Exciting new sport surges in popularity at Kildare tennis club

Padel has been experiencing rapid growth across Ireland and worldwide in recent years, thanks to its easy-to-learn nature and strong social appeal. This accessibility has attracted a diverse range of players, including those new to racket sports.

Since the installation of two Padel courts at Naas Lawn Tennis Club just over two years ago, the sport's popularity within Kildare has soared among both existing and new members. A thriving and dynamic Padel community has emerged, catering to all levels - from social beginners to national champions and Masters Irish internationals.

Building on this momentum, the club has enjoyed unprecedented success over the past 12 months at both regional, national and international padel competitions!

Regional

More than 30 Naas LTC members participated in the second edition of the Dublin Padel League, competing against clubs from Dublin and Kildare. The latest league event included players from classes 1, 2, and 3, with the finals taking place last weekend. The next installment of the league will begin in mid-May, welcoming players from classes 4, 5, and 6.

Ladies Class 1

Our Ladies' Class 1 first team—Amy Flynn, Anna Zuka, Laura Gibson, and Anna Kurkul (c)—remained unbeaten in their class, dropping only one set against Naas LTC's second team, which included Laura McCann, Valerie Watters, Sinead Hogan, and Deirdre Ni Bhroin (c).

The league final was moved to a home fixture for Naas due to several Fitzwilliam LTC team members being on international duty during the weekend of the finals. Despite the chilly weather, over 40 enthusiastic supporters gathered at Naas Lawn Tennis Club, creating an electric atmosphere. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Anna Zuka and Anna Kurkul securing a hard-fought win in two tight sets, while Laura Gibson and Amy Flynn narrowly lost in a champions tiebreak. To determine the winners, Anna Zuka and Anna Kurkul joined forces again for a final champions tiebreak, triumphing 10-7 to claim the title of Ladies Class 1 champions.

Mens Class 3

Our Men's Class 3 team - Dave Foster, Barry Leavy, Sean Gannon, Kevin Walsh, James Black, Shane Spring, and Graham Palmer (c) - delivered strong performances throughout the competition. After a successful group stage and a victory in the semi-finals, they finished as runners-up, falling just short in the final against Padelzone Celbridge.

Mens Class 2

Our Men's Class 2 team—Julian Morisson, Pete Lowther, Alfonso De la Calle, Cian Lawlor, Barry Leavy, Cormac Nugent, John Mulligan, and Kevin O’Brien (c)—topped their group and triumphed over Padelzone Celbridge in a tightly contested semi-final, which was decided by a 10-point shootout. Notably, Cian Lawlor, a 16-year-old transition year student from Naas CBS, played all six matches in the league, maintaining a perfect record with 100% success.The final versus Bective LTC didn’t go according to plan and unfortunately drew the match 1-1 and lost the championship tie-break and finished runners up.

Womens Class 2

NLTC members Emma Kelly, Edwina Donnelly, Claire Tracey and Mary-Ann Healy put in some strong performances finishing 5th in their group. Unfortunately they didn’t get through to the play-off semi-finals.

Womens Class 3

NLTC members Eva O’Reilly, Katie Fitzgerald, Aoife Carey & Áine Hennessy (c) performed well in their group stages finishing 2nd resulting in an away semi-final to Padelzone Celbridge. They were too strong unfortunately and Padelzone Celbridge won the match and eventually the final.

National Success

Anna Zuka, a 6th-year student at St. Mary’s College, is performing at her best after her recent victory at the Bushy Park Padel tournament alongside her doubles partner Anna Kurkul. The duo faced their toughest challenge in an all-Naas match, where they triumphed over fellow club-mates Amy Flynn and Laura Gibson with a thrilling 6-7, 7-6, 6-10 scoreline. In the final, they secured a straight-set victory, defeating their opponents for the second time this year with a 6-4, 6-4 win.

International

Recently, Julian Morrison, Kevin O’Brien, and Pete Lowther represented Ireland at the 4 Nations Padel Tournament in Leeds. The event featured two pairs of players in each age category (Open, O-40, O-50, O-60) for both men and women, with 32 Irish players making the trip. Each pair played against corresponding pairs, and if the match ended in a draw, one player from each pair had to compete in an exciting shoot-out to 10 points.

Julian and Kevin teamed up as the number 1 pair in the Over-40 category. Their tournament began with a tough match against a strong Scottish pair, but they improved their performance, showing great strength against a very skilled English team. The weekend concluded on a high note with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win over Wales. However, the tie wasn't over yet. After the other Irish pair lost to Wales, Kevin joined forces with John William Devine from Fitzwilliam LTC to take on the Welsh duo. A solid shoot-out resulted in a 10-7 victory for Ireland, securing the O-40 team a third-place finish.

Pete Lowther faced a marathon match against England in his first round, unfortunately coming up short. However, he bounced back strongly, securing victories against Scotland and Wales, contributing to Ireland's second-place finish in the O-60 category.

Julian and Pete will once again represent Ireland at the 6-Nations Padel Tournament, where six players will compete across three pairs, each with a combined age of 100! The tournament will see teams from England, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, Estonia, and Ireland battle it out for the title, with five matches scheduled over two days.

Club Activities

Joining NLTC for padel is an excellent way to learn the game and make new friends. The club offers a great mix of organized social events and coaching sessions tailored to beginner and intermediate players. Weekly social events include a Saturday morning session for beginners and a Sunday morning session for intermediate players. Additionally, coaching sessions are available for beginners, intermediate players and tournament-level players every week. There are also five major social events planned for the rest of the year, with more to be announced!

There was a great buzz around NLTC on Friday February 27th as nearly 100 members participated in tennis and padel social events. The padel social was hosted by Valerie Watters and Kieran Hughes. 16 players took part in graded padel events across two padel courts. Players had three rounds of eight games with different partners and opponents in each round. Some exceptionally great padel was played with super padel skills were on show. Padel rounds were followed by a quick social trip to the club bar, and then back on court in time for the next round. During the night players accumulated points in each round with the winner and runner up taking home some neat prizes. The night proved to be a great success with many happy players and plenty of padel played. More mega events are sure to follow.

Tournaments

We have four major tournaments planned:

Naas 90 | June 13 - 15

Following a hugely successful debut last year, this Men's and Ladies' Open event returns where each pair must have a combined age of 90+

Mixed Tournament | August 9 - 10

An internal graded tournament running over one weekend

Club Championships | September 8 -27

A Men’s and Ladies’ graded doubles event spanning three weeks

Naas Open | October 3 - 5

Men's & Ladies Open and Mixed Social event over 1 weekend

Padel has seen a surge in popularity at Naas Lawn Tennis Club, reflected in the recent activity and successes. If you're interested in learning more about the game or joining the Club, feel free to drop by.

For membership or Padel sponsorship inquiries, email us at contact@naasltc.net

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