Posts in category: National Events

The Douglas Huston Ulster Open Table Tennis Championships has drawn to a close, with 16 categories finally being settled after a gruelling 3 days play in the ever impressive Lisburn Racquets Club. 

In the end, German surprise package Daniel Kleinert and Welsh number 1 Charlotte Carey grabbed the headlines, as the International duo reigned supreme in claiming the coveted Men’s and Ladies Singles titles respectively.

Kleinert had earlier ended the hopes of top junior Owen Cathcart in a hugely entertaining Round of 16 battle. He then faced the much fancied top seed and Scottish Number 1 Gavin Rumgay of Scotland at the quarter final stage. Unfazed by the stature of his opponent, the 17-year-old German produced an outstanding display of defensive skills to narrowly squeeze past the more senior Rumgay in 5 energy-sapping sets. Unquestionably this was the match of the tournament – capped off by this 39 shot rally at match point in the decider!  Kleinert’s defence and excellent retrieval, interspersed with surprise attacking shots, enthralled the knowledgeable crowd.

Not finished there, Kleinert negotiated his way past new Irish Number 1 Gavin Maguire in the penultimate round, seeing the Dublin native off in four tight sets. Ashley Robinson, who jets off to India later in December for the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, was Ireland’s top performer on the male side, as the Clogher man made his way through the other side of the draw to meet the German in the Final. His biggest win came in the Semi-Final, as he defeated International team-mate and second seed Paul McCreery by a 3-1 scoreline, before falling at the final hurdle to the defensive wall that was Daniel Kleinert, in 4 close sets

Charlotte Carey, Welsh No 1 and Six Nations Finalist two weeks ago, won an unprecedented treble of titles – the Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. In the singles she always looked in control, taking out Rebecca Finn in the last 8, before halting the run of the weekends star performer, 13-year-old Mia O’Rahilly Egan, in the Semi Final. In the Final she was up against her Women’s doubles partner, Katie McGlone. McGlone had battled well throughout the day, recovering from 2-0 down to overcome Ulster’s Emma Ludlow in the Quarters, before she produced a fine display to beat England’s Kate Cheer in 4 sets in the Semi-Final. In the Final Carey proved too strong for her younger opponent, as she showed her quality to pull away and seal the title with a 3-1 win.

Saturday also saw the Masters, Under 21 and Cadet events being decided. Pat McCloughan proved the surprise package in claiming the Masters crown. Hot favourite and Irish number 1 Daryl Strong was beaten in the Semi-Final by fellow Ulsterman Willie Cherry. However, that was where Cherry’s run would end as Pat sealed the title in straight sets.

The Under 21 men’s was won by the man of the moment, Daniel Kleinert. Despite his Men’s singles heroics, the German somehow kept going all day, before eventually beating German teammate Zak Wilson in the Final. On the Women’s side, Munster’s Chloe O’Halloran took the title, producing an excellent performance to beat England’s Kate Cheer in straight sets.

Sweden based Jonathan McDonald took the cadet boys title, getting the better of Conor Nugent in a tight final. Mia O’Rahilly Egan, picking up her first title of the weekend, wasn’t to be stopped in the Cadet Girls, winning in straight sets against the impressive Natasya Barry.

On Sunday, Owen Cathcart, who trains with the award-winning Ormeau Table Tennis Club in Belfast, went on to take the Under 18’s Title without dropping a set, defeating Ryan McConkey in the Final 3-0. Mia was back again in the Under 18 Girls, producing an outstanding display to win her first ever title at that age group. She overcame Nga Nguyen of York Road in the Final, while she also earlier recorded a win against UK Schools Champion, Rebecca Finn. 

The Under 13 Boys was won by Griffeen Valley’s Art McLaughlin, making it a hat-trick of titles for the Lucan club following O’Rahilly Egan’s double wins on the girl’s side. He got the better of top seed Thomas Joyce in an enthralling 5 set final. On the Girls side, Nicole Scott took the top prize following a fine display throughout the day. Unfortunately, her opponent in the Final, Silke Heinen of Leeside, was forced to withdraw due to an injury picked up during the match. We wish her all the best with her recovery!

The event was supported by Lisburn &  Castlereagh City Council and was praised by new Douglas Huston Ulster Open Champion Kleinert, and many of the 196 competitors, drawn from Scotland, Germany, England, Wales, Sweden and throughout Ireland, as a truly professional event, setting high standards for all international events.

Douglas Huston Ulster Open Table Tennis Championship Results:

Men’s Singles: S/Final: D Kleinert bt G Maguire 3-1; A Robinson bt P McCreery  3-1; Final: Kleinert bt Robinson 3-1

Women’s Singles:   Semis: C Carey bt M O’Reilly-Egan 3-0;  K McGlone bt K Cheer 3-1; Final Carey bt McGlone 3-1

Men’s Doubles: P McCreery/A Robinson bt Z Wilson/P Graham 3-1

Women’s Doubles: C Carey/K McGlone bt H Lynch-Dawson/C O’Halloran 3-0

Mixed Doubles: G Maguire/C Carey bt A Walsh/K Cheer 3-0

Masters Singles: P McLoughlin bt W Cherry 3-1′

Under 21 Boys:  D Kleinert bt Z Wilson 3-0

Under 21 Women:  C O’Halloran bt K Cheer 3-0

Under 18 Boys: O Cathcart bt R McConkey 3-0

Under 18 Girls: M O’Rahilly-Egan bt Nga Nguyen3-0

Under 15 Boys:  J McDonald bt C Nugent 3-2

Under 15 Girls:  M O’Rahilly-Egan bt N Barry 3-0

Under 13 Boys: A McLaughlin bt T Joyce 3-2

Under 13 Girls: N Scott w/o S Heinen (withdrew injured)

Disability Senior Standing: 1st P Vaughan, 2nd C O’Callaghan

Disability Junior Standing: 1st C O’Callaghan, 2nd K Cloake

President’s Award (Best Club):  Ormeau TTC

The now famous World Championship Of Ping Pong will return to our television screens early in 2016 as Matchroom Sports and the Alexandra Palace will stage another edition of the ever popular event in London.

With Barry Hearns idea to go back to the old style ‘ping pong’, removing all equipment that we see in modern day table tennis, it is very much man on man in this gruelling, hugely entertaining format.

Once again, there will be Irish representation at the event. Over the last 2 years, Paul McCreery (Pictured) has reached the KO Stages in London while Colum Slevin did the same in 2014. Gavin Maguire and John Murphy have also qualified in the past.This year, Ormeau TTC will play host to the Irish Qualifier on Sunday January 3rd. Again, two places will be up for grabs!

The event will be staged all day at the New Ormeau Table Tennis Club venue at 113 The Mount, Belfast. We hope to have 64 players on the day with some special guest appearances from Ulster Rugbys Andrew Trimble & Craig Gilroy !!

More information coming soon!!!

Gavin Maguires long wait for his second Domestic Senior Title is over following a quality display of Table Tennis in UCD yesterday. It was a day of battles for the Leinster player, who overcame both Ashley Robinson and Vladislavs Agurjanovs by the tightest of margins en route to the final. Here he met Irish number 1 Paul McCreery and despite going in as underdog, Maguire run wasn’t to be halted as he upped his level once again to claim a 4-1 victory and with it, the Irish Senior Classification Mens Singles Title.

If Maguires heroics were anything to go by, the women had a lot to live up to. But one young player duly obliged, as Ulster qualifier Rebecca Finn produced a courageous performance to seal her maiden Senior Title. Finn had impressed throughout the two days, storming through Saturdays qualification before advancing through the group stage to the semi finals on Sunday. This is where she faced experienced International Sarah Timlin but Finn didn’t hang around, as she raced to an impressive 4-0 victory to book her place in the final. Here she was pitted against top seed Hannah Lynch-Dawson and again, seeding went out the window as the Belfast girl’s speed and precision proved too much as she claimed a 4-1 win and with it, the Irish Senior Classification Womens Singles Title.

Full report to follow…..

Top 8 Men Standings;
1 G Maguire
2 P McCreery
3 V Agurjanovs
4 R Farrell
5 Z Wilson
6 T Davis
7 A Gillen
8 A Robinson

Top 8 Women Standings:
1 R Finn
2 H Lynch Dawson
3 K McGlone
4 S Timlin
5 E Ludlow
6 S Devereux
7 S Hanlon
8 P Teng Hu

Blackrock College emerged as the big winners at the end of play at the 2015 All-Ireland Schools Finals in Tallaght on Wednesday 6th May as once again, the National Basketball Arena played host to a major National event when the cream of schools Table Tennis went head-to-head for the right to call themselves All-Ireland Champions.

‘Rock swept all before them as their three teams on show – U18, U15 and U13 boys, all claimed the top prize to give the South Dublin School an unprecedented treble of All-Ireland Titles. They didn’t have it all their own way however, as the U13 Boys in particular had to hold off the strong challenge of a tricky St.Gerards side in a tight match before eventually pulling through 4-3. In the Under 15s, they managed to wrestle the title back from the clutches of St. Louis of Mayo, who were aiming to defend the crown they came away with 12 months ago. It was sweet success in the end for Blackrock, who have been rewarded for their consistent, year round training regime by this flurry of National Titles.

The other Multiple winner, on a day which saw five different schools crowned champions, was Manulla NS in Castlebar. Manulla, no stranger to All-Ireland glory, were successful in defending their Boys title which they won in 2014, and this year the girls also managed to join the party as they went away as champions for 2015. In the Final match, Manulla overcame a formidable St.Ronan’s team 4-2 in an epic battle to now firmly establish themselves as the team to beat in Irish primary school table tennis.

Cavan Royal – led by Irish Number 1 ranked female player Hannah Lynch Dawson, brushed all aside in convincing fashion to take the U19 Girls title, while the girls of Mountrath CS followed up the U13 title they secured in 2014 by taking home the U15 crown – just reward for the countless hours put in over the season by Jimmy Hayes and all of his players. In the U13 Girls Event, it was the turn of Leinster Champions Colaiste Bride to emerge victorious, and in truth the result never looked in doubt as they secured 5-1 wins in both the semi final and final matches.

It’s also worth noting the performance of St Louis of Mayo, who despite coming up just short, did go away with 3 Silver Medals of their own in U15 Boys, U15 Girls and U13 Girls events. Ulsters Malone College also fell agonisingly short, as along with their Silver in the U13 Boys, they claimed Bronze in the U15 Boys and this could easily have been much more had they managed to clinch their semi-final which they eventually lost on the deciding doubles to St.Louis – arguably the match of the tournament.

Congratulations once again to the winners and all those that made for an enthralling day of Table Tennis. They will all of course be back again next year fighting for the 2016 All-Ireland Schools Titles. 

A special thanks also to Tournament Referee Tony Martin and Con O’Ceadaigh for their efforts in ensuring the smooth running of the event and to Tony Higgins for producing a slide show capturing the day.  Follow the link to view.   

See here for the final results from the day.

All-Ireland Schools Finals 2015 – Results

Under 19 Boys:

1st Blackrock College
2nd The Green CBS
3rd Ballyclare High

Under 15 Boys:

1st Blackrock College
2nd St. Louis Comm. College
3rd Malone College

Under 13 Boys:

1st Blackrock College
2nd Malone College
3rd St. Gerard’s College

Under 19 Girls:

1st Cavan Royal
2nd Colaiste Muire
3rd Loreto College, Foxrock

Under 15 Girls:

1st Mountrath CS
2nd St. Louis Comm. College
3rd Mercy High

Under 13 Girls:

1st Colaiste Bride
2nd St. Louis Comm. College
3rd Cavan Royal

Primary School Boys:

1st Manulla NS
2nd St’ Ronans NS
3rd Summercove NS

Primary School Girls:

1st Manulla NS
2nd Cloghroe NS
3rd Scoil Bhride

The Junior Interpros took place in Little Island Sports Complex, Cork on Saturday 18th April.

It was Leinster who emerged victorious after the days play as they claimed 3 of the 6 gold medals up for grabs and with it taking home the Victor Barna Shield, edging out a spirited Ulster Squad who went away with 2 golds of their own.

Ulsters Owen Cathcart was awarded for a flawless display in the U15 boys category, earning himself the prestigious Colum Slevin Award for Player of the Tournament.

See below for a full list of results.

Junior Boys: 1.Ulster ; 2. Connaught ; 3. Leinster

Junior Girls: 1.Munster; 2. Ulster ; 3. Connaught
Cadet Boys: 1.Ulster ; 2. Leinster ; 3. Connaught
Cadet Girls: 1.Leinster ; 2. Munster ; 3. Ulster
U-13 Boys: 1.Leinster ; 2. Munster; 3. Connaught
U-13 Girls: 1.Leinster ; 2.Ulster ; 3. Connaught
Victor Barna Shield ; Leinster.
Colum Slevin Award ; Owen Cathcart

The Senior Interprovincial Championships took place in Roadstone today and it was all traffic to Ulster as they claimed a triple crown for the first time since 1994, Ulster have managed this feat six times now (15, 94, 92, 91, 86, 85). Leinster achieved this more recently three times (08, 07, 05).

Full Results are available here.

Under 21s

The first title for Ulster was the Under 21s – one they hadn’t won since 1998. Ulsters team was Kris Foster, Zak Earley, Aditya Subramani, Erin Thompson, Annalise Walker and the NPC was Arthur Brett. They beat Leinster 7-3 on Friday night and Munster 6-4 on Saturday morning. Leinster claimed the sliver with a 6-1 win over Munster.

Roll of Honour:

Leinster 19 Titles (82, 87, 88, 89, 93, 95, 96, 97, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Ulster 9 Titles (83, 84, 85, 86, 91, 92, 94, 98,15)

Munster 5 Titles (90, 99, 00, 02, 14)

Veterans

Leinster beat Connacht 7-2 and Ulster beat Munster 8-1 on Friday night. Leinster beat Munster 8-1 and Ulster beat Connacht 8-1 on Saturday morning leaving the final session to be the decider between Ulster and Leinster. The Ulster team was Daryl Strong, William Cheery, Wallace Mahaffy, Pat McCloughan, Norman Nabney, Gillian Richardson and Valerie Rolston. The Leinster team was Tibor Pofok, Darius Zatylny, Tommy Caffrey and Teresa Devaney. Pofok claimed the first 3-1 over Cherry, Strong levelled it off 3-1 against Caffrey. Zatylny won what looked like a crucial match 3-2 over McCloughan. Devenay give Leinster a 3-1 lead with a 3-1 win over Richardson. Ulster pulled it back winning the two doubles to level the match 3-3. Strong defeated Zatylny 3-0 and McCloughan clinched the title 5-3 with a 3-0 win over Pofok. Connacht claimed 3rd with a 7-2 win over Munster.

Roll of Honour:

Leinster 15 Titles (89, 90, 96, 00, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 14)

Ulster 14 Titles (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 13, 15)

Munster 1 Title (12)

Connacht 1Title (99)

Seniors

Friday night saw Leinster beat Munster 9-1 and Ulster beat Connacht 9-1. Leinster beat Connacht 10-0 on Satuday morning and Ulster beat Munster 9-1. The stage was set for a deciding match between Leinster and Ulster. Hosts Leinster was Gavin Maguire, Vladislav Agurjanovs, Ryan Farrell, Katie McGlone, Marta Zareba and the NPC was Marcus McDonnell. The Ulster team was Ashley Robinson, Peter Graham, Zak Wilson, Hannah Lynch-Dawson, Ashley Givan and the NPC was Andrew Dennison.

Robinson set the pace with a 3-1 win over Maguire, Givan followed with a 3-0 win over Zareba. Graham v Agurjanovs was next and the match was neck and neck all the way, Aguriganovs claimed the first set but then Graham took the next 3 (11-13, 13-11, 13-11, 11-9) It was now 3-0 Ulster – a dream start in anyone’s eyes. The next match up is always an entertainer as McGlone played Lynch-Dawson. It was the Ulster girl who came out on top (5-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 13-11) – the score 4-0 Ulster. Leinster weren’t about to let the title go without a fight and Farrell led the charge as he beat Wilson 3-2. Agurjanovs continued the comeback with a straight sets win over Robinson – score now 4-2. Back to the ladies and a repeat of the National final between Givan and McGlone – Givan looked steady and claimed the match 3-1 – this left Ulster needing 1 more match to clinch the Triple Crown. Maguire dominated young Wilson to pull the score back to 5-3. Lynch-Dawson v Zareba was next and Zareba spurred on by her bench, she narrowly lost the opening two sets but fought back to level it 2-2 however Lynch-Dawson showed a touch of class as she dominated the final set and claimed the title for Ulster 6-3.

Roll of Honour:

Ulster 24 Titles (72, 73, 75, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 03, 04, 06, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15)

Leinster 18 Titles (74, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 95, 98, 99, 00, 02, 05, 07, 08, 14)

A big entry and a great weekend of table tennis at The Arena this weekend as ten National Junior titles were decided over the course of two days.

On Day 1, the Under 18 & Under 13 titles were up for grabs.

Under 18

In the Under 18 events, Table Tennis Ireland was delighted to introduce two new trophies which were generously sponsored. The sponsors agreed with the Board of the Association to dedicate the Junior Boys trophy to Alex and Kitty Thackaberry, and the Junior Girls Trophy was dedicated to Teresa Devaney.

New trophies and National title honours up for grabs and there were some fantastic battles to decide their destination.

In the Junior Girls, Hannah Lynch Dawson was in supreme form, defeating Rebecca Finn and Chloe O’Halloran to make the Final. In the other half of the draw, Kate Whelan showed impressive form beating Nga Nguyen and Katie McGlone to progress to her 2nd National Under 18 Final of the year. The Final was a tense match, with Whelan dropping the initial set but levelling at 1-1. Hannah then pushed the pace to claim the 3rd and 4th sets, and she was delighted to claim a fantastic victory on the back of some recent injury problems.

In the Boys, in form Zak Wilson was eager to claim a title, having played extremely well at the National Seniors a fortnight ago in the same venue. UCD’s French based pair Alexander Gillen and Adrien Beretta were intent on stopping him, with Alan Walsh and Ryan McConkey also having title aspirations in a competitive category. In the end, Wilson was imperious, beating Beretta in the semi-final before beating his team-mate Gillen in the Final – this caps a great season for Wilson as he claimed the inaugural Thackaberry trophy.

Under 13

In the Under 13 Boys, the top seeds all cruised through the first group stage. The breakthrough performance of the weekend was Bunninadden’s Dapkus, playing his second event of the year having performed well in the Connacht Junior Open earlier this season. Dapkus eliminated 3rd seed Dillon Byrne to progress to the Semi-Finals. In the last four, Connacht’s Thomas Joyce and David Taylor progressed to the Final and showed why they are jointly ranked 1st nationally in this age category. In the Final, it was Joyce who emerged triumphant to claim the Under 13 National title in straight sets.

In the Girls, again the seeds looked good with Mia O’Rahilly Egan from Donic and Natasya Barry from Athlone looking in good form. O’Rahilly Egan has been dominant all season, winning every National Ranking event. Both progressed to the Final with wins over Saoirse Jordan and Lucy Craig. The Final was a thrilling encounter, with Natasya eventually emerging as the National Champion, taking the 5th set by 12-10.

On to Day 2, with the Para and Cadet Titles up for grabs and with Hopes players also in action:

Para

The Para Juniors played across a number of categories, with Paddy Vaughan impressively claiming two titles – Mixed and Boys Standing. Sinead Keon claimed the Girls event and Ulster’s Gary Quantrill claimed the Class 1-5 event.

Cadets

In the Under 15 Girls, it was Katie McGlone and Rebecca Finn who were the outstanding players in action, and they both progressed to the Final without ever looking likely to lose a match. In the Final, they traded sets to set up a 5th set decider which Katie managed to claim by 11-8 to claim her 4th National Cadet title – a fantastic achievement for the Irish international.

In the Boys,  Owen Cathcart continued his season long dominance, and was really impressive in claiming the title without dropping a set over 8 matches – super stuff from Owen. Congratulations also to Dylan Grace of Mountrath TTC for 2nd place and pushing Owen in the Final.

In the Hopes we had a really big entry, with lots of matches for the players in a fun, unpressurised environment. These players are the future of our sport and will progress to the more serious business of National titles over the coming years, but for now, their focus is on development and progressing their game.

Results

Junior Boys : 1. Z Wilson, 2. A Gillen, 3. A Beretta ;

Junior Girls : 1. H Lynch Dawson, 2. K Whelan, 3. K McGlone ;

Cadet Boys : 1. O Cathcart, 2. D Grace, 3. J Kelly ;

Cadet Girls : 1. K McGlone, 2. R Finn, 3. M O’Rahilly Egan ;

U-13 Boys : 1. T Joyce, 2. D Taylor, 3. A McLoughlin ;

U-13 Girls : 1. N Barry, 2. M O’Rahilly Egan, 3. S Jordan ;

Para Boys : 1. P Vaughan, 2. C O’Callaghan, 3. G Quantrill ;

Para Girls : 1. S Keon, 2. C Folan ;

Para Mixed : 1. P Vaughan, 2. C O’Callaghan, 3. S Geoghegan ;

Para WChair : 1. G Quantrill, 2. J Colbert, 3. M Henderson ;

At the annual Intervarsities championships held at QUB on 6/7 March, the UCD team(poictured above) of Rory Coffey, Matt Finlay, Kris Foster, Max Frick, Ananay Jain and captains Jack Donnelly & Kieran Reilly won Gold, defeating the UCC Team of Declan O’Brien, Alex Cooney, Darragh Buckley, Roman Puotkalis, Naqiyuddin Misran, Saurabh Anand and Kieran Murray (NPC Con Higgins) by a 9-3 scoreline. 

UCC v UCD 3-9

O’Brien v Foster (11/9 11/8 11/6)

Cooney v  Frick (3/11 11/8 11/7 3/11 11/6)

Puotkalis v Reilly (6/11 8/11 8/11)

Buckley v Jain (4/11 4/11 12/10 7/11)

Anand v  Finlay (6/11 10/12 8/11)

Misran v Coffey (5/11 5/11 2/11)

O’Brien v Frick (7/11 12/10 13/11 5/11 11/9)

Cooney v Foster (6/11 5/11 7/11)

Buckley v Reilly (3/11 5/11 7/11)

Puotkalis v Jain (5/11 8/11 9/11)

Misran v Finlay (8/11 9/11 9/11)

On their way to the Gold Medal, UCD defeated IT Tallaght 12-0, NUIG 12-0 and QUB 12-0, while UCC defeated IT Tallaght 11-1,  NUIG 10-2, and QUB 10-2 to guarantee Silver position.  This was a 16th title in a row for UCD, retaining the Hubert Wine Perpetual Challenge Cup.

Individual Men’s Singles

Declan O’Brien (UCC) retained his Individual Men’s Singles title by defeating Kris Foster (UCD) 3/0 in the final.   However Match of the Day was his semi-final battle against German Max Frick (UCD) who he had narrowly beaten over 5 sets in the team event.   Declan lost the opening set to Max 8/11 but a change in tactics saw him winning the next three sets 11/7, 11/8, 11/9.  Meanwhile in the other semi-final, UCD’s Kris Foster defeated his team-mate Kieran Reilly 3-1.  The beaten quarter-finalists (all by a 3-0 scoreline) were Stuart Herron(QUB), Robin Schneider(ITT), Alex Cooney(UCC) and Conor Beades(TCD).

In the final Declan repeated his team victory over Kris (11/7, 11/7, 11/8).