Posts in category: National Events

Live Updates from STIGA Junior Interprovincial Championships

Junior Boys

Ulster 8 Connacht 1

Leinster 9 Munster 0

Ulster 9 Munster 0

Leinster 9 Connacht 0

Junior Girls

Ulster 9 Connacht 0

Leinster 5 Munster 4

Ulster 9 Munster 0

Leinster 8 Connacht 1

Cadet Boys

Ulster 6 Connacht 3

Leinster 9 Munster 0

Ulster 9 Munster 0

Leinster 6 Connacht 3

Cadet Girls

Ulster 6 Connacht 3

Munster 7 Leinster 2

Munster 7 Ulster 2

Leinster 6 Connacht 3

Under 12 Boys

Connacht 5 Ulster 4

Leinster 8 Munster 1

Ulster 6 Munster 3

Leinster 6 Connacht 3

Under 12 Girls

Connacht 8 Ulster 1

Leinster 8 Munster 1

Munster 7 Ulster 2

Leinster 7 Connacht 2

Click here for Full Results from Session 1

Click here for Full Results from Session 2

Click here for Schedule for the Weekend

Click here for the Historic Winners of the Victor Barna Memorial Shield

Colum Slevin Award – Player of the Tournament

2011 – Valentina Puotkalyte

2012 – Tom Davis

Robbie Gavin, Terry Dolan (Winners), Francis Gavin nephew of Dolly Gavin presenting the cup, Kariem Sabir and Dariusz Zatylny (Runners Up)

Dolly Gavin Memorial Cup Results – Gavin and Dolan victorious.
The Dolly Gavin Memorial Cup Table Tennis Team event took place on Saturday 27th April in Galway. With a number of late withdrawals Galway duo Robbie Gavin & Terry Dolan emerged as second favorites to win the event behind former finalist Dariusz Zatylny and his new partner Kariem Sabir.
The event was played in a Round Robin format with each team playing six matches. After a long session of matches Zatylny / Sabir and Gavin / Dolan had won all of their matches ensuring that the last match of the session would be the final between the top two seeds. Marek Grala and Ireneusz Trubilowicz took third overall with Sabina and Brian Devereux in fourth.
The final began with Robbie Gavin taking on Dariusz Zatylny. Zatylny has had a great season to date and had recorded a couple of recent wins over Gavin, but Gavin seemingly determined to get his hands on the trophy, produced some of his best table tennis of the season to get his team off to a flyer. After winning a gruelling 16-14 first set where he threw everything at the Zatylny defence, Robbie stepped it up and won the second 11-3, another close 13-11 set saw Robbie record a 3-0 victory and turn the match in favour of the Galway duo.
Next up was Terry Dolan against his Connacht team mate and sparring partner Kariem Sabir. After plenty of long rallies featuring the trademark blocking of Dolan, he raced into a 2-0 lead with Sabir hitting back to make it 2-1. Dolan was not to be denied eventually securing the match 11-5 to put his team 2-0 in front.
The third and what proved to be decisive match saw Robbie Gavin take on Kariem Sabir. It was a very tense match with defeat not an option for Sabir and Gavin knowing a win would secure the cup. They shared the first two sets, with Gavin winning the third 11-8. Gavin surrendered a big lead in the fourth set and with the winning post in sight, the nerves were showing. A couple of bombs from Gavin eventually pulled him over the winning line 13-11 to move his team into an unassailable 3-0 lead to secure the cup for the first time. Terry Dolan later secured a 3-1 win over Zatylny.

Thanks to all who supported the event and we look forward to hosting it again next season.

Eighteen teams braved the wet weather yesterday to travel to UCD, Belfield for this year’s All Ireland Secondary Schools Finals.  Blackrock College dominated the boy’s events winning gold in all three age categories.  The girls event was much more evenly spread with Royal School Cavan winning the U18s, Balla Secondary School, Mayo taking the U15 gold and St. Louis Community School, Mayo going home with the U13 gold.  Click here for full results. 

There was lots of real talent on show with many of the competitors already featuring on the ITTA Junior ranking lists.  Many thanks to tournament referee Con O’Ceadaigh,  Umpire Vivienne Barry and to all who helped ensure the day ran like clockwork. 

153 players from all over Ireland gathered in the West of Ireland last weekend for the final ranking event before the Butterfly National Junior Championships. Ranking points were at stake as well as prestigious ranking event titles. A strong team of volunteers came together to set up the playing venue in Breaffy House for the Connacht Junior Open and Tournament Referee Jamie McConkey directed proceedings.

In the Under 17 Boys, there was some early upsets in round 1 – UCD’s No.38 ranked Charlie Fitzgerald performing well to finish ahead of No.7 ranked Kieran Reilly and Roman Puotkalis to claim a good group win.  Also in form was Donic’s Luke Dempsey who claimed Group wins in both the 1^st and 2^nd Round Groups to progress to the knock-out stage. He then went one better and advanced to the Quarter Finals with a fine win over Eoin Foran.  The first big seed to fall was Kevin Hutchinson, who lost out to Donic’s Conor Mullally. Top seed Ryan Farrell looked to be cruising with wins over Tobias Wolff and Tom Davis in the semi-final.  In the Final he faced Glenburn’s Zak Wilson who had eliminated Mullally in the last four. Farrell kicked on a gear here and claimed the title with a straight sets victory.

In the Junior girls, initial groups went according to seeding with the exception of Elayna McGlone who finished ahead of the higher ranked Erin Thompson to claim a group win. In the 2^nd group, 6^th seed Laura Finn was eliminated at the hands of her younger sister Rebecca, with all of the other seeds progressing to the Quarter-Finals.  In the top half of the draw, Emma Ludlow ended Rebecca Finn’s involvement prior to an epic 5 setter against top seed Chloe O’Halloran, which Ludlow came through with a storming finish to claim the final game 11-2. The other end of the draw was dominated by Katie McGlone, who was keen to add to her Ulster Junior Open title this year. McGlone eliminated her sister Elayna in the Quarter Final before another 5 set semi-final win over Hannah Lynch-Dawson to set up a Final against Ludlow. Ludlow produced some top class table tennis to dominate the Final and claim her first Junior Ranking title win of the season.  This is a fiercely contested category that many will be eagerly anticipating at the National Juniors in April.

In the Cadet Boys, it was Ryan McConkey and James Kelly who upset the seedings, both players ranked 16 in the country but progressing to the last 8 in style in Connacht. However the big four seeds all progressed to the semi-finals to set up some eagerly awaited clashes. First up was top seed Zak Wilson who was pushed all the way by an in form Alex Gillen – Wilson eventually got across the line claiming the fifth game 14-12. The other semi-final also went to five sets, with Brian Dunleavy in familiar home territory just edging out Donic’s Evin McGovern. On to the Final and Dunleavy raced into an early lead to set up a potential shock against Wilson who has claimed all three ranking titles on offer to date this season. Wilson dug in however, working hard to achieve first parity, and then a fine final game performance to secure the title, a remarkable clean sweep to date this season for the Glenburn youngster.  

In the Cadet Girls, It was unseeded Marie Williams showing some very promising form in advance of the Primary Schools International with a notable win over Kerry O’Mahoney – a big shock on the day. Williams eventually lost out at semi-final stage to Katie McGlone.  McGlone has looked strong at this level all season and faced Kate Whelan in the Final where she was imperious, claiming the Connacht title in straight sets and cement her Number One position in the Butterfly National Rankings ahead of the Nationals.

In the Under 12 Girls, it is a long time since anyone has beaten Mountrath TTC’s Kate Whelan and she again dominated this event, claiming the title in style over international team-mate Marie Williams. In the Under 12 Boys, 3^rd seed James Kelly was in fantastic form to claim his first provincial title of the season, claiming his win in a hard fought match against Dylan Grace. In the Under 10’s, Sophie Kenny of Carlow TTC and Thomas Joyce of the Mayo Academy were the title winners.

Congratulations to all players and title winners, thanks to the Connacht Branch and Tournament Referee Jamie McConkey.

Check out our Twitter and Facebook pages for more pictures and comments.

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Mens Singles

Butterfly Irish Mens Singles National Champion is Paul McCreery. 

He beat Gavin Maguire 8-11, 11-7, 14-12, 11-9, 12-10

Click here for the Knockout Rounds Update to Quarter Finals

Click here for the full Results from the Knockouts

Ladies Singles

Butterfly Irish National Champion for the third time is Ashley Givan. 

She beat Amanda Mogey 11-3, 9-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-8

Click here for the Full Results from the Ladies Singles

Class II

Butterfly Irish National Class II Champion is Geoffrey O’Connor.

He beat Ciaran Kelly 11-3, 11-9, 11-7

Click here for the full Results of the Groups from Class II

Click here for the full Results from the Knockout Rounds of Class II

Wheelchair Doubles

Buttefrly Irish Wheelchair Doubles National Champions are Philip Quinlann and Ronan Rooney. 

They beat John Dempsey and Kathleen Reynolds 11-9, 2-11, 11-8, 11-9

Click here for the full results. 

Mens Doubles

Butterfly Irish Mens Doubles National Champions are Paul McCreery and John Murphy.They beat Ashley Robinson and Keith Knox 11-5, 11-8, 11-8

Click here for the Full Results from the Mens Doubles

Mens Wheelchair Singles

Butterfly Irish Mens Wheelchair Singles National Champion is Ronan Rooney. He beat John Dempsey in the final 11-8, 11-8, 11-9

Click here for the Full Results from the Mens Singles Knock-out

Click here for the Full Results of the Mens Wheelchair Singles Groups

Ladies Doubles

The Butterfly Irish Ladies Doubles Champions are Ashley Givan and Amanda Mogey.

They beat Sarah Timlin and Hannah Lynch-Dawson 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3

For Full Results Click here.

Mixed Doubles

The Butterly Irish Mixed Doubles Champions are Amanda Mogey and Paul McCreery. 

They beat Ashley Givan and Gavin Maguire 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8

For Full Results Click here.

Ladies Wheelchair Singles

The Butterfly Irish Ladies Wheelchair National Champion is Kathleen Reynolds.

Runner-Up is Rena McCarren Rooney and Third Place was Christine Doyle.

For Full Results click here. 

Ladies Singles Perpetual Trophy

Up for Grabs today is the Eddie Limberg Perpetual Trophy for the Ladies Singles. 

Since this current trophies induction in 2005 the winners have been:

2005 Tara Fusco

2006 Leslie Harrington

2007 Amanda Mogey

2008 Amanda Mogey

2009 Na Liu

2010 Ashley Givan 

2011 Ashley Givan 

2012 Amanda Mogey

2013 Ashley Givan

Mens Singles Perpetual Trophey

Up for Grabs in the Mens Singles today is the Eddie Limberg Pertual Trophy

This current Trophy dates back to 2000 and past winners are:

2000 Alan Monks

2001 Alan Monks

2002 Andrew Dennison

2003 Jason Sugrue

2004 Andrew Dennison

2005 Brian Fitzgerald

2006 Brian Fitzgerald

2007 John Murphy

2008 John Murphy

2009 Gavin Maguire

2010 John Murphy

2011 John Murphy

2012 John Murphy

2013  Paul McCreery

The ITTA has today published the Butterfly National Senior Rankings following the successful STIGA Munster Open held earlier this month.

The Women’s List sees big changes, with Hannah Lynch Dawson capitalising on her outstanding performance in Killarney to now top the National Senior rankings for the first time – an excellent achievement for the Irish Junior international. Other movers include Sabina Devereux who moves up to No.5 from No.7 and Maedhbh Slattery who climbs from No.18 to No.13

On the Men’s side, John Murphy extends his lead over international team-mates Gavin Maguire and Paul McCreery, although Maguire moves to 2nd place following his progress to the semi-final in Killarney. Artur Lewanczuk continues his excellent season and is now at No.5, with Kevin Mackey also in top form and is up to No.6.

As always, thanks to our voluntary Ranking Committee for compiling the rankings ahead of the Fermanagh Senior Open this weekend.  

Rankings available here.

The latest Irish ranking tournament took place in Killarney, County Kerry last weekend with the always popular STIGA Munster Open. A massive amount of work by dedicated volunteers within the Munster branch delivered a top class tournament in the excellent venue of the INEC , Killarney. Over 200 entrants across all of the events enjoyed a fantastic weekend’s play.

In the Men’s Senior event, interest was high with two UK players topping the seeds, Gavin Rumgay of Scotland and Wales’ Ryan Jenkins(pictured). UCD’s Irish internationals  John Murphy and Gavin Maguire were also expected to be in contention at the business end of the tournament. Early surprises in the event were restricted to outside the top four, but Leeside’s Alan Walsh claimed the scalp of 6^th seed Tibor Pofok with a fine performance belying the significant ranking difference between the two players. Apart from that upset, the event went according to seedings, with Murphy against Rumgay and Maguire against Jenkins in the last four. Unfortunately for the home support, this was to be the end of the road for the Irish internationals, with Rumgay and Jenkins both looking good as they progressed to the Final. Both of these players brought their ‘A game’ to the Final in front of an enthralled crowd, with Jenkins eventually claiming victory and the Munster Open title.

In the Women’s Senior event, a lot of pressure was on the shoulders of young Junior Hannah Lynch-Dawson who has also emerged this season as one of Ireland’s top ranked Senior players.  Again, there was an upset in the knock-out stages as Kinneigh TTC’s Kerry O’Mahoney delivered a stunning performance to eliminate 4^th seed Jean Wyse in straight sets. Making a welcome return to competition was Leeside’s Deirdre Murphy who eventually put an end to O’Mahoney’s fine run at the Quarter Final stage. UCD’s Sarah Timlin defeated Murphy to progress to the Final – showing pleasing form in advance of her trip this week to the ITTF Austria Open. Lynch-Dawson fought off tough competition from 3^rd seed Sabina Devereux in the Semi-Final and claimed a fine Munster Open victory over her international team-mate to justify her top seeding and crown a fine weekend for the Ulster player.

Junior Summary

Leeside’s Chloe O’Halloran was the star turn in the underage events, recording a fine double at Cadet and Junior level at her home event.  O’Halloran took on all-comers across both events and will be delighted with her consistency as well as wins over all of the top underage girls – Kate Whelan, Katie McGlone, Hannah Lynch Dawson, Elayna McGlone and Katie McGlone all were eliminated by the Munster star across the two events – a spectacular event for O’Halloran. UCD’s Shi Zhao Li claimed the Junior Boy’s title with victory over Eastpoint’s Ryan Farrell, while international teammates Zak Wilson and Alexander Gillen played out an excellent Cadet Final, with Wilson emerging on top.

In the Under 12 Boys, the finalists came away from the top seeds, with Dylan Grace taking on Isac Ghenadie in an all Leinster Final with Mountrath’s Grace storming to the Munster title. In the Under 12 Girls, National Champion and Primary Schools International Champion Kate Whelan claimed victory over Athlone TTC’s Yasmine Barry who belied her seeding of 6 to claim an impressive runner-up position.

Meanwhile in the mixed Under 21’s, Ian Brown claimed the title with a win over Alex Cooney – Clodagh McCullagh was the best placed girl in 3^rd position.

Veterans & Doubles Summary

Tibor Pofok recovered from his shock loss in the Men’s Singles to record a fantastic Munster Open Veterans victory, defeating Pawel Kopacz in the Final, having earlier beaten Phillip Shaw and Mike Nash.

The Men’s Doubles had a familiar look to the Final, with three of the four Men’s Singles Semi-Finalists in action.  Eastpoint’s Mark O’Flynn teamed up with Gavin Rumgay who again found himself on the losing side against Wales’ Ryan Jenkins who had paired with UCD’s Maguire. The Women’s Doubles was claimed by Leeside’s Huizhang Xie & Sabina Devereux in a fine win over the Ulster pairing of Lynch-Dawson and Annalise Walker. Devereux was to claim another title, this time the Mixed Doubles with husband Brian, defeating the strong pairing of Mark O’Flynn and Sarah Timlin.

Congratulations to all players who took part in this fantastic event and to the Munster Branch for delivering a high quality tournament for the players.

Singles

Junior(To Follow)

U21/U12

Veterans/Doubles