Posts in category: National Events

The 2009/10 National Team Tournament was staged over the weekend of November 21/22 in Firhouse Sports Centre, Dublin. With entries significantly up on last year, the National Team Tournament title is fast becoming a sought after title on the Irish domestic calendar. Firhouse is a new venue for table tennis and the facility was a popular one with players, with large court sizes and good ancillary facilities.

With some of Ireland’s top players in attendance, the standard of play was very high, particularly in the Premier Division. Both divisions went to the final match and it was particularly good to see entries from some new teams who also will have enjoyed the event.

In the Premier Division, both Eastpoint 1 (G Maguire, J Murphy, S Hanley and Palais (D Strong, P McCreery, K Knox) had each won all 5 of their previous matches so their encounter was essentially the Final. The Ulster based Palais moved into a 2-1 lead with an exciting five setter with Daryl Strong taking the 5th 11-9 to beat Gavin Maguire.  The pressure was on John Murphy to keep Eastpoint in the match and he duly delivered, squaring the match 2-2 after another tight five-setter against Paul McCreery. The deciding game was between Sam Hanley and Keith Knox – Knox produced some fantastic table tennis, but Hanley eventually triumphed to take the match and the Paddy Berrigan trophy for Eastpoint. It was a successful weekend for Eastpoint TTC as Eastpoint 2 also finished 3rd in the Premier Division, with Mark O’Flynn, Ryan Farrell and Daniel Keenan winning 4 of their 6 matches.

In Division One, Lucan’s Club Donic(T Fitzgerld, S Zhao Li, S Mealey and C Mullally) and Wexford’s Ballymurn(B Devereux, S Devereux, C Cooper, J Cooper) brought 100% records into the deciding match. After the initial 4 games, which including a tense 5 setter between Sabina Devereux and Conor Mullally which Devereux took, the match was all square at 2-2, when cadet newcomer Shi Zhao Li took his final game in comfortable fashion on a scoreline of 3-0 to secure the Division 1 title for Club Donic.

Many thanks to the staff at Firhouse Sports Centre, to Tournament Referee Tony Martin and to Shay Logue for his assistance over the weekend. Also thanks to Con O’Ceadaigh and members of the Irish Table Tennis Umpires Association who assisted in the smooth running of the event. Congratulations to Eastpoint TTC and Club Donic on their titles – we look forward to continuing the growth of this new even next season.

Click here for final tables.

Last weekend saw an action packed Ulster Junior Open with 150 competitors from all over Ireland converging on the Shankill Leisure Centre.

Double winner Ashley Given (Dungannon) will surely dominate junior girls table tennis over the next three years as she has just too much power and tactical awareness for her opponents having already represented Northern Ireland at senior level in the Commonwealth championships and Ireland at the recent Six Nations. In the under 14’s final she was pitted against combination bat specialist Edel O’Reilly (Cork)  and displayed great patience before unleashing thunderous drives to overcome her tricky opponent in straight sets while the under 17’s final was much more open with free flowing attack the order of the day and Givan was forced to dig deep to beat the talented Rebecca Kenny in four fast and furious sets.

Meanwhile Irish Senior No1 Sam Hanley (Dublin) was hot favourite to the sweep the boards in the under 17 boys and looked to be on course after seeing off a game challenge from fellow Dubliner Sam Logue in the semi’s but the spectacular Ashley Robinson (Clogher) had different ideas.  Having just come through a venomous topspin encounter with Fermanagh’s Stephen Slater in the semi which certainly drew loud applause from the appreciative audience, Robinson was simply brilliant in the final using a well rehearsed game plan to outfox the lightning fast Hanley who showed great sportsmanship in defeat. Hanley will look to quickly bounce back as he travels to represent Ireland in the Finland Open at the end of the month.

Ryan Farrell was dominant in the Under 14 Boys, taking the title without dropping a set – Neil Irwin put up a fight in the final but Farrell was cooly efficient as he swept to the title.

Topspin wizard Jonathan Porter claimed gold when he just got the better of his Clogher teammate Mark Gordon in an entertaining four setter while Glenburn club who have produced an abundance of talent over the last 30 years saw their Irish No1 under 12 Laura Finn keep this trend continuing on Saturday with a superb win over Sarah Cooney (Cork).

Connacht will certainly be a province to watch in the future as they dominated the under 10 boys with the Mayo pairing of Martin Williams and Eddie Ditchburn ruling the roost while many made the long journey from Cork and Killarney to participate demonstrating how the sport is also flourishing in Munster.

This was effectively a 2 day competition rolled into 1 day and huge credit and thanks should go to the Tournament Referee Tony Phillips and the team of Umpires and Officials. Also a thank you must go to the catering team of volunteers who provided refreshments over the weekend – a very succesful fundraiser for the Ulster branch.

Click here for full results.

A number of schools attended a exhibition in Castletown Community hall near Mountrath on Friday 2nd October which was organised under the Women in Sport Programme by WIS Co-Ordinator Liam O’Ceallaigh.The schools where all from the local area and they enjoyed some great table tennis from Irish International Conor Nolan and last years Under 12 Number 1 Ciaran Kelly. Following the exhibition there was some coaching and some games for 90 minutes which the kids really enjoyed.

The exhibition was also attended by local TD Charlie Flanagan and local Councillor John Joe Fennelly who expressed their support for table tennis in the midlands. Jimmy Hayes who organised the hall and tables and is the local WIS Co-ordinator hopes that following on from this will see two new schools and a new club emerge from this area. It is hoped to run a training camp in the area in the near future.

The Women in Sport Programme supported by the Irish Sports Council is currently being rolled out in specifically targetted areas across the country, from Cobh to Galway to Monaghan as well as ongoing schools development under the WIS programme in the Leinster area.

The Stiga Fermanagh Junior Open was held at Fivemiletown College on Saturday the 31^st of October. With 86 Players 138 entries and 228 matches a full days table tennis lay ahead.

In the under 10 Girls Leah Shekleton and Rebecca Finn had a thrilling Five Setter Final with Leah taken the first two 11-7 11-8 but Rebecca fought back strong and won the next two 11-6 11-9 in the fifth the girls played fantastic table tennis and were neck and neck until Leah won 12-10.

In a big entry of 17 entries in the under 10 boys there was many close games in this competition and in an all Mayo final Martin Williams beat Eddie Ditchburn 11-6 11-4 11-8.

In the Under 12 Girls, the first semi-final was Laura Finn and Orla Timlin, Orla took the first set 11-8 but Laura took the next set 12-10, Laura seemed to move up gear and won the next two sets 11-5 11-5. The second semi-final was Hannah Lynch Dawson versus Katie McGlone, Katie beat an in-form Hannah in a tight match 12-10 11-4 11-9. That left Laura and Katie to battle it out for 1^st place. Katie took the first two 11-7 12-10 then Laura pushed back and took the next two sets 11-8 11-7. Katie took a close fifth set 11-9 to claim the prize.

In the Under 12 Boys, the first semi-final was Kevin Kenna versus Ryan McConkey, Ryan played two tremendous sets to win 11-7 11-9 but Kevin fought back and took the next 12-10 but Ryan took the fourth 11-3. On the other side Jonathan Porter played Eric Shekleton, Jonathan took it in three sets winning 11-7 11-7 11-7. Ryan and Jonathan played a tremendous nail biting final with Jonathan wining the first two 12-10 12-10 Ryan took the third set 12-10 but Jonathan pushed back and took the fourth 11-5.

In the Under 14 Girls, the first semi-final was Ashley Givan versus Sally McConkey and Ashley won 11-6 11-2 11-4. The other semi-final was a nail biting one with the second seed Annalise Walker playing the up and coming star Katie McGlone, Katie took the first two 11-2 11-7 but Annalise came back and took the third 11-6 then in a fourth that went to 20-18 Katie came out on top. In the final Ashley continued her dominance and took the final 11-2 11-2 11-9.

The biggest event of the day with 32 entries was the Under 14 boys; this competition was of an extremely high standard with many 5 setters and edge of the seat table tennis being played. In the first semi Jonathan Porter played Ryan McConkey yet another close match for the two with Jonathan taking the first two 11-9 11-7 but Ryan fought back strong and took the next two 11-9 11-9, Jonathan came back strong again and took the fifth 11-2. In the other semi-final Kieran Reilly played Conor Mullaly, Kieran played a brilliant match and won 11-5 11-3 11-9. That left Jonathan and Kieran to battle it out again after they had earlier meet in their group. Jonathan took the first 11-6 but Kieran wasn’t going to be beaten again and took the next three 11-6 12-10 11-7.

In the under 17 girls the first semi saw Ashley Givan and Lavina Maties play but Ashley took it 11-7 11-2 11-8. Roisin O’Reilly played Sarah Timlin in the other Semi and Roisin took it 11-6 11-9 11-9. The final was Ashley versus Roisin and Ashley continued her dominating of the girls titles taking the final 11-5 11-3 11-6.

In the Under 17 boys Stephen Slater played Kieran Reilly in the first semi-final, Stephen took it in three sets 11-6 11-4 11-7. The other side of the draw we saw a tight 5 setter with Danny Murphy and Richard Clarke, Richard took the first 12-10 but Danny took the next two 11-9 11-6, Richard wasn’t going to be beaten easily and took the fourth 11-8 then Danny step up to the fifth set and took it 11-4. The final was Stephen versus Danny and Stephen took the title in three sets winning 11-3 11-3 12-10.

 The Fermanagh Table Tennis Association would like to thank all who came and support this event, Fivemiletown College, the Tournament Committee, the National Umpires and Tournament Referee, Kitty’s Kitchen and our sponsors Tommy Fitzgerald Table Tennis Shop Stiga and SpeedyReg. They hope all players and spectators enjoyed the day. There was tremendous table tennis played in a junior tournament with thrilling matches played in all events.

Click here for full results.

October Bank Holiday weekend in ALSAA, Dublin saw the first Leinster Junior Classification of the season take place. With entries from across the province, there was some very competitive table tennis. In the Boys events, perhaps the best performance came from Club Donic’s Shi Zhao Li who has burst on to the Irish table tennis scene this year with some fantastic performances in both Junior and Senior events. He took both the Under 14 and Under 17 titles, defeating Ryan Farrell in the Under 14 event and Maciek Szymanski in the Under 17 event. In the girls events, it was rising start Katie McGlone also taking double titles, winning the Under 12 event with a victory over Sarah Cashen and the Under 14s with victory over Amy-Lou Hayes from Mountrath TTC. See here for top 3 finishers in all of the weekend’s play – congratulations to all medallists.

International John Murphy took the title at another succesful Leinster Grand Prix event at ALSAA, Dublin this weekend. Defeating Paul McCreery in the final, Murphy was delighted to be back claiming tournament victory. In the Women’s event, Rita Kacsandi took her 2nd succesive tournament of the season with a victory over international Amanda Mogey. Claire Nelson took the Under 21 title,d efeating Ashley Givan and Paul McCreery made amends for his defeat in the Mens Final with Under 21 success over Sam Logue. See below for full results, with tournament report to follow:

	Champion	Runner-up	Semi-finalist	Semi-finalist
Band 1 Men	Rory Scott	Keith Knox
Band 2 Men	Shi Zhao Li	Kevin O’Keefe
Band 3 Men	Artur Lewanczuk	Stephen Slater
Band 4 Men	Niall McDonnell	Ryan Farrell
Band 1 Ladies	Sarah Timlin	Kathleen Reynolds
Band 2 Ladies	Sarah Timlin	Lavinia Maties
Men’s Open	John Murphy	Paul McCreery	Sam Hanley	Conor Nolan
Ladies’ Open	Rita Kascandi	Amanda Mogey	Claire Nelson	Ashley Givan
Vet’s Open	Anthony Redmond	Dave Pemberton
Restricted Singles	Artur Lewanczuk	Robbie Gavin
U21 Men’s Open	Paul McCreery	Sam Logue
U21 Ladies’ Open	Claire Nelson	Ashley Givan

Fermanagh Table Tennis Association are delighted to invite you to the annual Stiga Fermanagh Junior Open. This year it moves to Fivemiletown College, which boasts some of the finest table tennis facilities in the country.

The event takes place on Saturday the 31^st of October and play starts at 9.30.

With U10, U12, Cadets and Juniors and cash prices to be given for each event we expect some fantastic matches in all age groups.

This year the entry fee is extremely reasonable with prices ranging from £4-7 for one event and £8-12 for two.

There will be restaurant facilities available on site.

Last year saw this event attract over 120 entries from all parts of Ireland, including Dublin, Cavan, Mayo, Monaghan, Antrim, Tyrone and Fermanagh. Winners were as follows:

Under 10 Boys
Winner: Kevin Gilroy, Mayo
Runner up: Ryan McConkey, Newbliss

Under 10 Girls
Winner: Orla Timlin, Connaught
Runner up: Katie McGlone, Leinster

Under 12 Boys
Winner: Michael Jones, Clonaneese
Runner up: Jonathan Porter, Clogher

Under 12 Girls
Winner: Emma Ludlow, Belfast
Runner up: Meadhbh Slattery, Balgriffin

Under 14 Boys
Winner: Stephen Slater, Lisbellaw
Runner up: Pshemek Kossowski, Balgriffin, Dublin

Under 14 Girls
Winner: Ashley Givan, Clogher
Runner up: Manuela Kossowski, Balgriffin, Dublin

Under 17 Boys
Winner: Ashley Robinson, Clogher
Runner up: Maciek Szymanski, Balgriffin, Dublin

Under 17 Girls
Winner: Ashley Givan, Clogher
Runner up: Manuela Kossowski, Balgriffin, Dublin

The closing date for entries for this year’s event is the 26^th of October. Entry forms are available here

(pic – Last year’s Junior Boys Champion Ashley Robinson)

8 events, 175 players and two enthralling days of table tennis saw the launch of the 09/10 domestic Junior table tennis circuit at DCU, Dublin last weekend…

The Stiga Irish Junior Classification launched the season in style with some great matches, the emergence of some new players and the continued dominance of some familiar faces.

Under 17 Boys

Paul McCreery was the favourite going into the event following some good form recently at Senior level and some excellent performances at the European Youths. He justified his favourite tag with some commanding performances as he cruised the title, defeating an impressive Ashley Robinson in the Final. Declan O’Brien came from 6th seed to take 3rd place, defeating 2nd seed Sam Logue en route to the semi-finals.

Under 14 Boys

This weekend saw the emergenence of Club Donic’s Zhao Li, who impressed at Under 17 level before completely dominating the Under 14 competition to take the Cadet title. His opponent in the Final was Ryan Farrell, who produced some big performances to progress, including a fantastic 3-1 victory over Ulster’s Neil Irwin in the semi-final. In the 3/4 match, Irwin eventually took 3rd place following a typically hard fought match with Kevin Hutchinson of York Road TTC. Hutchinson, still eligible at Under 12 level, showed much promise however and will be happy with 4th place.

Under 12 Boys

In possibly the match of the tournament late on Saturday evening, Jonathan Porter of Clogher and Kevin Hutchinson went head to head in the Under 12 Final and thrilled a big crowd with a fantatic display of attacking table tennis. In a tense 5 setter which swung one way and then the other, Porter eventually took the title. No doubt these two players will meet again later in the season and there is little to seperate them.

Under 17/Under 14 Girls

In the Girls’ events, once again the story of the weekend was Ashley Givan of Clogher TTC. Installed as the top seed in both the Cadet and Junior events, she once again saw off all opponents to emerge triumphant with two titles to kick off her domestic season in style. For her opponents, its back to the drawing board to find some way to defeat Givan. Rebecca Kenny returned from a recent injury to take 2nd place in the Juniors and will hope for an injury free season to allow her to take that next step, while a battling Edel O’Reilly from Ballincollig TTC had to also settle for 2nd place in the Cadets

Under 12 Girls

There is some depth in talent at this level of Irish table tennis at the moment, evidenced by the final pairing of Laura Finn and Katie McGlone, who were both outside of the top seeds. Glenburn TTC’s Finn took the title in an impressive display over McGlone, who also looks to have the makings of a very good player at this level. Sarah Cooney of Ballincollig TTC was also impressive to take 3rd place.

Under 10 Boys/Girls

A bigger entry than usual at Under 10 level with the focus of the organisers’ to provide as many games as possible to these little stars! Playing the game ina  fun environment, they all appeared to have a great day – for some it was their first major tt tournament. Ross McGarry of York Road and Rebecca Finn of Glenburn TTC took the titles – but at this level the emphasis is very much on encouraging the players to enjoy their day’s play.

Event Summary

This was a great weekend of table tennis – with two rounds of round-robin and a plate competition, all players were guaranteed a large number of games. 175 players travelled from all over the country to take part, which is a positive indicator to the progress being made in developing underage table tennis in Ireland. As always, these events could not happen without the hard work of volunteers. So thanks go to the Leinster Branch, Richard Butler, John O’Donoghue, Shay Logue, John McGlone, Anna Kelly, Tony Martin, Joe Finnegan, Ian Erskine and all of the Umpires for their hard work in ensuring the tournament ran as smoothly as possible. Con O’Ceadaigh also performed wonders at the control desk over two long days – without volunteers like this these events simply would not take place. ITTAWeb eagerly awaits the next major Junior event, the Leinster Grand Prix.

Irish Junior Classification at DCU, Glasnevin on 12th and 13th September

Junior  Boys                                  Junior Girls

1st P.McCreery                         1st     A.Givan

2nd A.Robinson                       2nd    R Kenny

3rd D.O’Brien                            3rd    S Timlin

Cadet Boys                                   Cadet Girls

1st     Z.Li                                         1st     A Givan

2nd   R.Farrell                               2nd    E O’Reilly

3rd   N.Irwin                        3rd   E Burns

U12 Boys                                       U12 Girls

1st   J.Porter                                1st  L Finn

2nd K.Hutchinson                     2nd K McGlone

3rd  E.Sheckleton                      3rd  S Cooney

U10 Boys                                       U 10 Girls

1st R.McGarry                              1st    R Finn

2nd D.Mullally                            2nd   K Hayes

3rd M.William                            3rd     K O’Toole