Ballymena Lawn Tennis Club had their awards and member recognition evening at the Leighinmohr House Hotel on Friday 6th December.
During the event the club celebrated their members achievements both on and off the court.
This year the club had over 40 members who entered the club championships,covering a wide range of events, for all age groups, in both singles and doubles.
We would like to thank the Men’s captain, Pol McAleese for arranging the open championships and Nicholas Cumming for overseeing the Evergreen (Over 40) championships.
A thanks must also be given to Director of Coaching Barry Clarke and Treasurer Mary Goodwin, for organising the awards and recognition evening.
The club have saw the championships grow over recent years, with 11 categories, offering competition for both league and social players.
Highlights of the year for the tennis club included having both their mens singles league teams being promoted in the Belfast and District Leagues.
This led to both teams sharing the clubs Team Shield for the year, due to their equally rewarding feat.
The B Team are now promoted from division 4 to 3 and the A Team have been promoted from 3 to 2.
Over the last 5 years the Men’s A Team have continued their rise in the external league. In 2018 they won Division 5 and now see themselves one division off the premiere division.
To have two teams winning their respective divisions in the singles league is a wonderful feat for the community tennis club, against the well establish Belfast and beyond clubs.
Special recognition awards were also distributed throughout the evening to a number of members.
These included -
Best Newcomer - Alex Costa.
Alex moved to Ballymena from Portugal and has made a seamless transition to the club.
Attending regularly the club training sessions, while representing Ballymena in the external tennis leagues. He was the winner of the men’s evergreen doubles, while also getting to the final of the men’s evergreen singles championships.
Most Improved Player - Judith Weir
Judith has been a longstanding member of the club. Starting as a social recreational player, Judith has saw her confidence in her game soar over the years due to her strive for improvement and love of the game.
She is now a mainstay in the external club leagues, primarily in the doubles events. This year though saw her carry on from winning the club mixed doubles championships last year, to winning the ladies evergreen singles in 2024. The match was an absolute thriller.
Individual League Performance - Ethan Sims
18 year old Ethan Sims became the youngest recipient of the clubs league endeavour cup. In his first full year playing for the senior club, he was part of the men’s A Team who won division 3 of the Belfast and District League. Ethan went unbeaten in all 6 of his matches for the club , playing a variety of high level and seasoned players.
Ethan has been a longstanding member of the club, coming through our junior programme. This year he is now playing tennis for his University, Herriot-Watt, in Edinburgh. The future is bright for this Ballymena man.
Outstanding Achievement Award - Mike Morarean
Mike is a well known figure throughout the Ulster and Irish Tennis Scene.
He has played for Ballymena now for over 20 years representing the town in singles and doubles leagues all throughout the province, helping us win many trophies.
Since retiring a few years ago, Mike has played throughout Ireland in the veterans tour, where he is now 7 in Ireland for the Over 70’s. This is an outstanding achievement for the club and town.
Mike will be returning to Romania to live permanently from April. He will be greatly missed by his BLTC tennis family and the wider Ballymena community.
He has contributed a great deal to tennis here within the town. Enjoy your much earned retirement Mike.
The club would like to thank Leighinmohr House Hotel for accommodating everyone, while providing high quality food and service throughout the evening.
Senior Championship Award Winners 2024
Men’s Singles Champion – Pol McAleese
Ladies Singles Champion – Jessica Alexander
Mens Doubles Champions – Pol McAleese and Peter McCrum
Ladies Doubles Champions – Valerie Alexander and Mary Goodwin
Mixed Doubles Champions – Csaba Mezei and Jayne Gregg
Mens Evergreen Singles Champion – Gareth Shaw
Ladies Evergreen Singles Champion – Judith Weir
Mixed Doubles Evergreen – TBD
Mens Evergreen Doubles Champions – Mike Morarean and Csaba Mezei
Ladies Evergreen Doubles Champions – Karen Cherry and Mandy McMaster
Special Recognition Awards
Newcomer of the year – Alex Costa
League Endeavour Cup – Ethan Sims
Best League Performance Shield – Men’s Singles D3 & d4
Most Improved Player – Judith Weir
Burgess Cup (Outstanding Achievement) Mike Morarean
