VOLLEYBALL: Dublin Volleyball Club won the women’s Association Cup at UCD last weekend for the first time – and ended the phenomenal 67-match winning streak of Aer Lingus.
DVC, based in Clondalkin, was forced to rebuild its premier division team last October. They struck it lucky with the arrival of all-rounder Leanne Dignam from UCD, American Laurel Belton, the brilliant Edyta Jozwiak McMullen, and big hitter Lina Klimkevicuite. Add to that the proved skills of Jana Langford, Nicole Horsman, and player-coach Clodagh Doherty and the team became a potent mix.
Over the winter, they lost both their league matches to Aer Lingus, but confidence was improving and they heroically beat Santry to make a first ever cup final.
Nerves played their part at UCD, but DVC still held Aer Lingus to a 22-25 scoreline in the opening set. With McMullan (named match MVP) and Belton imperious at the net and the team fighting for every point, they won the second set 25-19 and then the third 25-22. Aer Lingus now looked a tired team and DVC were always a point or two ahead in the fourth set. At 24-20, Leanne Dignam served for he match and the celebrations could begin.
“We have worked so hard for this, putting in three hour sessions regularly,” said Clodagh Doherty, who has deferred thoughts of a second retirement. “Now for the league next year!”
In the men’s final Ballymum Patriots, with setter Lubor Hlanda the outstanding player, beat premier league champions Munster Thunder in straight sets.
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ADAPTIVE ROWING: Ireland’s adaptive rowing crew- the only Irish boat yet to have qualified for London 2012 – took a bronze medal at the opening adaptive rowing regatta in Varese, Italy last weekend. It was a first ever podium finish for the crew of Anne-Marie McDaid, Sarah Caffrey, Shane Ryan and Kevin du Toit with cox Helen Arbuthnot, who finished in 3 mins 28.30 secs – a full four seconds off the time they recorded at last September’s World Championships to qualify for the London Paralympics. Since the start of the year, the squad has moved to London for full-time training.
*They also take time out for personal grooming as you can see from these well-kept nails!
HOCKEY: A Leinster team is sure to make the both men and women’s finals of the Irish Hockey League, hosted by Lisnagarvey Hockey Club in Hillsborough this weekend. Hermes and Railway Union faced each other in the pening women’s semi final this mroning, while Loreto play Pegasus in the other semi-final. Of these four teams, Hermes has had six straight wins in the league and is boosted by the return of Audrey O’Flynn who broke her jaw at Olympic qualifiers. Defending champions Pegasus, recently crowned European champions, are full of confidence and hopes that Suzanne Beaney can add to the five goals she has already scored in this competition.
In the men’s competition, YMCA, blighted by injury in recent months, play Monkstown for a chance to face either Cookstown and Lisnagarvey in tomorrow’s final.
* Irish Hockey is organising eight summer camps for boys and girls in July and August. Details camps@hockey.ie or call 01 7163267.
* Back for a second year is the revived Dublin business houses hockey competition. New teams welcome; email brendancarr34@gmail.com before May 15. Entry fee is €50.
BADMINTON: After a marathon two days, a massive 30 titles were decided at the Dublin & District Badminton League finals weekend before packed crowds in Baldoyle. Closest matches came in Division 7, where ESB snatched the title from PSLC, and Division 8 won by the Filipino team PBAI on count-back from Beog’s Beo. In Division 1, Mount Pleasant made it a hat-trick of victories in men, women and mixed classes. The award for Club of the Year went to Old Bawn Badminton Club.
* Badminton Ireland’s “Women in Sport” initiative has received a special award from the European Badminton Federation for its support for women players, coaches, managers and officials.
CURLING: Ireland’s curling team not only won the World Senior Curling Championships in Denmark recently, it went through the entire competition, for curlers aged 50 and over, unbeaten. In the final, Ireland scraped past Canada 6-5 after an extra end. The team – Johnjo Kenny, Bill Gray, David Whyte, Tony Tierney and David Hume are all based in Scotland. Plans are afoot to bring a curling rink to Dublin within the next year.
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