€1,500 Raised at Christmas Charity Tournament

Leixlip Tennis Club hosted a fun charity competition in aid of Cystinosis Ireland on 28th December 2022 which was open to players of all abilities from any club.

With the Christmas Charity Tournament reinstated following a two-year break due to COVID, the volunteers were delighted to see that the weather forecast was wrong and the courts looked exceptionally well and ready for play.

Cystinosis is a rare, multisystem genetic disorder characterized by the accumulation of an amino acid called cystine in different tissues and organs of the body including the kidneys, eyes, muscles, liver, pancreas and brain. Very little is known about this disease, which unfortunately is also reflected in the challenges the charity receives with its fundraising efforts. As we have a player from our club whose grandson is affected by this disease, it was a unanimous decision by the Leixlip Tennis Club Committee that this year’s event should be dedicated to this worthwhile charity. To find out more about Cystinosis Ireland, visit their website here.

Competition entries were open from just before 11am, but with a larger group of eager players looking to work off the turkey dinners, it was evident that attendance records were going to be blown out of existence for charity events held so far at Leixlip Tennis Club. We were delighted to welcome players from Dunboyne, Celbridge and North Kildare. There Was a Record 65 Entrants!!!!.

Keith and Sharon Ashmore were on hand to manage the draws, get the players on court and turnaorund the rounds in quick sucession. They had great support with different players pulling names out of the hat for all rounds of the competition.

A minimum €10 donation ensured each player was entered into the competition which consisted of timed mixed and doubles matches, where everybody played four rounds having their names drawn out of a hat for each round. A point was awarded for each game won and the player with the most points after four rounds was declared the winner.

This year, the winner was Diane Birne, from Celbridge Tennis Club. Diane had four excellent rounds scoring 21 points overall. She was presented with the perpetual Christmas Charity trophy and she will be immortalised at Leixlip Tennis Club with her name engraved for all to see.

The generosity of attendees was overwhelming with many donating much more than the suggested €10 attendance fee. There were also donations received from members and non-members who could not make it to the event on the day.

In addition to the €1,500 raised on the day, there were also many online donations by those who couldn't make the event, bringing the total to nearly €2,000.

Arriving players and visitors were treated to the wonderful smell of mulled wine brewing in the kitchen (Brian and Patricia Donohoe hold the secret recipe). There was tea and coffee on offer and a large selection of snacks, mince pies and sandwiches which could be enjoyed during breaks from court play while also checking up on their competition progress which were shown on the large screen in the club house.

The club was very lucky to have Annie Dowling and Deirdre Power to head up the team in the kitchen who rolled up their sleeves and jumped into action buttering bread and keeping the hungry players well-fed. They even managed to sneak off to Lidl to purchase extra supplies at various points during the day ensuring nobody would be left hungry.

As an added bonus for attendees, a strip of tickets was handed out to each participant. The club had received a variety of donated prizes in advance which were to be raffled off at the end of the competition. Many thanks to Reflex Physiotherapy, Leixlip and Stoney’s Barbers, Leixlip for the amazing vouchers for the raffle. The generosity of guests and players to the tournament was astounding. By the end of the registration, we had enough spot prizes to ensure that everyone would be drawn in the raffle.