The Lakeland Veterinary Closed Tennis Tournament took place last weekend at Enniskillen Tennis Club. This tournament is always well supported by our local junior players and offers the first taste of tournament competition to many of our younger players…….Full Results.
The U18 Boys Singles produced many excellent matches. During the incessant rain which fell on Thursday evening, Daire Dillon just edged out Kyran Maguire in a third set tiebreak on a rain sodden court. The determination shown by both competitors in such adverse conditions was remarkable. Ultimately the final was between the top two seeds Jared Monaghan and Ronan McKeever. A see-saw battle over the first two sets saw Jared take the opening set decisively 6-1, but Ronan bravely fought back to take the second set 7-5 to level the match. In the decisive third set tiebreak, Jared took the match 10-4. However, both boys can take a lot of positives from this match which was full of hard-hitting baseline rallies.
The U18 Doubles was split into two round robins, with the winners from each section playing in a final. The only match that didn’t go to a third set was a 7-6 7-6 win for the eventual finalists Sean Dillon and Hannah Cousins against Graeme Hobson and Jared Monaghan. The longer this game went on, the better Graeme adapted to the fast pace of the match and this was reflected by his impressive array of shots in the latter stages of the match. Still it was not enough and Hannah and Sean went through to the final to meet Daire Dillon and Conor McShea. In a pulsating final, Daire and Conor took the match 11-9 in the third and final set.
The U18 Girls Singles was a strong competition with the emerging talents of Eimear Smyth and Sarah Cousins taking on Claire Reihill, Hannah Cousins and Laura Griffin. Sarah Cousins once again deservedly took the honours but the match against Laura Griffin caught the eye. A fight-back by Laura in the second set resulted in the trading of long cross-court rallies from the baseline. But it was Sarah who emerged the stronger and she closed the match out 6-1, 7-5.
Jared Monaghan doubled up by taking the U16 Boys Singles this time from Headon Hughes-Jordan, who outgunned Ronan McKeever in three sets to clinch a place in the final. But Jared is a hard man to beat in this age group and is currently on top of his game.
One of the tightest matches of the week was the final of the U14 Boys Singles between David Casey and Oliver Guette. Oliver took the first set 7-5 before David came storming back to level the match 6-3. In the championship tiebreak, with neither boy giving an inch, it was David who just clinched it 14-12. However, both boys can take immense satisfaction from their performances and matches like this are invaluable for building confidence and dealing with pressure situations.
The U14 Boys Doubles saw Morgan Bruce and David Casey just edging out main rivals Aran Dillon and Oliver Guette. In a match that could have gone either way, Morgan and David just held on for an 11-9 win in the deciding set, which proved just enough to give them the title.
The U12 Boys Singles was dominated by Fergal Quinn who overcame the ever -improving Luke Dillon and Declan McBride. Fergal has a strong all round game and is a force to be reckoned with at this level.
The U12 Girls Singles saw Dearbla Dillon taking on Ciara Griffin in the semi finals and came through a close encounter 6-3 7-5. However, Sasha Funston proved one step too far for Dearbla and Sasha emerged the decisive winner.
The Novice Girls Singles was keenly contested with both Anna Guette and Ciara Griffin enjoying a fine win in their respective singles but it was the two more experienced players Aoibheann Cox and Hannah Sharkey who made it through to the final. In a close match it was Aoibheann who came out on top winning the match 6-4 6-4.
The Novice Girls Doubles saw Caoimhe McCaffrey and Tara McConville gain a good win over Hannah Davis and Anna Guette 7-6 6-2. However it was Sarah Russell and Hannah Sharkey who took this event with two decisive wins from their two matches. It reflects the steady progress Sarah and Hannah have made over the past year.
The Novice Boys Singles was won by Stephen Montgomery who beat Adam McShea in the final. Stephen proved the surprise package in this event and with his general progress in events throughout the week, he can be expected to show further improvement in the coming months.
Ruairi Kelly rose from his sick-bed to partner Stephen Montgomery in the Novice Boys Doubles. It was well worth the effort as the boys came out on top after close encounters with Euan Gebler and James Johnstone and Jack Balfour and Daire Hill
At the presentations, a warm tribute was paid to Innes Redmond of Lakeland Veterinary Services, Derrygonnelly for his generous sponsorship of this event. The prizes were presented by Sonja Hateboer on behalf of the sponsor. The support of the junior committee, particularly Evelyn Cousins and the parents of many juniors who get involved at tournaments like this was gratefully acknowledged. Junior co-ordinator John Griffin, commented on the rising standards amongst juniors at the club. This was attributed to the hard work and many hours of practice put in by the juniors themselves as well as the quality coaching that has been built up at Enniskillen LTC by club coaches, Matthew and Louise McGann.
