INDO Gold Cup Weekend.

What a weekend as the Joker and some of the Academy members headed off to the first INDO ranking of the year. John had made a bold comment that he would bring the Gold cup home to the Academy and he kept his promise. He had a cracking final against WDF Lakeside Champion and Target team mate Shane Mc Guirk to win the Gold Cup on the Sunday and recorded a semi final in the mens rankings Saturday leaving the Joker currently ranked as the Irish number 1. 

We had a good entry in the boys Gold Cup with two of the boys making it to the last 32, Jase Green and Allen Moore. Allen put in a huge effort and only for mistakes on the doubles he had potential to go further but he knew where he went wrong and he was right back on the practice board with determination. Same goes for Jamie Cunnigham, Jake O Shea, Daniel Coughlan, and Brookyln Gibson who played well at the weekend and were back on the board with the Joker tonight tackling what went wrong and working on the doubles that let them down at the weekend. We have recorded the averages so we will track the practice to show hard work pays off. Well done also to Shane Long, Dillion Fitzmaurice, Alex Long, and Jake Long who also played really well at the weekend. 

We had our Academy member Brooke Warren playing as one of only two Irish girls playing in the JDC girls series. Brooke had a great run to the last 16 and then the quarter finals leaving her ranked 12th on the Girls Series order of merit. 

Our Joker Juniors had two entered and both played well with Maisie O Shea playing her first ever tournament had winning 2 legs. Massive thanks to the lovely girls in the INDO Ina Byrne, Diana Zhukova, Emma Stapleton, Aoife Porter, Molly Doherty, Aoibhinn Corcoran and the Girls Gold Cup Champion Ruby Grace who made her feel so comfortable, helped her count, helped her mark and welcomed her warmly to the tournament. You are true ambassadors of the girls game and giving young girls the support and confidence you gave Maisie will help the girls game grow for the better. 

John also donated one of his special edition Modus International Pairs shirt which he got singed by all the players present to the INDO to raise funds for the international teams heading away this year.