19 April 2014
On 4th April, following on from the success of last year's tournament, the Southside Mixed Doubles Invitational Tournament was once again held in De La Salle College Churchtown. This event saw 3 boys teams from The High School, Sandford Park and De La Salle College, and 3 girls teams from The High School, Loreto College Bray and St Joseph of Cluny come together to form 3 mixed-doubles teams.
Each of the teams played against each other, with the two best performing teams playing again in the final. Each match consisted of four mixed-doubles games, where a boy partnered with a girl on each side.
The De La Salle team, made up of Kevin Flanagan, Danreb Matcha, Anees Niazi, and Jamie McMahon was matched up with the Loreto Bray girls team. After winning each of their opening two matches, they proceeded to the final, where they faced the team of The High School boys and St Joseph of Cluny girls. Having already beaten their opposition in the preliminary round, the De La Salle and Loreto team was confident entering this match, but also acutely aware that they must avoid becoming complacent. In the end, after some close games, De La Salle and Loreto took the victory, each student receiving a medal and each school a plaque for their efforts.
Many thanks must be given to Lynn McCrave, the De La Salle badminton coach, and Ciaran Flynn, badminton coach for The High School, for organising the tournament and making it an enjoyable occasion for all involved.