The Bell’s Arena at Perth, Scotland, was the venue for the Veterans Six Nations Tournament, which was held from 12-14 September 2014.
The various Irish teams enjoyed considerable success, and returned home with many medals.
The 40’s team of Kevin Devaney, Pat McCloughan and Dave Gibbons played very well and gained a bronze medal . In the 50’s team event, Dave Pemberton, Keld Jaksland and Jim Storey showed good form and were also awarded with a bronze medal. They lost narrowly to Scotland.
This medal success was repeated by the 70’s team of Liam Perris, Ted Mahaffy and Jim Sheehan, who also gained a bronze medal. A noteworthy success was the Ladies 40 team triumph over Scotland 2.
The highest award gained in the team events, was the silver medal for the 60’s team of Martin Pickles, Brian Finn, Tommy Caffrey, Audrey Robinson and Viv Barry. They had some close games and only lost to a strong English team. Tommy’s performances were the foundation for the success, beating Paul Collins of Wales 11-8 in the fifth set of the deciding match. He also beat England’s number one, Maurice Newman, in a nail-biting fifth set.
The outstanding achievement in the Singles, was the gold medal performance of Teresa Devaney in the Ladies 60’s event. Teresa beat Penny Perry of England in the final for her third consecutive title. Audrey Robinson was awarded a silver medal in the Ladies 70’s. In the Consolation Singles, Pat McCloughan won gold in the 40’s Men’s event, and Audrey Robinson was awarded the gold also, in the Ladies 60’s event.
In the Doubles competition, Pat McCloughan/Kevin Devaney, won a silver medal in the 40’s doubles. Dave Pemberton/Keld Jaksland, won a silver in the 50’s doubles, and in the 60’s doubles, the pairing of Martin Pickles(IRE)/John Magnall(IOM), also gained a silver medal.
Good performances in Singles were registered by Liam Perris in the 70s, Jim Storey and Martin Pickles in the 60s. Tommy Caffrey did not perform to his usual high standards in the 70s. He lost a lacklustre expedite semi-final match against Keith Powell of England. It is most likely that his earlier exertions in the team competition took their toll on him at that late stage.