The CPC.ie Kerry Badminton Singles Championships took centre stage this weekend in the Tralee Sports Complex. Players from across the county in Divisions 1, 3 and 5 travelled in search of silverware in front of a packed crowd.
The Division 1 Men's was a hotly contested affair with some ferocious play throughout. The first semi-final saw Michael Belov Flaganan going down against Tom Bourke on a score of 21-16 21-18. The other semi final produced an equally tight affair with Fergal Hannon from Listowel beating his fellow clubman Kevin McNally 21-17 21-16.
The final was an epic affair with Hannon looking to put a halt to Bourkes dominance in Division 1. Play was close throughout with players exchanging scores. It was Bourke though who got himself in front at the optimum time in both sets on a score line of 21-17 23-21. This makes it 14 Division 1 titles for Tom, an incredible achievement. 
All eyes were on Edel Kenny in the Ladies Division Championship 1 as she set off in search of her 12th singles title. Edel took on Valerie Guiney from Listowel in her semi final and progressed on a score line of 21-17 21-17. The other semi final saw Deina Vesko from Listowel overcome Michelle Beazley 21-8 21-14. The standard of badminton in the final was fantastic with Edel edging Deina out on a scoreline of 21-11 21-18. Watching on throughout the night as Edel won her 12th title was her mother and Kerry badminton stalwart Teresa Broderick.
The Division 3 Men's Championship saw a huge entry with competitive action throughout. Oscar McElligott from Listowel was the eye catcher as the action hit the semi final stage. He took on fellow listowel man Padraig Curtain in an epic 3 setter which saw McElligott run out a 21-17 21-23 21-14 winner. The other semi Final saw Alvin Rahman from Killarney take on Mikey Sheehy from Tralee. Rahman won out on a score line of 21 14 21-18 setting up the decider with McElligott. Both players put on a great show as the clock nearered 12 midnight but it was McElligott who took the spoils on a score of 21-17 21-10. Oscar was one of the youngest players in action on the night and has a bright future ahead in the sport.
The Division 3 Ladies Championship saw defending champion Bridget McCarthy from Moyvane looking to make it three titles on the bounce. McCarthy overcame Ava Mackay from Listowel in the first semi-final on a scoreline of 21 11 21-16. In the other semi-final Adele O' Brien, Killarney, faced off against Jessica O' Loughlin from The Kingdom Club. This match went the distance with O' Brien coming out the right side on a score of 20-22 21-9 21-12. O' Brien continued the momentum she built up in her semi final and put a stop to McCarthy's search for a third title by winning the final 21-14 21-9 and taking the cup to Killarney.
The Men's Division 5 saw another huge entry with 20 players taking to the courts. Evan Lemass defeated Hasib Ahmmed in his semi final that set up a final against Biprojit Jhosh who had seen off Adrian Kenny on the other side of the draw. The final was one of the closest encounters of the night with Lemass coming out on top on a score of 21-19 21-19.
Last but not least, the Division 5 Ladies Championship went the way of Sinead McElligott from Listowel. McElligott overcame Mary McNeer 21-16 21-8 in her semi final while Maggie Li from Listowel beat Aoife Twomey from Killareny 21-12 23-21. McEllott played some great badminton in the final and was a deserving winner of the Division 5 Singles Cup this year.
There is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to coordinate championships, a huge thanks to the team involved and to the volunteers who really put in an incredible effort to make the night run like clockwork.
Finally, Championships like this simply wouldn't happen without the generous support of CPC.ie. A massive thank you to CPC.ie for their continued support of the Kerry Badminton Championships.
Next Friday night sees the Division 2 and Division 4 Singles Championships take place in the Tralee Sports Complex. The action starts at 7:30pm with entries closing on Wednesday.
