Jared Monaghan and Sarah Cousins shine in West of Ulster
Once again the annual influx of junior tennis players and their families descended on Enniskillen for the West of Ulster Junior Open sponsored by Tesco. Juniors came from 13 different clubs beyond the Fermanagh boundary from Warrenpoint and Coleraine to Claremorris and Letterkenny. Once again the standard of tennis was very impressive with some local players putting in outstanding performances…….Full Results.
In the U 18 Girls Singles, Sophie Murray from Lurgan and Enniskillen’s Sarah Cousins clashed in the semi-finals. In a high quality match full of hard hitting baseline rallies, Sarah came out on top taking the match in a third set championship tiebreak. This was a big break-through for Sarah who has continued to make significant progress over the past year and incredibly is still only twelve years of age. In the other half of the draw, Hannah Cousins clinched a semi-final place against number two seed Eva Lennox (ATT) by taking the third set tiebreak 10-8 against Laura Griffin in the quarter finals. Eva proved one step too far for Hannah however although the Enniskillen girl will take much from the experience. The final saw Eva take on Sarah Cousins. Although Sarah put in a spirited display, Eva deservedly took the match 6-4 6-4.
The U16 Boys Singles saw Angus Johnston clinch a semi-final spot over Philip Martin 6-3 7-5. One of the most outstanding matches of the week was Paul Bannigan’s victory over Matthew Robinson. The first set tiebreak proved decisive and Paul took the match 7-6 6-3. The final was won by the irrepressible Angus Johnstone who edged out Paul Bannigan (Butt Hall, Donegal) 6-4 7-6 in a closely fought match.
The U18 Boys Singles saw Conor Caheny (Sligo) a regular visitor to this tournament caused an upset in overcoming number one seed Philip Martin (Ward Park,Bangor) in a third set tiebreak to take his place in the final. Angus Johnstone came through the other section by beating Paul Bannigan in a see-saw match 0-6 6-0 10-5. The final saw Conor in sparkling form taking the match in convincing fashion 6-4 6-1.
Irvinestown’s Kyran Maguire put in an eye catching performance against Ballymena’s Matthew Robinson in the U14 quarter-finals. Although Matthew’s greater experience proved decisive, it was a match full of quality and one that Kyran should take great satisfaction from. Enniskillen’s Ronan McKeever overcame Number 3 seed Sean Laird to progress to the semi-finals against Matthew Robinson. Although Ronan played particularly well, Matthew proved too strong and took the match 6-2 6-3. In the other semi-final, Jared Monaghan beat Jordan McKeown (Ward Park) 6-3 6-3 in an excellent match interspersed with many long penetrating baseline rallies. The final was a classic with Jared reversing recent form with Matthew, taking the first set narrowly in a tie-break 7-6, before taking the second set decisively 6-3. Jared doubled up when taking the doubles with Ronan McKeever against the strong Ward Park pairing of Jordan McKeown and Dylan Robinson.
The U14 singles saw Sarah Cousins taking a hard fought first set 6-3 against the much improved Laura Griffin. Although Sarah ran out the decisive winner in the end, Laura should take heart from this performance. In the other semi-final Emma Coulter from Lurgan overcame the second seed Hannah Cousins by clinching the decisive first set in a 7-6 tiebreak before taking the second set 6-3. Hannah and Laura had better fortune in the U18 doubles ending up runners up to top pairing Sophie Murray (Lurgan) and Irvinestown’s Frances Taggart. The U14 Mixed Doubles was won by the Lurgan duo Andrew and Emma Coulter who beat Enniskillen’s Oliver Guette and Sasha Funston in the key match of this event. After a slow start, Oliver and Sasha fought back strongly in the second set and went down 6-0 7-5.
In the U12 Boys Singles, Number 1 seed Jordan McKeown narrowly defeated Irvinestown’s Conan Whitley 6-1 3-6 10-5. This match proved to be a fine example of Conan’s determination and commitment, although in this case they weren’t quite enough to see him through. Kyran Maguire came smoothly through his side of the draw to meet Jordan in the final. The final was keenly contested with Jordan taking the first set 6-3. The second set proved much tighter and although Kyran dug deep, Jordan managed to close out the match out in a 7-6 tiebreak.
In the U12 Girls Singles, Shauna Heffernan (Claremorris) proved too strong for local girl Sasha Funston to clinch a place in the final. However Sasha will take much from this experience and should be thoroughly satisfied with her performance. Eimear Smith outplayed Amy Griffin to progress in the other half of the draw, although this was a game of long hard hitting rallies. The final was a clear example of why Shauna and Eimear are so exceptional in the U12 category. Shauna’s hard hitting forehand was matched by Eimear’s strong defence, but it was Shauna who came out on top 6-3 6-4.
The Novice Boys Singles saw Thomas Latimer (Downshire, Hillsborough) outbattle Enniskillen’s Aran Dillon in the quarter finals eventually clinching the match 10-8 in the third set tiebreak. Dylan Funston had a similarly close match against Irvinetown’s Oscar Whaley, but the tightest match of all was the struggle between Kyle Hobson (Enniskillen) and Ryan Irvine (Irvinestown) with Kyle just coming through 7-5 2-6 12-10 to clinch a place in the semi-finals. However, Kyle’s route to the final was blocked by fellow clubmate Dylan Funston who defeated Kyle 6-2 7-6 The final itself could not have been tighter between Dylan and Thomas Latimer with both boys displaying a never say die attitude. Neither gave an inch, but it was the local boy Dylan who edged out Thomas 7-6 4-6 10-7.
Kyle gained ample compensation when partnering the rejuvenated Morgan Bruce to win the Novice Boys Doubles. Their tightest match was against Aran Dillon and Dylan Funston and this match went to a championship tiebreak 7-6 1-6 10-7.
The Novice Girls Singles was won by Hannah Sharkey who beat Jessica Johnston (ATT) 7-5 6-3 to claim top spot. Jessica herself proved too strong for the remaining girls in this round robin event to claim runner up spot. The Novice Girl’s Doubles was won handsomely by Dearbhla Dillon and Hannah Sharkey who saw off the Fermanagh pairing of Amy Griffin and Grace Whaley. Amy and Grace however won their remaining matches to finish in runner up spot.
Tournament organiser, John Griffin paid tribute to Tesco for their continued sponsorship of this prestigious event. The presentations were made by Tesco representatives Oisin Bermingham and Greg Shields, who informed the large gathering of Tesco’s interest in supporting the local community. The support of co-organiser Evelyn Cousins and club coach Matthew McGann was also gratefully acknowledged. Many young friendships were made during the week and the standard of tennis on offer made this a week to remember.
