MARTY TRAINOR

Full Name:   Martin John Trainor

Nickname within bowls or on bowling green:  Never had one

DOB:  16/05/72

Place of Birth: Lagan Valley, Lisburn

Occupation:  Plumber

What format did you start playing:  Shortmat (8 Years old)

Which was your first club:   
St Anthonys in Craigavon

Which formats have you played and which do you still play:   
Shortmat & Outdoor

Which format do you prefer to play:  Shortmat

What reason:  
I took a break from outdoor for 15 years and I have had more success at the Shortmat, thou I do regret not returning to the outdoor sooner

Make, model, size, colour and weight of bowls used for each format:

Shortmat -  Lignoid Size 5
Outdoor - Tiger Size 4 

Person who introduced you to bowls:  
My Parents John & Eileen 

Who has been the biggest influence on your bowling career:  
My Parents for that reason  

Who would you most like to meet:  
Billy Connelly.  A night out with him would be hard to beat

Interests outside bowls: Football, Golf, Pool, and the odd beer or ten

Childhood Sporting hero:  Jimmy White, Eric Cantona, Seve Ballesteros

Most memorable moment in life:  Birth of my son Aodhán

Most memorable moment in bowls: 
First tournament win (Clonoe Singles) at 16, beating Colum mc Hugh in a classic
 
If you could change one policy/rule what would it be:  
Make the stick wider 

What do you regard as your best or most satisfying achievement in bowls: 
The 2001 British Isles Championships in Tenby, Wales.  I won the Fours title with my three brothers Christopher, Kieran & Sean, and skipped in the team event winning all my matches.  A great weekend that would be hard to top

What goal[s] do you have in bowls: 
To make up for the 15 years I missed and leave my mark on the Outdoor game 

At what age did you make your international debut: 27 (shortmat) 

What year: 2000
 
How many caps at international level in each format: 
24 at shortmat

Which clubs have you belonged to for each format: 
Shortmat: St Anthonys Craigavon 
Outdoor: Lurgan, Portadown, Falls

If you have changed clubs why did you move: 
I Started at Lurgan at 16 only to quit outdoor 2 years later.
At 33 I returned to Portadown for 2 years before moving to my current club Falls after being coaxed by a few members.
It was a hard decision to leave Portadown with great bunch of lads who told me I would be welcome back anytime.
Falls is a great club with an excellent set-up and the new experience has made the change worthwhile

What short mat is the best you have played on in the UK:
Has to be the Isle of Man, lightning quick 

In Northern Ireland:
Mat 2 in St Anthony’s, nobody else likes it for some reason.
St Patricks Edendork always had great mats but unfortunately they don’t run a tournament any more 

Which outdoor green is the best you have played on:
Has to be my new club Falls 

Most difficult opponent [any format]:
Kieran Campbell, no doubt. I had some great tussles with him over the years, the best in Ireland on his day.

Outdoor: Marty McHugh 

Which opponent [if any] do you regularly play that usually beats you:
I try to forget the beatings, but I think Colum’s give me a few pastings over the years 

What frustrates you most when playing:
People talking and moving when I'm trying to throw, people saying they are beat before they start. 
Any sort of gamesmanship, let your bowls do the talking 

Would you be in favour of players forming their own think-tank and having a place on the management committee of each outdoor association including the IBA.  Yes 

Do you think respected past and current internationals should be invited to have an input with the u25s? [outdoor]: Yes
 
Who are the top five most promising prospects in each format: 
Shortmat: Andy Leckey (Armagh), Mark O'Looney (Meath), the Hand’s (Oriel) & Conor Hernon & Sean Breen from St Anthony’s 

How many major and national titles have you won, which format and discipline: 
Shortmat 
Irish Fours in 1995 with my dad John and brothers Sean & Kieran. 

Irish Fours in 2000 with Brothers Chris, Kieran, & Sean

British Isles Fours  2000

Champion of Champions Pairs 1992 with Andrew Hughes

Irish Junior singles 1990 

Outdoor 
NIBA Triples 2007 with M Whitla & G McMullan 

Other titles or near misses: 
Shortmat
British Isles team winner 7 times 

Around 70 Lisensed Tournaments

2 Inter-Zone Titles

Runner up World Pairs 1992

Runner up British Isles Rinks 1995

4 National Singles Semi finals

Craigavon Sports Council Sports personality of the year 2001

Craigavon Sports Council Team of the Year 2001   

Outdoor 
City of Belfast winner 2008

Hilden Rinks winner 2006 & 2008