Posts in category: National Events

Darius Knight of England put up a top class performance to secure the men’s senior title at the Munster Open which took place at the Neptune Stadium in Cork.

Knight, who was participating in this tournament for the first time, secured his place in the final after eliminating Ulster’s Ashley Robinson in a thrilling five-game match at the quarter-finals before overcoming third-seeded Gavin Rumgay of Scotland in four games at the semi-finals stage. Knight’s opponent in the final, Ryan Jenkins of Wales, succeeded at the quarter-finals after defeating Leinster’s Ryan Farrell in straight games. The Welsh proceeded to overcome another Leinster player, Gavin Maguire, without conceding a game.  

Knight, who was second seeded, secured the first point in the opening game before racing to a three point lead in the encounter against the fourth-seeded Jenkins. From here, Knight led all the way before winning by four points. It was the same scenario in the second game as Knight was in the driver seat from the start, however, Jenkins recovered towards the end of this second game to prevail. Then, it was Jenkins turn to lead at the start of the third game as he took a five-point advantage at 10-5. The determined Knight found his form to reduce deficit before eventually levelling the score at 10-10. Knight made two good forehand topspins to win the two deuce points and to lead by a game. Once again, Jenkins started brightly in the fourth game but it was Knight who had the upper hand towards the end of the game as he led at 8-4, 8-6 and 10-6 before winning the last point with a forehand topspin where his opponent was unable to retrieve. Leeside club coach, Ben Haughton, was on the sideline to provide advice to Knight in this tournament.

Miroslav Horejsi from the Czech Republic, who was top-seeded, was edged out by Gavin Maguire of Leinster at the quarter-finals. The match went to five thrilling games. Horejsi took the first game before losing the subsequent two games by the narrowest of score margin. He levelled the score after winning the fourth game to force the match into the deciding fifth game. It was a nail biting fifth game with both the players having to play the two-point deuce when the score was tied at 10-10. Finally, the seventh seeded Maguire managed to win the two points to knock out Horejsi from this tournament.

Charlotte Carey of Wales took her place on the winner podium when she defeated Ulster’s Hannah Lynch Dawson at the final stage of the women’s senior event. Dawson took a brief lead in the opening game before Carey raced to a three-point lead towards the end of the game. The top-seeded Carey won the game on 11-7 score. The Welsh increased her intensity in the subsequent two games to win the title. Prior to the final, Carey beat Leinster’s Katie McGlone in five games while Dawson edged past Cherith Graham of Wales in four games.

Ryan Jenkins and John Murphy of Wales and Leinster combined well to beat the English and Munster pair of Darius Knight and Alan Walsh in straight games to win the men’s doubles title. The women’s doubles title went to Charlotte Carey and Katie McGlone of Wales and Leinster who overcame Hannah Lynch Dawson and Sarah Timlin of Ulster and Connacht in four games.

Charlotte Carey was on the winner podium again when she combined well with Leinster’s Gavin Maguire to beat the Ulster and Leinster pair of Ashley Robinson and Katie McGlone in straight games in the mixed doubles event.  

Zak Wilson of Ulster showed his superiority to secure the men’s U21 title after defeating Connacht’s Brian Dunleavy in straight games. The Ulster player raced to a quick first game win before receiving strong opposition in the second game. It was not enough as Wilson won the second game by four points and he was in control of the third game leading all the way to win. Prior to the final, Wilson beat Leinster’s Conor Mullally in straight games while Dunleavy eliminated Conor Gallagher of Leinster also in straight games.

Kerry O’Mahoney of Munster produced outstanding performance when facing Leinster’s Claire Heller in the final of the women’s U21 event. O’Mahoney started the final encounter leading by three points before increasing this to seven points when the score stood at 9-2. She quickly wrapped up the game winning on 11-5 score. O’Mahoney’s opponent had a better start in the second game when leading by three points. Heller led all the way to win the second game. O’Mahoney was able to recover to win the subsequent two games without difficulties to lift the title. Prior to the final, O’Mahoney beat Connacht’s Amanda Taylor in four games at the semi-finals while Heller defeated Nga Nguyen of Leinster also in four games. 

Mark White of Munster won the Class 2 event after overcoming Welsh Dave Wetherill at the final stage. After an easy first game, White was given strong opposition in the second game losing by five points. White won the next two games to win the title. Before the final, White beat Ryan McConkey of Ulster in straight games while Wetherill edged past Leinster’s Dave Butler in four games.

Philip Shaw of Munster secured the men’s veteran title after a count-back when three players were tied on the number of wins. Shaw pipped Brian Devereux of Leinster and Connacht’s Kevin Devaney to second and third places. Fourth place was taken by Alan Taylor of Connacht.

Zak Wilson of Ulster won the second title of the day when he beat Connacht’s Brian Dunleavy in straight games at the final stage in the boys’ U18 event. Wilson and Dunleavy progressed to the final after eliminating Owen Cathcart of Ulster and Evin McGovern of Leinster at the semi-finals. After losing the semi-finals match, Cathcart came back to secure third spot after beating McGovern in four games.

Katie McGlone of Leinster recovered on two occasions in the first and second game to win the girls’ U18 title. She beat Munster’s Chloe O’Halloran in straight games. McGlone trailed all the way from the start of the opening game until the score stood at 7-3. From here, McGlone won point after point to finally level at 7-7 before going in front at 8-7. From then onwards, McGlone won three points to win the game.  It was the same scenario in the second game with McGlone trailing at the start before leading briefly midway in the game at 4-3 and 5-3. As the match progressed, McGlone trailed once again at 8-7. At this point, McGlone used her forehand topspin to her advantage to level the score. Then, McGlone went ahead at 9-8. O’Halloran managed to win two successive points to come within a point of winning the game with the score at 10-9. McGlone managed to save the game point to level the score at 10-10. Once again, McGlone’s forehand was the winning factor as she produced another good forehand topspin to win the game at 12-10. McGlone went on to win the third game by seven points.

Prior to the final, O’Halloran beat Ulster’s Hannah Lynch Dawson in four games while McGlone edged past Kate Whelan of Leinster also in four games. Whelan took third spot with Dawson finishing in fourth place.

Owen Cathcart of Ulster progressed to the final of the boys’ U15 event after eliminating David Taylor of Connacht in straight games at the semi-finals. Dylan Grace of Leinster also won a place in the final. He beat James Kelly of Munster in straight games. The stage was then set for the final showdown with Cathcart securing the title winning in four games. Kelly took third place after beating Taylor in five thrilling games.

Kate Whelan of Leinster won the girls’ U15 title after beating Connacht’s Marie Williams in straight games in the final. Whelan was the better player when facing Leinster’s Mia O’Rahilly Egan at the semi-finals winning in straight games. On the other hand, Williams overcame Ciara O’Toole of Leinster also in straight games. Third place went to Egan and fourth position was taken by O’Toole.

The final of the boys’ U13 event was between two Leinster players. Art McLaughlin beat Dillon Byrne in four games to win the title. Third place went to David Taylor of Connacht while Thomas Joyce also of Connacht was placed fourth. It was a thrilling five-game match.

Mia O’Rahilly Egan of Leinster was the better player in the final of the girls’ U13 event. She beat Natasya Barry of Connacht in straight games. Saoirse Jordan of Connacht took third place while Leinster’s Tiegan O’Connor secured fourth position. Jordan won in four games. Egan played O’Connor while Barry faced Jordan at the semi-finals.

Adam Buckley of Munster won the boys’ U11 title, finishing ahead of Brian Tansey of Connacht with two Munster players, Nick McLeod and Luke Murdoch, in third and fourth places.

Silke Heinen of Munster took the title in the girls’ U11 event with Sophie Earley of Ulster finishing in second position. Third and fourth positions went to Leinster’s Sadbh McLaughlin and Amna Mandal.

Tony Higgins reports…

Cork’s Northside welcomed back the Munster Open, but to a new venue just a mile from its old home in Gurranebraher. Until this weekend, Neptune Stadium was most famous for Basketball, but if the Munster Open 2015 is anything to go by, table tennis could be back again!

Full results and slideshow available here.

Despite the inclement weather, play got under way before 6 o’clock, and with 20 tables the Group stages of the Senior Singles went without a hitch. The withdrawal on the eve of the tournament of Irish No. 1 and fifth seed Vladislavs Agurianovs opened the door for some new blood in the quarter finals, and Charlie Fitzgerald (U.C.D.) stepped up to the plate with a win over team-mate Conor Gallagher. But with such high quality in the field, it was going to be very tough to progress further, and top Scot Gavin Rumgay was waiting for him in Saturday’s quarter finals. Eighth and ninth seeds John Murphy and Ryan Farrell battled it out in the last-16, and it was a triumph of youth over experience that earned Ryan a duel with his namesake, the Welsh Wizard Ryan Jenkins.

The senior singles were played to the quarters in the men’s and the semis in the ladies’ before attention turned to the doubles. Munster’s Alan Walsh partnered Darius Knight and they overcame Robinson & Maguire in the semi-final to earn a shot at the top seeds Jenkins & Maguire, and in the ladies’ the seedings turned out to be spot on, with Carey & McGlone (Katie) against Timlin (Sarah) & Lynch-Dawson on the card for the staged finals.

On Saturday, an early start in frosty conditions did not keep people away, and the Cadets started promptly. Owen Cathcart beat Dylan Grace in the final, despite losing the opening set, and Kate Whelan lived up to her seeding with a win in the Girls’. There was great excitement in the Hopes event, great to watch from the balcony, with beginners mixing it with very experienced players who would also shine in the older age groups tomorrow. Both Hopes events saw Leeside players on top at the end, Adam Buckley and Silke Heinen.

The Welsh duo of Jody Bevington and Dave Wetherill proved formidable combatants in the Class II singles, and only Mark White saved the home fans’ disappointment with a 3-1 win over Dave in the final. A well-earned title for Mark and his ever-present coach Conn Higgins, who started his table tennis career just up the road from Neptune!

In the doubles, there were wins for Maguire & Carey in the Mixed, and both Men’s and Ladies’ titles went to the top seeds, Jenkins & Murphy and Carey & McGlone.

In the warm-up to the staged finals, we were again treated to the spectacle of four simultaneous Men’s Quarter Finals, an idea hatched last year by John Murphy. First up were the two Ryans. Jenkins, a previous winner of this event, wasn’t going to slip up and eased past Ryan the Younger to set up a meeting with Gavin Maguire. Gavin had a huge win over top seed Miroslav Horejsi in his quarter, all the way to deuce in the fifth set, only to lose in straight sets against Jenkins. Ashley Robinson put up a great fight against the mercurial Darius Knight, taking the match all the way. But Darius was unstoppable, and after his close encounter with Ashley, upped his game to win 3-1 against Rumgay (who was too strong for a brave Charlie Fitzgerald) and then won a pulsating final against Jenkins by the same margin.

In the ladies’ event, there were Welsh players at top and bottom of the draws, defending champion Charlotte Carey had a tough semi- against Katie McGlone, but upped her game in the final to beat Hannah Lynch Dawson in straight sets (and in doing so, Charlotte completed her treble of titles). Hannah had to overcome old rival and local favourite Chloe O’Halloran and number two seed (last year’s beaten finalist) Cherith Graham on her way to the final.

Day three, and this time the weather was a minor factor, with some players unable to travel and a number missing through illness. The Junior Girls’ was fairly predictable, just Zofia Wawrzniak sneaking into the quarter finals outside the top seeds, and the final saw Katie McGlone beating Chloe O’Halloran. No surprise to see Zak Wilson meeting Brian Dunleavy in the Boys’ event, either. 3-0 to Zak.

Art McLaughlin reportedly wanted to train on Christmas Day, and his dedication was enough to see him reach the Cadet’s final, a five-setter against favourite Thomas Joyce in the semi-final. Dillon Byrne also had a good win in his match against David Taylor, so the final was all Donic, with Art beating his friend 3-1. Mia O’Rahilly-Egan came third in Saturday’s Under-15s, so it was no surprise to see that no-one could touch her in the younger age group, with Natasya Barry the best of the rest.

The last titles to be claimed were the under-21s, with Kerry O’Mahony beating Claire Heller in the Ladies to take another title for Munster. The Men’s final was a carbon copy of the Junior Boys’. At the other end of the spectrum, perennial Philip Shaw won the Veteran’s event.

Another great Munster Open tournament for players and spectators, a new venue which was well up to the task, and a new Men’s Singles Champion to join Charlotte Carey on the winners platform. Highlights of the weekend? On the table, Gavin’s great win against Miroslav in the men’s quarters, and some great sportsmanship shown by many players, not least Shane O’Connor, Donie Mullally and Gavin Rumgay. Off the table? Maybe the pizza delivered to the top table by John Murphy and Mark O’Flynn before they left… Thanks lads!

Thanks to all who helped in the running of the event, at Top Table, in the canteen and behind the scenes. Con (our referee) was tireless, and ably assisted by his colleagues Joe, Cecilia and Tom. The staff of Neptune Stadium (the two Pauls) went out of their way to make us feel at home. The support of our sponsors and donors is much appreciated.

Tony Higgins

Carlow-based Miroslav Horesji (Czech Republic) showed brilliance in taking the Men’s title and the coveted £1000 cheque at the Power NI Table Tennis Championships, with impressive victories over Chris Doran (England), top seed Gavin Rumgay (Scotland) and finally Ryan Jenkins (Wales), winning 3-2 in an enthralling men’s final over top UK star Jenkins (Wales)

Amanda Mogey returned to her winning ways in Lisburn after a prolonged period of injury prior to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, with impressive victories over Dublin’s Katie McGlone (quarters), fellow G2014 team players Ashley Givan (semis) and Hannah Lynch Dawson (final), the latter two matches being won in close 5 set encounters.  

Ulster players made a big impact in this new Power NI Ulster Open, with 200 competitors in action. Ulster’s High Performance Coach and title holder John Murphy was taken out in a close five-set match by Peter Graham (QUB), and Zak Wilson (Civil Service) as leading Junior, stepped up a gear before loosing 3-2 to top seed Gavin Rumgay (Scotland) in 5 sets (scores -5, -8, 9, 5, 5 to Rumgay).  Peter was then beaten in straight sets in the quarter-finals by top Irish player Paul McCreery.

Ashley Robinson, home from his professional club in Sweden, led Ryan Jenkins 2-1 and had his chances for a win, but lost the fourth set 11-9, leaving the match balanced at 2-2.  However Jenkins demonstrated why he is a 50 Grand Prix Winner, easily taking the final set.   Robinson’s Irish partner, Paul McCreery (Crossgar) was the next to succumb to Welsh wizard Jenkins in the Semi-Final, with Jenkins reaching the final in a straight sets victory.

Meanwhile, the other half of the draw saw Scottish Champion Gavin Rumgay face Vladislavs Agjuranovs (Latvia), and many will remember Vladislavs defeating Rumgay in a recent Munster Open.  This time it was not to be, with Rumgay pulling out all the stops to win a close encounter 8, -8, 9, 9 and set up a Rumgay v Horesji Semi Final. Horesji, former WR171, was imperious in this match, defeating No 1 Seed Rumgay in three straight sets.

The stage was then set for a Jenkins v Horesji Final, and it did not disappoint the many table tennis fans who had gathered to watch the quality matches.  When Horesji raced to a two set lead 11-8, 11-8, it looked all over.  But Jenkins had other ideas, and managed to turn the match around with some superb backhands.  Buoyed up by the support of the crowed, he won the next two sets 11-9, 11-7.  You could have heard a pin drop as each took their turn to serve in the final set, and Miroslav Horesji took a lead which he held to the end, winning 11-6 in final game.

The Men’s Doubles was won by Jenkins/Murphy who defeated McCreery/Robinson 3-1 in the Final, after defeating Chris Doran/Mark O’Flynn in the Semis.  Ryan Farrell/Sam Logue had a close quarter-final encounter with Doran/O’Flynn losing   12-10 in the 5th set.

The Ladies’ Doubles saw two close Semi-Final matches with Hannah Lynch-Dawson/Sarah Timlin beating Chloe O’Halloran/Deirdre Murphy 11-7 in the 5th set, while the McGlone sisters Katie and Elayna had a huge struggle to defeat Amanda Mogey and Ashley Givan 12-10 in the 5th.

In the Under 21 Men’s event, Ryan Farrell beat Brian Dunleavy over five games, while Zak Wilson only lost a set on the way to the final, to Alan Walsh.  Zak raced to a two set lead, but Ryan kept his head to take the next three games and the Power NI Ulster Open U21 Title.

The Under 21 Ladies’ Title went to Chloe O’Halloran who defeated Rebecca Finn in a close encounter 11-9 in the 5th set.

Philip Wallace combined photography duties with playing, and won the Restricted Singles, beating Luke Dempsey in the Semis over 5 sets, and Kevin Devaney in four, in the Final.

The Masters’ Singles was won by Pat McCloughan who defeated Wallace Mahaffy in the Semis over four sets, and Willie Cherry in the Final.  Willie had once again had an epic battle over team-mate Norman Nabney in the Semis, winning 11-8 in the final set.

Conor O’Callaghan took the Junior Standing Disability Title, Paddy Vaughan took the Senior Standing Disability Title, while Greg Keogh won the Senior Wheelchair event.

The Junior Boys (U18) Title was won by Zak Wilson, with Tom Davis 2nd and Owen Cathcart (still only 12 years old) finishing 3rd.    The Junior Girls Title was won by Hannah Lynch-Dawson (Ladies Singles Finalist), with Kate Whelan 2nd,  Chloe O’Halloran 3rd, and Katie McGlone 4th.

The Cadet Boys (U15) title was won by the irrepressible Owen Cathcart, after a 5th set scare in the quarters with Ethan Duffy.  James Kelly finished in 2nd place, Dylan Grace in 3rd, with local player James Magrath in 4th place.   The Cadet Girls title went to Kate Whelan in straight sets over Marie Williams, while Mia O’Rahilly Egan finished 3rd, and Grainne O’Rourke in 4th place.

The U13 Boys Title was won by Thomas Joyce in straight sets over David Taylor, with Dillon Bryne and Art McLaughlin 3rd and 4th respectively.  The U13 Girls Title went to Mia O’Rahilly Egan with a four set win over local player Lucy Craig, while Natasya Barry and Saoirse Jordan finished 3rd and 4th respectively.

A guest appearance by Toonie the bear added to the fantastic atmosphere throughout the weekend, and the quality play enjoyed by all players and spectators made this combined Ulster Open/Ulster Junior Open an event to remember.

Table Tennis Ulster is indebted to the sponsorship and financial assistance from Power NI and Lisburn City Council, as well as the team-work from all the volunteers, including those from Volunteer Now and Disability Sport NI who also gave support to the event which involved many weeks of preparation and planning.  Chair of TTU Arnold Morgan paid tribute to all who had worked so hard at the first joint event in Ulster, while President Tony Phillips MBE paid special tribute to the McConkey family who had organised the event so well over the weekend.

The 2014-15 Leinster Grand Prix took place last weekend in DCU, with many of Ireland’s top players in action in the 3rd Butterfly Senior Ranking event of the season.

In the Men’s Singles, initial groups generally went with the seeding, with top seeds Murphy and Agurjanovs looking in good form. One notable exception was in Group C where 3rd seed slipped up against Mark O’Flynn who certainly got his return to competitive action started in fine style – a good win for the former Eastpoint TTC player.

O’Flynn then had an epic 5 setter against Tibor Pofok, eventually emerging into the Quarter Final after a 12-10 win in the final set. Apart from O’Flynn, the QF line-up had a familiar feel to it, with most of the seeds still battling it out for the Leinster title. Top seed Agurjanovs defeated rising star and club-mate Tom Davis 3-1, Ryan Farrell went 5 sets with Leeside’s Alan Walsh before progressing in a very tight encounter, John Murphy defeated Sweden based Ashley Robinson in thrilling 5 setter, while Zak Wilson continued his charge up the rankings and ended O’Flynn’s campaign with a 3-1 victory.

In the semi-final, Farrell had a real chance against Agurjanovs, but the top seed showed significant composure and all of his experience to eventually claim a 3-2 win.  In the other half of the draw, youth prevailed, with Wilson claiming a fine win against John Murphy to set up an Agurjanovs v Wilson Final. Wilson took a set from the top seed, but Agurjanovs looked a little too strong on the day to claim his 2nd domestic title of the season.

In the Banded events, Tom Davis claimed the Band 1, Matthew Haynes claimed Band 2, James Joyce had a really good performance for such a young player to claim the Band 3 and Thomas Mueller claimed the Band 4.

In the Women’s Singles, again the country’s top players were in action battling for a title. Newcomer He Yu Ting playing out of Leeside TTC caused an upset in the group stages, with a straight sets win over Marta Zareba of Dundrum TTC. Chloe O’Halloran had a good win in the group stages as well with a 3-2 win over Sarah Timlin to progress. Indeed O’Halloran looked to be in top form with a 3-1 win over Katie McGlone in the Quarter Finals, while Rebecca Finn ended He Yu Ting’s debut Irish event to progress to the last 4. On the other side of the draw, Zareba had recovered from her earlier slip up but could not get past Sarah Timlin who took a fine wine over 5 sets to progress.

O’Halloran continued her good form, this time defeating Finn to progress to the Final where she faced off against Sarah Timlin. Timlin claimed the first set but after that O’Halloran stepped up a gear and was a dominant force claiming all 3 of the next sets to claim her first senior domestic ranking title.

In the Women’s banded events, He Yu Ting announced her presence on the Irish scene with a win in both banded events.

In other events;

Vets: 1. P McCloughan 2. P Shaw

Restricted Singles: 1. J Dennis 2. R Scott

U-21 Mens: R Farrell

U-21 Women C O’Halloran

Please download the Mens Singles results here

Please download the Womens Singles results here

Please download the Mens Singles top half draw here

Please download the Mens Singles bottom half draw here

Please download the Mens Final here 

Please download the Mens Band 1 here

Please download the Mens Band 2 here

Please download the Mens Band 3 here

Please download the Mens Band 4 here

Please download the Womens Band 2 here

At this weekend’s Connacht Open, held in Breaffy House, County Mayo, Hannah Lynch_Dawson turned in a performance of pure perfection to claim a treble of titles.

In the Women’s event, Hannah was the top seed having started her season off tith a win at Senior Classification. She had wins over Amanda Taylor and Sarah Timlin before defeating 2nd seed Marta Zareba in the Final to claim the first provincial title of the season . Lynh Dawson paired up with home player Sarah Timlin to claim the Womens Doubles and with International team-mate Gavin Maguire to claim the Mixed Doubles title. A fine weekend for Lynch Dawson as she prepares for this year’s Senior 6 Nations in Largs, Scotland.

On the Men’s side, it was top seed Agurjanovs who was in dominant form and claimed his first title of the season over surprise finalist Sam Logue. Agurjanovs sailed through to the Final, with wins over Brian Devereux, Zak Wilson and Peter Graham. Logue came through an epic 5 setter against Matt Haynes, before beating Luke Dempsey and Tibor Pofok to set up a semi-final with Gavin Maguire. Maguire would have been heavy favourite here, but Logue produced some sparkling table tennis to claim a 3-1 win and set up a Final with Agurjanovs. Agurjanovs had a little bit too much for Logue on the day and claimed the Final and the title in style. In the Men’s Doubles, Alan Walsh and Matt Haynes claimed the title for Leeside TTC. Full results here.

Connacht Senior Open
Breaffey House, Castlebar,
Co. Mayo.
Sat/Sun 11th/12th Oct 

Men : 1. V Agurjanovis; 2. S Logue :3. G Maguire/ P Graham
Women : 1. H Lynch Dawson ; 2. M Zareba : 3. C O’Halloran/S Timlin
Men Dbls : 1. A Walsh/M Haynes
Women Dbls : 1. S Timlin/H Lynch DawsonMX Dbls 1. G Maguire/H Lynch Dawson 
Class II : 1. B Dunleavy : 2. C Fitzgerald
U-21 Women : 1. E Thompson : 2. A TaylorU-21 Men :  1. Z Wilson ; 2. B Dunleavy
Vets : 1. D Butler : 2. K Devaney

Full Results from the Junior Inter-Provincial championships taking place in Lisburn

Session 1

Ulster v Munster – Full Results

Connacht v Leinster – Full Results