from the region including a selection of Cotes de Rhone 2012, Ventoux 2010, Vacqueyras 2010 and Chateauneuf du Pape, Reserve des Armoires 2010; a successful evening and an antidote to a dreary part of the year! Continuing in the same theme a French Country Wine Dinner was held on the 25th of April hosted by Mitchells, with Peter Dunne providing an interesting background to the wines tasted. Amongst the wines on offer were a delicious rose Domaine Brusset 2012, ‘Laurent B’ , a crisp Muscadet Caves de la Nantaise 2012 and a superb 2011 Domaine du Clos de Sixte Lirac (now on the Club Wine List). As these wines were perfect for summer drinking, many members availed of the opportunity of purchasing at competitive prices for personal use. The final themed wine dinner of the year was held on Friday 25th of July and featured New World Wines hosted by Findlaters. The wines featured included a South African Chenin Blanc 2013, an Australian Penfold’s Chardonnay, a Penfold’s Shiraz Cabernet 2013, an Argentinian Malbec 2013 and finally a Californian Beringer Zinfandel 2011. I must once more mention the food that accompanied this selection of wines, the highlight of which was undoubtedly the Pig on the Spit, a rare sighting in FLTC dining room! These themed wine evenings accompanied by interesting and varied menus have been immensely popular, informal and relaxed and provide great value for money. They are now part of the yearly calendar and will continue through 2015. Finally, mention must be made of the Annual Dinner held on the 9th of May. This featured a Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli, Lobster Thermidor, a Cannon of Lamb and an assiette of delicious desserts, accompanied by a white burgundy, Bourgogne Patrick Javillier - Cuvee des Forgets and a red Bordeaux, Ch. Pique-Caillou - Pessac Leognan. The President was content! The Committee, aware of the fact that palates change, continue to
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Club’s New Wine Cellar suitable for parties of up to 8 persons. taste wines for the House List, trying in so far as possible, to match price with quality. Following a meeting with the Club Committee it was agreed to reduce the GRP on the Dining Room Wines in an attempt to give better value to the members and increase the turnover in the €25-€35 bracket. With an eye to the market and to ensure we maintain a stock of fine wines for future drinking, a parcel of such wines (2010 and 2011) has recently been purchased by the Club including amongst others : Chasse Spleen, Angludet, Brancaire Ducru, Talbot from the Bordeaux area and Vosne Romanee Grivot , Corton Greves Dom. des Croix, and Chambolle Musigny from Burgundy. These are just a cross-section of those that await members’ pleasure. In November, Peter Dunne of Mitchells has agreed to run a Wine Tasting Course on Monday evenings with Nicholas Hughes, accompanied by food. There will be four such evenings throughout the month with limited numbers initially to assess demand. It is hoped that this might appeal to our younger members as it should be both informative and fun. Plans for next year include an FLTC Wine Tour of the Bordeaux region; more details will follow. Finally, on the 14th of November, the Annual Wine Dinner will celebrate the fantastic wines of Langoa and Leoville Barton, our hostess for the night being none other than the charismatic Lillian Barton introducing her wines and once more emphasising the vinous history that unites our countries. For me it has been a great pleasure and honour to be your Wine Chairman for the past two years. I have had great support from a superb committee and have enjoyed working closely with both Troy Byrne and Nicholas Hughes in the planning of the various Wine Dinners, aided and abetted by our Chef and the wonderful catering staff.
Fitzwilliam News
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Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur
Philip Regan I first visited this club about twenty five years ago with a Malaysian friend called Selvanathan when we both worked for the UN. It was then and is now a relic of the old British days in Malaya with a central downtown clubhouse and a newer sports club some miles away. Earlier this year, using the reciprocal arrangements from ROSL in London, I revisited the club and much to my amazement encountered Selva, who I hadn’t seen for twenty years, drinking with others on the terrace. The others were, it transpired, the club President and other committee members and I met up with them again several times in the next few days. The President is also head of the St Vincent de Paul Society of Malaysia so knew lots about Ireland while two others in the group come to Ireland regularly. They voiced interest in a reciprocal arrangement with Fitzwilliam and our President and Deputy President endorsed the idea, hence the new arrangement.
Kuala Lumpur is a great city with a much more interesting mix of nationalities and more laid back style than its neighbour, Singapore. It has Malays, Indians and
Chinese and parts of the city and restaurants represent each culture. The best time to visit
is December to February. Hotels are reason-
The downtown club was opened in 1884 for high ranking British officials with cricket being played on the grounds in front. It’s a little tired now but still has the feel of a tropical colonial era. The drinks are reasonable by local standards though you have to buy coupons at the front desk to drink or eat. It has a famous long bar, a terrace overlooking the city and various restaurants. It is now mainly used by senior Malaysian members, lawyers, doctors, etc. many of Indian descent. We had a visit in the Spring from one of the committee members, a lawyer whose son is at the College of Surgeons.
excellent public transport system including
The Club does not have sleeping accommodation but has many other facilities at the sports club some miles out (taxis are cheap); tennis swimming, etc.
Asia is based there and provides cheap flights
Read more and see the facilities on : http://www.royalselangorvisitorcentre.com/
able and of a very good standard. There is an a monorail with good views of the city. Air across the region and internally.
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Interview Pat Hurley
Deputy President
In December Pat Hurley takes over as President of the Club.
We chatted with him regarding his accession to this elevated position.
1. As President in waiting for the past 22 months you will formally take up your new duties in early December. How do you view your role as President of Fitzwilliam? A lot of voluntary work has been put into the Club over many years by the Officers, members of the Executive and Committees to ensure that the Club is a relaxing and enjoyable place which members want to come into either to use the sporting facilities or to socialise in a relaxed environment. I view my role as helping to continue to make the Club as welcoming a place as possible while ensuring that the members receive good value in the Club. I would also intend to encourage participation in all the various facilities of the Club, be it the two main sports within the Club, tennis and squash or the other many activities available to members including the theme nights that have been so successful recently. This can only be done with the help of a considerable number of members as well as the hard working staff of the Club. 2. It is probably fair to say there are many members (especially outside the tennis section) who do not yet know you. How do you envisage acquainting yourself with the other members of the various activities in the club? I hope that I am not just known within the tennis section of the Club – after all I was asked by a former President mainly associated with the squash side, Seamus Toomey, to take on this role. Over the years I have tried to involve myself in as many activities as
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possible as well as tennis and these included participation in the cricket and golf activities of the Club. I have always been a proponent of the Club activities outside of tennis and squash as I feel that this enables one to meet a cross-section of all the Club’s membership, including those members that play a main sport of the Club in which you do not regularly participate, in my case, the squash members. Having retired from cricket on injury (or was it age) grounds, I would hope to involve myself in those other activities in the Club that I have not yet participated in. 3. Squash, after tennis, is the second largest sport in the Club. What is your interest in this sport? While not actively participating in squash, I do follow the squash activities in the Club. One of our sons regularly plays squash in the Club and I used to play squash a number of years ago but creaking bones forced me to retire from the sport. I fully intend to support the playing of squash in my role as President. However, be warned – this may be reconsidered if I am dumped out of the next Club Championships (handicap) in such devastating fashion as earlier this year. 4. The Club will undergo a huge upheaval when work starts on the new bar. This will be on your watch. Can you say how long this will take, will part of the bar be open or must we drink elsewhere? What about bar food? Will this still be available? And how long will the builders be on the premises?
The intention is that both the members’ and players’
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bars will be totally renovated to provide more efficient use of space in the bar areas particularly in respect of the casual dining facilities. The number of seats for casual dining in the players’ bar will increase from 35 to 75 upon completion of the project. It is intended that the renovation will commence in early January 2015 and will take approximately 6 weeks to complete – this will be during a relatively quiet period in the Club. During these renovations it is envisaged that the members’ dining room and buffet areas will be used to provide both bar and casual dining facilities. Thus the only inconvenience to members over this time should be the absence of catering in the dining room.
can be improved, suppliers are changed. This on-going monitoring is leading to an improvement in the quality of food offered to the members.
5. An examination of the findings of the recent detailed survey completed by members is taking place. Many of the suggestions made are wide and varied. What do you see as the top three priorities requiring attention?
6. Car parking space continues to be a headache. It has been suggested we could build an overhead car park above the present car park. Has this any merit and, if so, would the cost be prohibitive?
The top three priorities that were identified in the members’ survey were : * renovation of the players’ and members’ bar areas * the provision of further indoor tennis facilities * improve the quality/variety of food on offer As discussed above, it is intended to commence the renovation of the bar areas very shortly. In relation to the indoor tennis facilities, this is being actively examined. We are limited in regard to the size of the site of the Club and so to provide the additional indoor courts, it was decided to examine the possibility of putting two additional courts above the existing indoor courts 1 and 2. Plans have been drawn up and these are displayed on notice boards in the reception area for members’ inspection. Two meetings have been held with local residents to inform them of the intended planning application. This would provide Fitzwilliam with 6 indoor courts as well as 7 outside courts. There is a considerable amount of work yet to be done on this proposal and it is unlikely to commence prior to March 2016. This work will include the renovation of the roof above courts 1 and 2 which needs attention. This proposal will be subject to members’ approval at a general meeting. The quality of the food is monitored on a daily basis and regular discussions are held with both suppliers to the Club and with our own catering staff. Where it is felt that the quality of food supplied to the Club
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Fitzwilliam News
With regard to the variety of food, menu changes are periodically made. Nightly specials are available in the players’ bar to see which type of meals might be added to the regular menu – each month an examination of the meals that are bought (or not bought) is carried out resulting in alterations to the menu. This is still a work-in-progress and it is intended to provide an entirely new casual dining menu once the refurbishment of the players’ bar is completed.
Over a long number of years, various committees have looked at the provision of extra car parking spaces, ranging from building overhead facilities to an underground car park. All of these options have proved very costly and with Dublin City Council trying to reduce the number of cars coming into the city, the indications are that we would not receive planning permission to increase the number of car parking spaces in Fitzwilliam. One of the reasons is that there is a lot of public parking on the roads around the Club. To improve the parking for members, over the last couple of years car parking has been restricted largely to “members only” to free up spaces for members. 7. The long-term future of the Club lies with the Juniors. How do you think we can encourage the cream of the Junior tennis and squash players to come and join our Club? Accepting the Club makes a huge effort to financially help these Juniors is there any other way we can entice them to join? I agree that the long term future of the Club lies with the Juniors. It was with this in mind that some years ago it was decided to increase the intake of Junior members into the Club so that they could be integrated while moving through the various categories of membership as they got older. There is a considerable financial discount given to the juniors at present through both the entrance fee and the annual subscription. While these are still higher than some other Clubs, the facilities available to the Juniors are the best in the country. The age at which Juniors can join was also
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lowered from 16 to 14 years of age. A lot of emphasis is placed on encouraging the Juniors to play in the organised internal Club events as well as on Club teams playing against other Clubs. 8. Do you believe the many-layered subscription levels we have are just and fair? There are a number of layers of subscriptions, some of which have very low numbers within them and exist only for historic reasons. I do believe that the main subscription levels are fair. There was a rebalancing two years ago whereby the subscription for over 65s was increased and there was a new category introduced for under 35s with a lower subscription level. This was necessary as it was felt that, given the usage of Fitzwilliam by our retired members, the discount in the subscription was excessive while at the same time the younger members were under particular financial pressure due to the economic climate. 9. The dining room, where it is generally agreed the quality of the food is excellent, is seriously underused. Do you think our pricing structures are sufficiently attractive? Bar food sales continue to rise yet the dining room struggles. The quality of food in the dining room is constantly favourably reported upon. The pricing structures are frequently monitored. It was for this reason that individual á la carte and early bird menus were introduced so that diners had choice. There is an overall trend to more informal dining amongst those eating out and this is one of the reasons that we are increasing the number of casual dining seats within the players’ bar. The dining room is an integral part of Fitzwilliam and there is a heavy demand for its services on Friday and Saturday nights as well as for organised events within the Club. 10. Many golf clubs put on an annual fun concert with the members enthusiastic participation. These are hugely enjoyable occasions. I accept we have the occasional social evening by way of a talk e.g. Tom Crean, but surely there is enough performing talent in the club to produce an evening of comedy and laughter for the members? This is an interesting idea that we will look at. Previously we have had bands/acts that have involved members but we have not had an exclusive night of
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entertainment by members only. 11. There is (loose?) talk in the club that the small smoking area on the balcony is to be taken down. Is this true, and if so where do smokers go to when the nicotine calls? There are no plans to alter the existing terrace area at present so those who need a nicotine fix will still be accommodated. Rumour has it that you would have a particular interest in the retention of the smoking cabin. 12. Ireland and its citizens have been through touch economic times over the last few years. How has the Club responded to the challenges presented? All organisations, be they companies, clubs, charities and indeed individuals have faced difficult time recently. We have examined the subscription fees in order to keep them affordable for members while at the same time there is a constant review of all costs incurred by the Club to improve the efficiencies of operation within the Club. The Club has always aspired to the highest standards and these standards must be preserved, while at the same time being conscious of the cost implications. 13. Experience has shown being President is hugely time consuming. Many meetings and functions to attend. To what extent do you envisage your lifestyle will be changed over the next two years? My lifestyle may well get a lot, lot busier as I may have to take up a paid job for the increase to pay for the wardrobe my wife is telling me she will require to attend the Fitzwilliam functions. Like many members who have voluntarily helped out in Fitzwilliam, I will make available whatever time is required. As I retired some years ago, I will have more time than some recent Presidents have had and yet have carried out the function admirably. Principally, I will need to organise my time better. 14. I promise not to tell anyone but would you offer me your personal parking place when you go on holidays? You are not the first to request this. I am thinking of having a tender – brown envelopes only – for use of the parking space when I am not there and the money will go to my favourite charity. I will let you know how the tender is progressing but don’t hold your breath.
Fitzwilliam News
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Archive David Fassbender
Chair Archive Committee
This year Fitzwilliam LTC is celebrating hosting The Junior Championships of Ireland for 100 continuous years…a remarkable milestone. We have delved into the Club archives and came across this delightful piece which appeared in The Irishman’s Diary in the Irish Times on 30 August 1945. It was written by Patrick Campbell (1913-1980), journalist, humourist and TV personality.
Heather (Cole) e) Flinn ’49) (1947/’48/’49) EEleanor leanor (O’Neill) McFadden (1 (1956/’57, ’58)
Karen Nugent (1993)
Conor Niland (1999)
Des Early (1966/ ‘67) Kevin Menton (1971) Peter Hannon (1978)
Frank McArdle (1963)
The extraordinary and interesting website (www.juniorfitz100.com) compiled by Joe Hackett Jnr contains results, press cuttings and photos of Junior Fitz. From the photos on the website, we include a number of Under 18 Champions and the year(s) of their success.
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To me, it’s more than a gift. It’s a memory.
SAY I T W I T H
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Fitzwilliam News
Snooker Peter Doyle
Chair Snooker Committee
The 2013-14 snooker season concluded on May 15 with the presentation by the Club President Frank Egan of the trophies for the four annual competitions at a dinner in the Club. Each of the winners received a handsome trophy, as well as a substantial top-up to his levy. The runners-up and beaten semi-finalists also received top-ups, so that all the prize-money will be spent in the Club. In addition to presenting the prizes, the President brought the dinner attendees up to date on plans for repositioning the snooker facilities to accommodate other improvements on the first floor. The winner of the Shortall Cup (Handicap Singles) was a first-time player, Mike Johnston, who dropped only one frame en route to his unexpected but deserved victory in the final over Dom Hegarty, last year’s winner. Mike’s starter handicap has been adjusted accordingly! The beaten semi-finalists were Michael McGilligan and Niall MacCarvill Jr.
CONGRATULATIONS to all prize-winners and my thanks to all who entered the various competitions.
Mike also reached the final of the Intermediate Championship Singles, where he was beaten by Mike Kemp. The beaten semi-finalists were Paddy McGilligan and Gerry Morris. It is hoped that Mike’s magnificent performance will encourage more young members to become active in the snooker room and we are relying on him to help with our recruitment drive.
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Fitzwilliam News
Snooker Club Championships L/R : Frank Egan President, Peter Doyle Chair of Snooker and Mike Johnston, Winner of the Shortall Cup Handicap Singles.
The winner of the Championship Singles was, once again, Martyn Evans, who defeated a game Gareth Colgan in the final, a repeat of last year. The beaten semi-finalists were Dom Hegarty and Shay Hogan. Shay had a compensatory win in the Martyn Evans Pickyour-Partner Doubles with Jim McArdle, who defeated Gareth Colgan and Mike Kemp in the final. The beaten semi-finalists were Kevin McGilligan Jr and his brother Michael and Bernard O’Gorman and Louis Roche. I would like to close by thanking the members of the Snooker Committee, Tony Walsh, Gavin Doherty, Niall MacCarvill and Andrew Keaveney for their advice and support throughout the year. Their contributions have been invaluable. Our collective thanks also to Frank Egan and his officers for their support, as well as to Caroline Hennessy and Ros Dignam in the office and to Eamon Dunne who looks after our tables so diligently.
Fitzamblers Jenny Andreucetti “Facilitator” Fitzamblers 2014
Pech Salamou - post walk and wine tasting!
So another successful Fitzambler calendar year is nearly over, and we have had to date a great year. It’s been a different one in that we have not had a solo leader, more a conglomerate of previous leaders, and together we’ve paved many successful ambles! I had thought that by the time our Editor went to print that we would be enjoying our foreign excursion to France. However print was delayed, and so we’ve been there and what a fantastic trip was had by us all! A 7-day trip, with 40 participants. We had a mixture of climbing high mountains in the Pyrénées where the scenery was spectacular, to ambling over lower lying hills, stopping off en-route to a little wine tasting in Pech Salamou. A banquette meal at Le Grand Duc in a remote village called Gincla which is nestled in the moutains; tasting the local Blanquette in Limoux and many other excursions.
Brian Hurson, John Crowe and David Charles
There was something for everyone to enjoy, and this time we offered culture excursions to those who wanted to soak up the French atmosphere and leave the heavy walking to the others! All in all this was a very successful trip and thanks have to be given to all those who made it such a success ….. so take a bow In 2015 we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, so we have longevity in more ways than one!!
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Anne Murphy and Lucy Lawlor
Our leader in 2015 will be Mr Kieran Gallagher, and he has put together an exciting list of walks for 2015. I know that Kieran is actively trying to get new people to be brave and experience the Fitzambler Way! As we all know nothing lasts for ever, and in order for us to have another 20 years existence we need NEW MEMBERS preferably younger members to enhance our longevity!!
Fitzwilliam News
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Bridge Michael O’Donnell
Chair Bridge Committee
This year I have taken over the Chair of the Bridge Committee from Ian Menzies. I would like to thank Ian for all the hard work during his term over the last four years. He has set a hard act to follow. There is a long tradition of bridge being played in Fitzwilliam and while in the earlier days I’m told that Rubber Bridge was popular, today it is all Duplicate Bridge which is played. Participation has grown in recent years like most bridge clubs.
being played for this has proved to be popular amongst a cohort of our regular players. Bridge is also played on Monday evenings and while originally this was seen as a transition for beginners and people who had played previously, this has become very popular with 8/9 tables playing most evenings last year. The Monday nights are less formal than the Thursday nights, nevertheless the standard has improved over the last two years and some of our more established players are now frequent attenders. The Bridge Season for 2014/15 resumed on the 15th September. This year we have decided to have a professional Tournament Director for all nights that bridge is played from September to May.
Thursday’s Bridge
Thursday night is the main club night when there are monthly prizes as well as perpetual trophies to be won. Traditionally Fitzwilliam would have been known to have a very high standard of play while the number of players was small. In recent years the number of people who play bridge has grown to over 400 with average attendances on Thursday nights over the winter months ranging from 12 to 14 tables. Two years ago we continued the playing of bridge over the summer months on Thursdays and while there are no trophies
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Fitzwilliam News
Fitzwilliam Bridge Club is affiliated to Contract Bridge Association of Ireland (CBAI) which is the governing body for bridge in Ireland. Last year we entered a team in the Senior Open Fanagan League which is an inter club competition for the more advanced players. The team captained by John Clarke had some notable victories against strong opposition and finished midtable. The feedback was positive and we are looking at widening our participation this year to include at least one extra team at intermediate level. Bridge is a fascinating game and I would encourage everybody to try their hand at it. Unlike other sports bridge is a game that you can reach a high level no matter what age you start playing. The social aspect of bridge is also something that shouldn’t be ignored. Since getting involved in bridge I have got to know a whole range of members that I would otherwise not have met. We intend to hold lessons in the coming months and I would encourage everybody to come along.
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The Lansdowne Club London New York Athletic Club, New York David Carty I travel a lot for business reasons and like to stay in places that are familiar, have a more personal touch than the big hotels and also allow me a good central location to meet people. I have stayed on several occasions in the Lansdowne Club in London. It is located very centrally in Mayfair, an area which is otherwise beyond many budgets. Prices are slightly lower than hotels during the week and great value at weekends. Consequentially although they have over 50 rooms it is usually necessary to book over two weeks in advance (particularly for midweek stays). The club is very welcoming with very good lounge areas and a great place to meet people for a drink or coffee. The rooms are a good standard and they have very fine gym, pool and squash facilities. The Art Deco feel of the club is also a something different. I have also stayed in the New York Athletic Club. This is a very large and historic club. Situated right on Central Park. New York can be expensive and again rates are typically slightly lower than market hotel rates in equivalent locations. This is an address which people are more than happy to travel to meet you. It has a couple of large restaurants and, during the summer at least, an open air sun deck high up over Central Park . The rooms are of a good standard and although very large there is a good friendly feel about the club. The sports facilities are very fine as you would expect although I must admit that I couldn’t resist the lure of a run in Central Park early in he morning as it was literally on my doorstep and offered some world-class people watching as well as exercise!
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OBITUARY
Peter Jackson who has passed away aged 80 Peter Jackson, Ulster’s stand-out tennis player of the 1950s and ‘60s, has died aged 80. A former Ulster and Ireland No.1, he initially played for the Cavehill club but also joined Windsor at a time when they made up a large part of the Irish Davis Cup team with players like Vivian Gotto, Tommy Crooks and Derek Arthurs. From north Belfast and a former pupil of Belfast Royal Academy, Peter played at a high level during the amateur era of tennis, working initially in the linen trade before becoming a Dunlop sports equipment representative, later opening his own sports shop. He also played junior rugby for Ulster. In a career which spanned over 20 years, he won numerous tournaments throughout Ulster and Ireland including the Ulster hardcourt championships as well as the Co Antrim, Co Armagh and North Down tournaments. For nine successive years he was Irish No.1 and was also one of the few Ulster players to have played at Wimbledon and in the US Open. But it was in the Davis Cup where he excelled, playing for Ireland in a then record 19 matches, often alongside his fiery fellow Ulsterman Arthurs, who later emigrated to
Australia and passed away in 2008. For all his victories, however, it was a defeat he remembered most of all, a match in which he lost a marathon five-setter to Yugoslavia’s Zeljko Franulovic, who was ranked in the world’s top 10 at the time. He also had a memorable battle in the Ulster grasscourt championships at the Boat Club with rising Dutch star Tom Okker who went on to become the World No.3. However, his career ended in acrimony when he was ordered to play in a trial match for his Davis Cup place in 1973. He was injured at the time and asked for dispensation which was refused. He decided to retire and never played competitive tennis again. Although Peter had little contact with Ulster tennis in recent years, just two weeks ago he attended the 100th anniversary of the Fitzwilliam Irish junior open, in Dublin, a tournament in which he reached the final in the early 1950s. Peter, whose wife Margery died a number of years ago, is survived by his two sons Andrew and Peter jnr. Sammy Hamill Belfast Telegraph 13 October 2014
Contributors The President Jenny Andreucetti
David Fassbender
David Carty
Eddie French
Alec Blayney
Kevin Feeney
Gerard Cullen
Jimmy McDonogh
Frank Dillon
Michael O’Donnell
Peter Doyle
Philip Regan
Gavin Doherty
Bryan O’Neill
Editor – Owen Dawson 30
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