Ulster Junior Championships Report 2012
An action packed day was had at the recent Ulster Junior Championships held at the Valley Leisure Centre with a round robin format used to ensure that all players were guaranteed to play plenty of matches.
The U10, U14 & U21 categories kicked off the action in the morning.
Philip Jamison (Larne) was in imperious form defeating Castlerahan’s Kieran Reilly to win the U21 event. Oisin Reilly (Castlerahan) & Stephen Fawcett (Monaghan) were the losing semi-finalists.
The next event to conclude were the U10 girls with Lucy Craig (Glenburn) defeating Jordan Hazzard (Monaghan) in a well deserved 3-0 victory. These 2 players are certainly ones to watch out for in the future!
The U10 boys which had an encouraging entry was won by the impressive Owen Cathcart (Glenburn) who defeating Ethan Duffy (Monaghan) in 3 sets. Philip Montgomery (Ballymoney) and Matthew Brown (Monaghan) excelled to reach the semi-final stages.
The U14 girls was dominated by the Finn sisters from Glenburn. On this occasion, it was the younger sister Rebecca who defeated her older sister Laura in 5 excellent sets. Emma McSorley (Glenburn) on her comeback from injury excelled to finish in bronze position with Elizabeth Cathcart (Glenburn) who has greatly improved over the past season finishing in 4th position. Glenburn certainly dominated in this category with their players claiming the top 4 positions.
Eric Shekleton (Castlerahan) performed magnificently to cause a great upset in the U14 boys defeating Jonathan Porter (Fivemiletown) in 5 tantalising sets. Eric overcame the dangerous Ryan McConkey (Monaghan) in the semi-final, with Jonathan defeating Monahan’s surprise package Joshua Hall in the other semi-final.
The U12 girls was once again a battle between Glenburn’s Rebecca Finn and Castlerahan’s Leah Shekleton. The standard of play between both these girls was exceptionally high with many excellent rallies. After some scintillating rallies, it was Leah who came out on top defeating Rebecca in 4 close sets. Fivemiletown’s Megan Carson finished in 3rd position with Monahan’s Lydia McConkey in 4th position.
Owen Cathcart was victorious for the second time on the day winning the U12 boys singles defeating Islandmagee’s Iain Dick in 3 sets. Owen’s hardest battle came in the form of Ethan Duffy in the semi-final stage whom he defeated in 5 close sets. Iain reached the final with a solid 3-1 win over Glenburn’s Adam Barr.
Annalise Walker (Fivemiletown) recorded an excellent win in the U17 girls defeating Emma Ludlow (Glenburn) in 5 stupendous sets to claim gold. Erin Thompson (Glenburn) put in a good performance finishing in bronze position with Laura Finn finishing in 4th position.
The U17 boys was perhaps the most competitive section with numerous players staking a claim to win the title. There was shocks galore in the earlier rounds with Kris Foster (Monaghan) defeating Trevor Knox (Fivemiletown) at the quarter final stage and Eric Shekleton defeating his Castlerahan team-mate Kieran Reilly also in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Jonathan Porter made up for his earlier loss in the U14 final defeating Eric Shekleton in 5 games, whilst Kris Foster recorded an excellent 3-1 win against Ryan McConkey. In the final, Jonathan was too strong for Kris winning in 3 straight games.
Thanks go to tournament organizers Tony Philips and Jamie McConkey for ensuring the smooth running of this event. Thanks also go to Arnold Morgan for assisting with umpiring on the day and Cathryn Gibson and Amanda Mogey who helped with the administration of this event.
Results
Under 21 Boys
1. Philip Jamison (Larne)
2. Kieran Reilly (Castlerahan)
3. Oisin Reilly (Castlerahan)
4. Stephen Fawcett (Newbliss)
Under 17 Boys Under 17 Girls
1. Jonathan Porter (Fivemiletown) 1. Annalise Walker (Fivemiletown)
2. Kris Foster (Drung) 2. Emma Ludlow (Glenburn)
3= Eric Shekleton (Castlerahan) 3. Erin Thompson (Glenburn)
3=Ryan McConkey (Newbliss) 4. Laura Finn (Glenburn)
Under 14 Boys Under 14 Girls
1. Eric Shekleton (Castlerahan) 1. Rebecca Finn (Glenburn)
2. Jonathan Porter (Fivemiletown) 2. Laura Finn (Glenburn)
3= Ryan McConkey (Newbliss) 3. Emma McSorley (Glenburn)
3= Joshua Hall (Newbliss) 4. Elizabeth Cathcart (Glenburn)
Under 12 Boys Under 12 Girls
1. Owen Cathcart (Glenburn) 1. Leah Shekleton (Castlerahan)
2. Iain Dick (Islandmagee) 2. Rebecca Finn (Glenburn)
3. Adam Barr (Glenburn) 3. Megan Carson (Fivemiletown)
3= Ethan Duffy (First Monaghan) 4. Lydia McConkey (Drung)
Under 10 Boys Under 10 Girls
1. Owen Cathcart (Glenburn) 1. Lucy Craig (Glenburn)
2. Ethan Duffy (First Monaghan) 2. Jordan Hazzard (Castlerahan)
3. Philip Montgomery (Ballymoney)
4. Matthew Brown (Monaghan)