It’s that time of the year again to report back to you the activities of our association. We just finished the 3rd season of table tennis since we started in 2004-05. We are at a stage where we are making gradual progress to a higher standard of umpiring. It is clearly visible to the management of Leinster Branch and ITTA that the discipline of our junior players are improving every year. It is not only the case of junior players, it also the case of our umpires moving up to date with our new attire and the standard of umpiring. We are always seeking to improve our standard.

The Umpires Association is grateful for the financial assistance from the Leinster Branch.

The association provided umpires for every events held in Leinster region. There were 19 events in Leinster. I would like to report some of the highlights of the season :

• Blazers – the colour of the blazers are Bottle Green. The appearance of our umpires have significantly enhanced. We would be wearing our County or National badges.
• 6 Nations Veterans Championship in Northern Ireland. The association provided 4 umpires for the event. Umpires looked very smart wearing their new Blazers for the first time.
• European Women’s Qualifying in ALSAA. Stuart Sherlock from England was appointed Referee of the match. 6 umpires were provided. Again, umpires looked very professional and they did an excellent job.
• County Umpires Examination – Brenda Munroe has qualified as a County Umpire. This is for the first time the association has conducted and qualified an umpire.
• European Men’s Play off Qualifying – Ireland vs Turkey. The match was played on ESB Sports Complex on 17th Nov 2006. Andy Seward & Mick Strode from England were appointed Match Officials. Con O’Ceadaigh was appointed as the assistant umpire.
• Junior British League – Kiron Choudhury & Joe Finnegan were invited for umpiring in the Junior British League in Wolverhampton, England on 10th and 11th Feb 2007.
• European Men’s Qualifying – Ireland vs Scotland. The match was played in Lucan. Andy Seward & Margot Fraser from England were appointed Match Officials. Tom Mitchell was appointed as the assistant umpire.
• Kiron Choudhury has qualified as a Level 1 Table Tennis Coach.
• Joe Finnegan & Kiron Choudhury have been selected for Umpiring in the Special Olympics Summer Games 2007 in Shanghai, China. They will be leaving for China at the end of September 2007.
• Interprovincial Table Tennis Championship 2007 played in Dunshaughlin, West Meath from 2nd to 4th March 2007. Kennneth Strong & Tony Martin were at the Control of the tournament. Kiron Choudhury, Vivienne Barry and Con O'Ceadaigh were on duty.
• 6 Nations Primary School Championship – played in Cork. Tony Martin was appointed Referee and John O’Donoghue was on the Control Table. As I understand, this tournament was a ‘showcase’ of the table tennis where everything was in time and in professional manner.
• Irish Wheelchair International - 20th/22nd April, 2007, IWA, Clontarf, Dublin 3, Ireland. Steve Welch from England was appointed Referee. Kiron Choudhury was appointed Chief Umpire and Deputy to Steve. The association have provided 7 umpires on Friday, 7 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. 21 countries participated in the tournament.
• Boys Brigade Ireland - 19th May 2007. Played in Lucan. Alex Thackaberry was the organiser of this tournament. There were 6 teams from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Tommy Keenann was at the Control Table and Kiron Choudhury was appointed Referee. Vivienne Barry, Tom Mitchell, Cecilia Armelin, Joe Finnegan, Terri McKeon and Com O’Ceadaigh were on duly.

Our web site at http://www.ittua.com is attracting more visitors over the corresponding months of previous year.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and support during the last season. I look forward to working with you in the coming season.

We would be holding our AGM at the end of August 2007.