A Rewarding weekend for Callaghan, Deery and McGuinness Families!
Last weekend’s junior tennis tournament was very well supported by local club members. Various singles and doubles events took place in a relaxed atmosphere undoubtedly helped by a barbecue sideshow on the Saturday and Sunday.
Many thanks to Dunnes Stores for their sponsorship of the Junior Closed Tournament
The novice events proved very popular and it was so encouraging to see many juniors taking part whose lives do not revolve around tennis. The boys singles saw Jonah Balfour getting the better of Patrick O’Sullivan and Charlie Cairns en route to the final. In the other half of the draw, Matthew Shaw defeated Calum Webb who had earlier edged out Matthew McCreesh. The final was a very close affair and a credit to both boys. In a long nail biting match littered with endless quality rallies, it was Matthew Shaw who narrowly prevailed against Jonah 7-5 6-4. In the consolation final, Patrick O’Sullivan just got the better of Paddy O Hare 9-6.
The novice girls singles saw the number 1 seed Rhianne McGuinness move comfortably through to the finals although she was made to work against Carla Smith particularly in the second set. In a titanic struggle in the other half of the draw, Ciara McGuinness defeated Erin Byrne in a very close three setter, with Erin herself getting the better of Katie O’Hare in the earlier round. The final saw Rhianne take the match over her younger sister Ciara, both girls showing considerable promise of things to come. The winner of the consolation event was Muireann O’Sullivan who overcame Niamh Byrne, with both girls benefitting from the experience.
The junior singles draw was full of entertaining matches. James Robinson beat Tadhg Hambly in a very long match full of baseline rallies 7-5 6-4. James himself was beaten by number 2 seed Sam Morrison, but did not go down without a fight. Number 1 seed Kaelan Deery faced up to the determined challenge posed by Emmett McGuinness and just held out 6-4 7-6 to move into the final. In the longest game of the competition, Kaelan defeated Sam in the final 7-5 7-5 in one of the most entertaining matches of the week. Owen Kelly won the consolation event with a narrow win over Tadhg Hambly in three sets.
The senior singles event attracted the most experienced players at the club. Eve Callaghan proved why she is regarded as the best junior at the club with a convincing win in every round. Catching the eye too was Marcus Davis-Kunze who had an epic match against Declan McBride. Both boys played some exceptional tennis but Marcus just prevailed 6-7, 7-6 10-6. Amy Griffin enjoyed some good performances against Tom and Marcus, but could not crack the power and consistency of Eve in the final. The consolation event was won by Michael McDonald who enjoyed victories over Michael Boyle and Tom Kettyles.
The doubles events were also very closely fought. Matthew McCreesh and Matthew Wilson just prevailed in a classic match against Jonah Balfour and Charlie Cairns 6-5 5-6 10-7. To their credit none of the boys gave an inch throughout the entire match, and the match was played with great sportsmanship on both sides. Runners up in this event was Matthew Shaw and Calum Webb who won two out of their three matches.
The novice girls doubles was the tightest event of the weekend. All three pairings won and lost the same number of sets with only a singles game splitting first and second and another game splitting the second and third in this round robin. Top of the group was Ella Blake and Ciara McGuinness with the runners up spots awarded to Erin and Niamh Byrne and Katie O’Hare and Muireann O’Sullivan.
The junior doubles was won by the number one seeds Kaelan Deery and Sam Morrison 6-4 6-4 over Emmett and Rhianne McGuinness. This was a very tight match and both sides emerged with credit was for their spirited and determined play. The senior doubles was won in convincing fashion by Eve Callaghan and Kyle Deery over Hannah Davis-Kunze and Amy Griffin, although there were some excellent rallies and volleying on display throughout the match.
At the presentation of the prizes, Dunnes Stores was thanked for so generously sponsoring the competition for a fourth successive year. Their support for local tennis has been greatly appreciated and the most rewarding aspect of the weekend’s event was that it attracted many players who would not usually partake in competition. Tributes were also paid to the two coaches at the Enniskillen Club, Matthew and Louise McGann who have invested so much time in developing the junior section over the past 15 years.
