Posts in category: National Events

The domestic Junior Ranking  tournament season concluded at the weekend with the staging of the Butterfly National Junior Championships at the National Indoor Arena, Blanchardstown. The venue was a massive hit for all involved as players, coaches and parents took in the fantastic new surroundings for the first time.

In the Under 18 Girls event Katie McGlone was attempting to do the treble having won the Senior Ladies & Under 21 National titles earlier in the month. 
The semi finals were a treat for the spectators as defending champion Mia O’Rahilly Egan took on Rebecca Finn in the top half and Katie played the in form Nga Nguyen in the bottom half.

At two sets all in a pulsating display of table tennis it was anybody’s match between Mia and Rebecca. When Rebecca took a 10/7 lead in the final set it seemed game over. However Mia had other ideas and won the last five points to take the set 12/10 and seal her place in the final. Similarly Katie and Ngas match went the distance. Nga looking for her 1st win against Katie led 4-0 in the decider. A timeout proved crucial at this point & turned the match in Katie’s favour and she went on to take the set 11/9 and with it her place in the final.

In the final match, Katie and Mia shared the first two sets before Katie won the third set 11/5. In the 4th set Katie raced out to a 10/5 lead. Mia clawed her way back to 9/10 but Katie took the next point and with it the U18 National Title, her 3rd National Singles Title of the season, a superb achievement!

In the Boys event Owen Cathcart went into the event as overwhelming favourite. Owen lived up to expectations in the early rounds and apart from one very tight set against Art McLaughlin, never looked in trouble.

In the semi finals Owen ended the domestic Junior career of Conor Gallagher with a straight sets victory. In the opposite half Thomas Earley was the surprise package. Thomas fought off Dylan Grace’s efforts to take his place in the semis against Charlie Fitzgerald. Again Thomas used his defensive skills 
to thwart Charlie’s challenge and make it an all Ormeau final. Here Owens attacking repertoire proved to be decisive and he won his first Junior Boys National title in straight sets to add to his impressive previous haul at Under 10, Under 13 and Under 15 level.

In the Under 13 Girls the top four seeds made the semi finals. Sophie Earley, the top seed played Pravesha Ragi, the 3rd seed. In another top quality match, Sophie came out on top in four sets. In the bottom half the number two seed Silke Heinen saw off the challenge of Amna Mandal. Silke raced into a 5/0 lead in the first set of the final against Sophie. From there Sophie dug deep and went on to win the final in three sets and with it the National Under 13 Girls Singles Title.

In the boys event Thomas Joyce was seeking his 3rd successive Under 13 National Title and he duly delivered. Thomas won his semi against James Skelton 3/1 and met Dillon Byrne in the final. Dillon had won his semi final against Jonathan Mooney 3/0. Thomas won the final 3/0 in impressive fashion. 

The day concluded with the inaugural Junior Doubles events. The Girls event was won by Mia and Zofia with Conor Nugent and Zak Earley taking the Boys.

On the second day it was the turn of the Under 15s and Hopes and Para Standing Singles. In the Girls Under 15s Mia, who won the title in 2016 played the Under 13 winner from the previous day, Sophie in the top half semi final. Mia came out on top 3 nil, winning the 3rd set 15/13. Nicole Scott, the 2nd seed played 4th seeded  Pravesha in the other semi and in a close and high quality encounter Nicole prevailed 3/1.

Mia and Nicole produced a fitting National final with a high standard of open attacking table tennis. Mia led by a set and 10/8. Then Nicole showed her mettle by winning 4 points on the trot and levelling the match at one set all. Mia took the title by winning the next two sets 11/6 11/8.

In the boys Thomas saw off Ciaran O’Donoghue in one semi while James Skelton, who had beaten the 2nd seed, Art, defeated Kristijonas Dapkus in the other half. The final produced a high quality display and when James took a 2/1 lead it seemed an upset was on the cards. However Thomas showed his years of experience at this level to win the next two sets for the loss of only seven points  winning the final set, 11/2 and become Cadet Champion to add to his Mini Cadet title on  Saturday.

The Para Standing Singles was won by the ever present Paddy Vaughan, who overcame international team mate and rival Conor O’Callaghan in straight sets to add another National title to his collection.

In the hopes event, the impressive younster Gellert Moravcsik came out on top, as all players involved got lots of matches in the usual fun styled event.

To see the full results from the Junior Nationals please click here

The domestic Junior Ranking  tournament season concluded at the weekend with the staging of the Butterfly National Junior Championships at the National Indoor Arena, Blanchardstown. The venue was a massive hit for all involved as players, coaches and parents took in the fantastic new surroundings for the first time.

In the Under 18 Girls event Katie McGlone was attempting to do the treble having won the Senior Ladies & Under 21 National titles earlier in the month. 
The semi finals were a treat for the spectators as defending champion Mia O’Rahilly Egan took on Rebecca Finn in the top half and Katie played the in form Nga Nguyen in the bottom half.

At two sets all in a pulsating display of table tennis it was anybody’s match between Mia and Rebecca. When Rebecca took a 10/7 lead in the final set it seemed game over. However Mia had other ideas and won the last five points to take the set 12/10 and seal her place in the final. Similarly Katie and Ngas match went the distance. Nga looking for her 1st win against Katie led 4-0 in the decider. A timeout proved crucial at this point & turned the match in Katie’s favour and she went on to take the set 11/9 and with it her place in the final.

In the final match, Katie and Mia shared the first two sets before Katie won the third set 11/5. In the 4th set Katie raced out to a 10/5 lead. Mia clawed her way back to 9/10 but Katie took the next point and with it the U18 National Title, her 3rd National Singles Title of the season, a superb achievement!

In the Boys event Owen Cathcart went into the event as overwhelming favourite. Owen lived up to expectations in the early rounds and apart from one very tight set against Art McLaughlin, never looked in trouble.

In the semi finals Owen ended the domestic Junior career of Conor Gallagher with a straight sets victory. In the opposite half Thomas Earley was the surprise package. Thomas fought off Dylan Grace’s efforts to take his place in the semis against Charlie Fitzgerald. Again Thomas used his defensive skills 
to thwart Charlie’s challenge and make it an all Ormeau final. Here Owens attacking repertoire proved to be decisive and he won his first Junior Boys National title in straight sets to add to his impressive previous haul at Under 10, Under 13 and Under 15 level.

In the Under 13 Girls the top four seeds made the semi finals. Sophie Earley, the top seed played Pravesha Ragi, the 3rd seed. In another top quality match, Sophie came out on top in four sets. In the bottom half the number two seed Silke Heinen saw off the challenge of Amna Mandal. Silke raced into a 5/0 lead in the first set of the final against Sophie. From there Sophie dug deep and went on to win the final in three sets and with it the National Under 13 Girls Singles Title.

In the boys event Thomas Joyce was seeking his 3rd successive Under 13 National Title and he duly delivered. Thomas won his semi against James Skelton 3/1 and met Dillon Byrne in the final. Dillon had won his semi final against Jonathan Mooney 3/0. Thomas won the final 3/0 in impressive fashion. 

The day concluded with the inaugural Junior Doubles events. The Girls event was won by Mia and Zofia with Conor Nugent and Zak Earley taking the Boys.

On the second day it was the turn of the Under 15s and Hopes and Para Standing Singles. In the Girls Under 15s Mia, who won the title in 2016 played the Under 13 winner from the previous day, Sophie in the top half semi final. Mia came out on top 3 nil, winning the 3rd set 15/13. Nicole Scott, the 2nd seed played 4th seeded  Pravesha in the other semi and in a close and high quality encounter Nicole prevailed 3/1.

Mia and Nicole produced a fitting National final with a high standard of open attacking table tennis. Mia led by a set and 10/8. Then Nicole showed her mettle by winning 4 points on the trot and levelling the match at one set all. Mia took the title by winning the next two sets 11/6 11/8.

In the boys Thomas saw off Ciaran O’Donoghue in one semi while James Skelton, who had beaten the 2nd seed, Art, defeated Kristijonas Dapkus in the other half. The final produced a high quality display and when James took a 2/1 lead it seemed an upset was on the cards. However Thomas showed his years of experience at this level to win the next two sets for the loss of only seven points  winning the final set, 11/2 and become Cadet Champion to add to his Mini Cadet title on  Saturday.

The Para Standing Singles was won by the ever present Paddy Vaughan, who overcame international team mate and rival Conor O’Callaghan in straight sets to add another National title to his collection.

In the hopes event, the impressive youngster Gellert Moravcsik came out on top, as all players involved got lots of matches in the usual fun styled event.

Paul McCreery and Katie McGlone took the top honours over the weekend as both players were crowned Senior National Champions in DCU.

For McCreery, it was a familiar feeling to be back in the winners enclosure, having claimed the prestigious Eddie Limberg Men’s Singles title on three previous occasions in 2013, 2014 and 2015. This years win was perhaps the most sweet of all however, as the Belfast man entered the event somewhat under the radar due to the fine form shown by many of his closest rivals in recent times.

For 16 year old McGlone, it was her maiden National title and you could see how much it meant to the young UCD player when she eventually overcame the dogged 5 time champion, Ashley Givan, in a truly entertaining final match.

Men’s Singles

The showpiece Men’s and Ladies Singles events kicked off on Saturday morning with all players primed and ready for the challenges that lay ahead amongst the very best that Irish Table Tennis has to offer. On the men’s side, the Last 16 was the round that caused most of a stir. With all eight matches on show, there were comfortable wins for some of the big name seeds as Ashley Robinson, Paul McCreery, Gavin Maguire, Owen Cathcart and Zak Wilson all advanced with relative ease. However the first shock was soon to follow, as an inspired performance from Ballincollig TTC’s Dylan Grace saw him recover from a 0-2 deficit to overcome the recent Connacht Open Champion and 5th seed Ryan Farrell in a titanic 5 set encounter. On the adjacent table, another 5 setter had ensued, as 8th seed Alan Walsh was taken out by the in form Na Ning. Like Grace, Ning did it the hard way as he clawed back from 2 nil behind to take the win. This left the last of the quarter finals to finish up as experienced International Peter Graham and rising star Alex Gillen (S7) were embroiled in an epic, with the Ulsterman eventually overcoming his younger opponent to upset the seedings further as he won 11-9 in the 5th set.

The quarters saw some more compelling matches take place, with the pick of these involving the top seed Ashley Robinson as he was pushed all the way by a fantastic performance by Na Ning, who really rolled back the years as he threw everything at the pre tournament favourite. It was the Clogher native who prevailed in the end however, as he found enough to recover from a 2-3 deficit to claw his way back and take the match after 7 entertaining sets.

The other 3 quarters were more one sided, but compelling nonetheless! Zak Wilson produced a flawless performance to upset the seedings and take out Owen Cathcart in straight sets, as he signalled his intent right from the off, playing a high level of Table Tennis throughout. Paul McCreery was also in the mood as he beat Peter Graham in impressive fashion, 4-0. Defending champion Maguire didn’t have it all his own way though, as the buoyant Dylan Grace fought hard before going down 4-1.

The semi-final line up was a real treat for all in attendance as we witnessed a repeat of last years final with defending champ Maguire facing off against top seed Robinson. In the end, Maguire flourished as the apparent under-dog in this clash of the titans as he produced a flawless display to overcome his close friend over 6 sets to seal his place in a 5th National Final! Meeting him there was a determined McCreery, who kept his foot firmly on the peddle as he disposed of the battling Wilson by a 4-1 scoreline.

The stage was set for the final and despite a big fight, the dream of back to back titles wasn’t to be for Maguire. Paul was quick out of the blocks and using all of his speed and power, the Ulstermans resistance was too much for his Dublin counterpart. Gav fought valiantly, winning the 5th set to reduce his deficit to 3-2, but Paul was ready to step it up once more, as he reeled off a succession of points to pull away on route to claiming a fourth National Men’s Singles title!

Ladies Singles

As much as the men’s event was up in the air, the Ladies Singles was certainly wide open as a winner was very difficult to pick amongst the array of talent topping the seedings going into the event. As expected, the top four of McGlone, O’Rahilly Egan, Finn and Givan all advanced to the knockout stages unscathed. The first upset came from Group E, as 10 year old Sophie Earley continued her meteoric rise as she overcame the experienced Susan Hanlon (S5) on her way to topping the group.

When the knockout stage commenced another youngster made waves, as Glenburns defensive starlet Lucy Craig defeated Leinsters Claire Heller to advance to the quarter finals. With the rest of the matches going to seeding, we were all set for the fireworks to take off in the latter end of the draw.

Unfortunately for young Sophie, her debut senior event was halted by the ever impressive and always reliable Rebecca Finn in the quarter final, but the youngster didn’t go down without a good fight, losing out 4-1. Katie was then back in to face the dangerous Zofia Wawrzyniak of Leeside TTC. However despite Zofias best efforts, she couln’t stop the top seed as she started to stamp her authority on the Ladies draw. Defending champion and 5 time winner Ashley Givan was also in fine form, as she accounted for Hanlon to book her place in the penultimate round. She was soon followed by 2nd seed Mia, who was too strong for her young International team-mate Lucy Craig in their quarter final contest.

Like in the men’s, the Women’s semi-final line up was a real treat for all spectators in attendance. Ashley Givan faced the stern challenge of the in form Mia while Katie faced off against the ever present Rebecca Finn. It was Ashley who really impressed here as the Queens student didn’t let up as she got the better of her younger opponent by a 4-1 scoreline to seal her place in the final. On the next table a real battle was developing. Katie looked in command as she opened up a 3-1 lead over Rebecca, but the never say die attitude of the Belfast girl was evident for all to see as she fought back to level matters at 3-3. Here it was anyones match but this time it was Katie who delivered when it was all on the line, producing some of her finest play to run out as the winner and set up a repeat of last years final.

In the final, Katie was on a mission on this occasion. Her measured calmness combined with deadly attacking play was the key as she opened up a 3-1 lead over the 5 time champion. Ashley quickly fought back in the 5th, opening up a 9-5 lead. But Katie kept going, managing to pull herself back into the set. At 9-9, she played aggressively, churning out a match point in the process. From there she sealed the victory and a first National title forllowing yet another well time forehand counterloop.

Congratulations to Paul and Katie, our 2017 Irish Senior Men’s and Ladies National Champions!

To download and see the full results from all event please click here

The UCC Mardyke Arena was the venue for the annual Intervarsity Championships on 24/25 February 2017, and those fortunate enough to be in the hall late on Friday night saw one of the most exciting Mens Team finals that has graced this event for many years.

UCD entered the weekend as slight favourites, if only by their record in the competition, winning the last 17 instalments of the event; and with an array of internationals and interprovincials in their ranks, including representation from 3 provinces, with names such as Tom Davis, Kris Foster and Luke Dempsey,  boasted a line up as strong as any that has graced the competition.  However, hosts UCC also had a formidable squad of interprovincial and internationals from which to choose their team, with new addition Alan Walsh boosting the depth in a squad that also included Declan O’Brien and Colm Murphy. 

In a see-saw match, the momentum swayed back and forth as the 12 singles were played out, with both teams feeling there were points that got away.  With UCD 7-5 up after the singles rubbers, it was all to play for in the doubles, but three tight matches that could have gone either way all ultimately fell to UCD, who took their 18th consecutive Irish Universities Championship title in the 69th instalment of the Hubert Wine Cup.

Earlier, UCC had sewn up the Ladies team title, while Trinity took the Mens team Plate.

On Singles Saturday, it very quickly shaped up to be a Cork and Dublin affair at Mens Quarter Final stage, with four players from each city in the mix.  Top seed and defending Champion Tom Davis took his place in the final four with a win against Brian Kelleher, while Declan O’Brien came past Luke Dempsey.  The all UCD face off of Andrew Campbell against #4 seed Kris Foster saw a well earned upset by Campbell, continuing the good form that had seen him come past Shane O’Connor (CIT) in the group stages, while the all UCC match between Alan Walsh and Colm Murphy saw Irish #4 Walsh take his place in the semi-finals.  No surprises in the semi-finals as the top seeds came through their derby matches, Davis putting a stop to the giant killing run of Campbell, while Walsh came past O’Brien.  With the top two seeds through to the decider, Walsh was seeking to reverse the result between the players from the team event, but a tense opening exchange saw Davis get off to the better start of the two players, taking the first two ends.  A fightback by Walsh in the 3rd end wasn’t enough to stop Davis taking the 4th end, and the match 3-1, earning his second consecutive Irish Universities Singles Champion title.

In the Ladies Singles, the dominant UCC squad continued where they left off on Friday, with UCC taking 3 of the semi-final places, Colleen Wong from RCSI making up the 4th slot.  Emily Burns belied her seeding with a hard fought win against team mate Rachel Chen in the semi-final, while Katharine NG came through against Wong.  In the final, it was a win for Ng against Burns, taking the Irish Universities Ladies Singles Champion title for the first time.

All of Ireland descended on Breaffy House Hotel Arena for the second staging of the 2017 Connacht Senior and Junior Open.

Play got underway promptly at 6.30pm on Friday evening with the Groups of the Women’s and Men’s Singles. There was a shock early on when UCD’s Katie McGlone (3rd Seed) was defeated by Susan Hanlon of Balgriffin.

Later on Friday the early stages of the Restricted Singles were played.
On Saturday morning it was the turn of the Cadet Boys and Girls. Ulster Open Cadet Champion Glenburn’s Lucy Craig was drawn against Sophie Early (Ormeau TTC) in the group stages in a match that had “close” written all over it. The girls didn’t disappoint with Sophie edging it in a five set thriller, 14/12 in the 5th. Sophie reached the final where she played Griffeen Valley’s Mia O Rahilly Egan, the current title holder. Another tight match saw Mia prevail 3/1.

In the boys event Ballincolligs Ciaran O Donoghue was the top seed and he lived up to his status by claiming the title and winning his first Irish Ranking event with a win over Kristijonas Dapkus (Bunninaden) in the final.

Meanwhile the Senior Ladies and Men continued in the knockout stages. Katie bounced back from her disappointment of the night before to beat Sabina Devereux in 5 sets in the quarters and then top seed Rebecca Finn in the semis. Waiting for her there was Mia who had ended Susan’s hopes in the semi-final. The two Leinster girls produced high quality table tennis and after sharing the first two sets Katie emerged the victor and claimed her first Connacht Senior Open title -14/12, 13/15, 11/7, 11/4.
This was Katie’s second title of the day, after winning the mixed doubles with club-mate Gavin Maguire over Mia and Alan Walsh. Mia also added to her Cadet title by taking the Women’s Doubles with Zofia Wawryzyniak.

In the Men’s Singles it was all to play for. Sam Logue, invoking memories of his upset win over Gavin in the 2014 Connacht Senior Open raced to a 2 nil lead in a last 16 encounter before the Irish Number 1 drew on his experience to take the match 3/2. In the opposite half number 2 seed Ryan Farrell made his way through the draw to take on 15 year old Alan Pattison in the quarter finals. Here Alan made Ryan fight all the way before losing 11/9 in the fifth. After beating Alan Walsh in the semis Ryan met Gavin in the final and as the clock approached 8.55pm and in another five setter Ryan came out on top winning 11/9 in the 5th and claim his maiden Senior Provincial Open Ranking title. It was not all gloom for Maguire however, as he took the Men’s doubles title alongside Tom Davis as well as the Mixed doubles alongside women’s champ McGlone.

Ryan’s success topped off a flawless day for the Howth player, as he took the U21 Mens Singles following victory over Davis in the final. Katie won the Women’s U21 against Nga so her Saturday haul was amounted to an impressive 3 titles.

In the Class 2 Singles Sam Logue came out as the winner with Brian Devereux the runner up. Earlier Brian had lost the Masters Final to Connacht’s own Kevin Devaney.

Sunday, the final day of competition saw the Disability Standing and Wheelchair titles go to Paddy Vaughan and Ronan Rooney respectively.

In the Hopes boys and girls categories there was some keenly fought matches and all players went home with a medal.

The Under 18 Girls group stages saw Nga nearly cause a shock against Katie as she led 2/1 and 7/3 before Katie fought back to take it in 5 sets. In the semis Katie met Rebecca and Katie won to make her 4th final of the weekend.

In the other half of the draw Mia came through and so set up a rematch of the Ladies Final. Katie got off to the quicker start and led 8:4 in the 1st set. However Mia won the next 7 points and with it the opening set. This spurred on the 14 year old Griffeen Valley girl as she continued her good form to take the next two sets and win the match 11/8 11/4 11/9 to reverse the previous evening’s result and take her first Connacht U 18 Open Girls title to go along with her Cadet title from Saturday.

In the Under 18 boys Julian Kelly, Ulster’s first year Cadet nearly caused a seismic upset in the morning’s group stages losing out to top seeded Charlie Fitzgerald 12/10 in the 5th set.  In the semi-final Charlie met Thomas Earley and Thomas defied the seeding’s to make it into his 2nd Junior Open final of the season

Here he met Dylan Grace who had beaten his own doubles partner Alan Pattison in the other semi. The final match enthralled the crowd and after losing the first two sets Thomas won a nail-biting third 16/14.

Dylan was not to be denied however and he took the 4th set and with it the title to make it two in a row after winning the Munster Open U 18 Boys 3 weeks previously.

In the U13 Girls Sophie and Silke lived up to their seeding by advancing to the final. Sophie was in impressive form throughout as she went on to take the match and the title by a 3/0 scoreline, despite Silkes effort and fine play.

In the Under 13 Boys, which was the final event of the weekend to come to a close, Cian Ross progressed to the final where he met Joe Sheard. Cian was attempting to make it a clean sweep for the Ballincollig club in the underage boys’ events, after Dylan’s and Ciaran’s wins. He did not disappoint and duly won his first Open title – A superb feat for Ballincollig TTC.

Finally a word of thanks to all who helped in making the tournament such a success and they include:

Tom Mitchell (referee), Niall, Kariem, Alison, Mairead, Liam, Kevin, Terry, Marc, Shay, James, Kacper, Ray, Michael, Carmel, Jacki and the umpires Jim Walker and Arthur Brett.

Also we would like to thank Rob Cowan for all his help prior to this event and Eoin Kelly and Arthur Brett for assisting us with some challenges that were positively overcome. Finally we would like to thank Breaffy House for supporting us with the addition of new lights installed prior to this event and their hospitality and professionalism, in looking after our guests.

For the final results from each event please click here

Click here for full results of Munster Junior Open

Picture above: Paul Givan (Minister for Communities) meets up with twin Ulster players, Zak and Thomas Earley (Ormeau TT Club)

Rebecca Finn (Ulster) and Gavin Rumgay (Scotland) took the big prizes at the Douglas Huston Ulster Open Table Tennis championships in Lisburn Rackets Club, supported by the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. 

Extrovert Rumgay survived a match point to ovetake the local favourite Ashley Robinson (Clogher), home from his professional base in Sweden, in the Men’s Final.

Gavin had taken out Irish champ, Gavin Maguire in the semis, while Ashley had survived a long battle with Peter Graham (Glenburn) in the quarters beforw defeating the long-term Ulster & Irish team leader Paul McCreery 3-1 in the semis.

 Gavin Rumgay receives Ulster Open Men’s Trophy from Councillor Uel Mackin, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, and Chair Development Committee 

Rebecca Finn (Glenburn) showed immense maturity in claiming her first Ulster Open Women’s title, with a remarkable Semi-final win over tournament favourite Ashley Givan (QUB), finishing wth a straight sets victory over Claire Heller (Dublin).

 Rebecca Finn received Ulster Open Women’s Award from Cathryn Gibson (Douglas Huston) 

Robinson had some consolation in taking the Men’s Doubles title with Maguire, who added a further Doubles success in partnering Katie McGlone to the Mixed Doubles title.

Local girl Erin Thompson (Lisburn) teamed up with Dublin and Ireland’s No 1 Katie McGlone to take the Women’s Doubles title beating Devereux and Zareba (Pingzone, Dublin).

Minister for Communities Paul Givan joined the action, tried his hand at table tennis, and was impressed with the diversity of competitors and the high quality of competition.  Councillor Uel Mackin helped launch the event on Friday night and spoke at the Presentations on Saturday evening about the unbelievable finals he had witnessed, and thanked everyone who had worked so hard to bring the competition to Lisburn.

Douglas Huston Ulster Open Results:

Men’s Singles; Gavin Rumgay (Sco) beat Ashley Robinson (Ulster)  6-11, 11-7, 11-7,. 6-11, 13-11 
Women’s Singles: Rebecca Finn (Glenburn) beat Claire Heller (Celtic TTC Dublin) 12-10, 11-9, 11-8
Masters Mens: Daryl Strong (QUB) bt Pat McCloughan (Banbridge) 3-1
Master Womens: Gillian Richardson bt Jacky Devine (Ormeau) 3-0
Men’s Doubles: G Maguire/A Robinson (Ire)  bt P Graham/Z Wison (Glenburn) 3-2
Women’s Doubles: Katie McGlone/Erin Thompson bt Sabina Devereux/Marta Zareba 3-1
Mixed Doubles: G Maguire/K McGlone bt Alan Walsh/Erin Thompson 3-0
Under 21 Mens: Zak Wilson (Glenburn) bt Ryan Farrell (Howth) 3-1
Under 21 Womens: Katie McGlone (Dublin) bt Erin Thompson (Glenburn) 3-0
Under 18 Girls: Katie McGlone (Dublin) bt Rebecca Finn (Glenburn) 3-2
Under 18 Boys: Charlie Fitzgerald (Dublin) bt Thomas Earley (Ormeau)
Under 15 Boys: Art McLaughlin (Dublin) bt Thomas Joyce (Mayo) 3-0
Under 15 Girls: Lucy Craig (Glenburn) bt Pravesha Ragi (Pingzone) 3-0
Under 13 Girls: Pravesha Ragi (Pingzone) bt Silke Heinen (Leeside, Cork) 3-2
Under 13 Boys: James Skelton (Ormeau) bt Jonathan Mooney (Ormeau) 3-1
Disability Event:  Winner Paddy Vaughan (Ballincollig, Cork)

Ulster duo Owen Cathcart and Rebecca Finn emerged victorious after a day of hard fought battles at the weekends David Lloyd Open Irish Senior Ranking Event in Dundonald. 

For 14 year-old Cathcart, it was his maiden victory at an Irish Senior tournament following what has been a meteoric rise to the top of the domestic and International scene for the Belfast boy. 

Finn meanwhile, has returned to the winners circle after previous notable successes at the 2015 Irish Senior Classification as well as the 2015 Sainburys UK School Games.

Despite some absentees in the men’s draw, including the likes of Gavin Maguire, Ashley Robinson and Paul McCreery due to club commitments in Europe, there was no shortage of International calibre in the field when proceedings got underway on Saturday morning. Former Junior number 1 players and Senior International’s Zak Wilson and Ryan Farrell topped the seedings, while the experienced trio of Peter Graham, Daryl Strong and the returning Keith Knox were by no means there to make up the numbers. 

On the top half of the draw, Graham overcame Knox in an epic 5 setter to set up a semi final clash with the top seed Wilson, who came through a stern test against Dylan Grace in his quarter by a 3-1 scoreline. Zak had the upperhand in the battle of the Glenburn TTC players, as he held his nerve to come through in 5 tight sets and seal his place in the final. 

On the bottom half, Owen was in fine form throughout, as he claimed convincing straight set wins over experienced pair Wallace Mahaffy and Daryl Strong on route to the semi final. There he faced second seed Ryan Farrell, who was also in good form following a dominant display against Artur Lewanczuk in the quarters. The semi was a match of the highest quality, with both players showing fantastic fight and determination in what was a real battle. Ryan had big chances when the match went to a deciding 5th set as he came out fast, taking a 5-0 lead. From there Owen regrouped, and his trademark aggressive style brought him back into the match. Ryan then pushed again to lead 10-9 and 11-10 but Owen held strong before eventually taking the match 13-11 in the 5th set.

In the Final, Ulsters top two young guns faced off for the David Lloyd Open title. Zak was fast out of the blocks, always holding a lead. However at 2-1 in sets, the tide turned in Owens favour following more outstanding exchanges that thrilled the local crowd. Heading into another 5th set decider, it was all to play for for both players but it was to be the Ormeau TTC players day, as he stretched clear to take the match after an 11-8 set. 

In the Ladies event, it was all to play for right from the off in what was an extremely competitive category. In the group stage, there was a big result early on as top seed Mia O’Rahilly Egan was upset by the in form Marta Zareba over 5 sets. Susan Hanlon also got in on the act, as she stepped up to defeat Marta in another decider. Mia’s earlier win over Susan was enough to see her through in 1st place as a result of a count-back, with Marta claiming 2nd spot. 

In the other group, there was more upsets brewing, as second seed Hannah Lynch Dawson was knocked out following defeats to Sabina Devereaux and Rebecca Finn.  Sabina went on to beat Rebecca to top spot to earn her a crunch semi final showdown with  Marta Zareba, while Rebecca was pitted against Mia O’Rahilly Egan.

Rebecca and Mia have become well accustomed to doing battle on the domestic circuit in recent times and this was to be another dogged tussle. At 1-1, it was all to play for, but the girl from Carryduff had the answers on the day as she broke away to take a 3-1 win, using her attacking short pimple forehand to great effect. In the final she would face Marta, who continued her outstanding play against the battle hardened Sabina to win the other semi final. This was as good as it would get for the PingZone lady however, as she like others who had fallen earlier, she couldn’t handle Rebeccas fast paced style in the final match. Rebecca would go on to make it an Ormeau TTC double following a 3-0 win. 

In the Masters event, Daryl Strong kept up his fantastic record as the top Veteran player in the country as he cruised to another win, beating Norman Nabney in the final, while in the Class 2, defensive maestro Thomas Earley overcame Ballincollig TTC player Ian Brown to take thee top prize. 

Following a hugely successful days play, there was a nice wine reception in the restaurant where the winners were awarded with their prizes and everyone enjoyed something sweet. It was a nice touch after a hard days organising, umpiring and playing from all involved!