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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Thrilling weekend of tennis as Sligo hosts West of Ireland tournament with 200 competitors
This Tennis Ireland Tour 500 event, one of the oldest and most celebrated tournaments in Irish tennis, drew close to 200 players from across Ireland, as well as international entrants from Britain, Spain, and Ukraine. Over 230 matches were played across four sections, including singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events. The atmosphere was electric, with sunshine, high-quality tennis, and delicious food adding to the vibrant buzz around the grounds. Behind the scenes, Sligo Tennis Club's dedicated committee worked tirelessly to ensure a seamless and hospitable experience, with Club Captain Alice McNassor expertly leading the team. But it was the homegrown Sligo talent that truly stole the spotlight, making appearances in finals and semi-finals across all grades. Hilary Kilcawley was crowned Ladies A Champion, defeating Orla Malone from Cavan in straight sets (6–1, 6–2). The two have clashed several times before, but this time Kilcawley rose to the occasion with a commanding performance. On the men's side, Mark Borizqn claimed the Men's A title, displaying incredible skill and determination throughout the tournament. In the Men's A Doubles, Sligo's Glenn Norman and Castlebar's Jan Frydech dazzled with an exceptional performance, ultimately lifting the trophy after a gripping final. The Mixed Doubles A event was won by dynamic duo Marina Swann and Graham Watt, who overpowered Bernice Clarke and Stephan King with Swann's deadly serve-and-volley play and Watt's powerful groundstrokes. Aisling Burke and Louise McGirl earned their maiden Ladies Doubles Grade 2 title, cruising to victory in a dominant performance. Their teamwork and consistency made for a well-deserved and memorable win. Seán Crowdle celebrated his first West of Ireland title, taking home the Men's Singles Grade 6 cup. His game continues to grow, and he proved a worthy winner with a confident showing. In the Ladies Doubles A final, Sarah Clarke and Susan Hopcraft were narrowly defeated by the experienced team of Nikki Hawks and Donna McSorely, even Clarke's lethal backhand volleys couldn't tip the balance. Rhonda Carty and Sinéad Gallagher also fought valiantly in their Women's Doubles Grade 6 final, eventually losing to a strong Mullingar pair. This year's tournament held special meaning, as a new event and trophy were dedicated to the memory of beloved club member and committee stalwart James Doyle (RIP), whose legacy lives on through the spirit of the competition. Many Sligo players made deep runs into the tournament, bringing their best to the court and doing their club proud. Next year marks the 40th anniversary of 'The West,' and it's already shaping up to be a spectacular celebration. Sligo Tennis Club is not only home to tennis but also offers squash, badminton, and pickleball. Coaching is available in all sports for every age and level, and the club is always welcoming new members. For more information, contact Club Manager Derek at 085 885 1179.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tennis club hosts memorable West of Ulster Championships
A week of brilliant sunshine perfectly matched the outstanding quality of tennis on display at the West of Ulster Tennis Championships, held at Enniskillen Tennis Club. With competitors travelling from all corners of Ulster and beyond, clubs represented included Cavan, Dublin, Lisburn, Hillsborough, Dungannon, Limavady, Donegal, Manorhamilton, Belfast, Sligo, City of Derry and a strong home contingent from Omagh, Irvinestown and Enniskillen. Local interest was high in the Men's A Singles as Enniskillen's Conor Donaldson made a thrilling comeback against clubmate Jonah Balfour, overturning a one-set deficit to book a place in the semis. Jonah too can be very satisfied with his performance. Matthew McGann, also of Enniskillen, impressed with a composed win over Stephen Wallace in two tight sets. However, the final featured the top seed Greg Boxer (Irvinestown) against second seed Andrew Hatrick (City of Derry). In the round-robin Ladies A Singles, Sligo's Aoifin Shorten showed resilience and stamina in a dramatic three-set victory over clubmate Hilary Kilcawley. Hilary bounced back well from this defeat, beating Enniskillen's Kiera Hoogerboord in a strong performance. For Kiera, it was a fine performance at this level from the young Enniskillen player who will undoubtedly benefit from this experience. Aoifin went on to win all of her remaining matches, displaying great consistency to deservedly take home the singles title. One of the most exciting narratives of the week belonged to the Enniskillen pairing of Conor Donaldson and Matthew McGann. They fought off John O'Neill (Cavan) and Stephen Wallace (Limavady) in a third-set tiebreak (11-9) and then outlasted the number two seeds Greg Boxer and Donal Burns in a marathon semi-final (13-11 in the third set tiebreak). Their energy-sapping run came to an end in the final against the classy top seeds Ross McCarey (Belfast Boat Club) and Francis Venzon (Butt Hall, Donegal), who demonstrated powerful teamwork to take the title. The Ladies A Doubles produced its own share of drama. Enniskillen's Emily Donaldson and Liz McGuinness clawed back from a set down to edge out Corrie Cadden and Vanessa McBrien in a nail-biting 10-8 third-set tiebreak. Laura and Ciara Griffin impressed on their way to the final, overcoming strong opposition in the number two seeds Ailbhe Atkinson and Sonja Hateboer. But it was the top seeds from Cavan, Orla Malone and Bernice Clarke, who underlined their status with a polished 7-5, 6-2 win in the final against Laura and Ciara. In the A Mixed Doubles, last year's champions Colin Watterson and Emma Black survived a tight first set against local juniors Jack Rice and Ciara Hoogerboord. However, it was the top two seeded pairs who eventually met in the final. Paddy Cosgrove (Brookfield, Dublin) and Omagh's Nikki Hawkes combined well, but were narrowly edged out by the ever present Francis Venzon and Sonja Hateboer in a dramatic final set decider. With sharp net play and smart baseline exchanges, Venzon and Hateboer showed the resilience needed to prevail in a match that was a true crowd-pleaser. Irvinestown's tireless John Maguire made a strong run to the semi-finals, defeating Enniskillen's Brian McAuliffe in a closely-fought battle. He was eventually edged out in two tough sets by Alan Kennedy (CIYMS). On the other side of the draw, Omagh's David Grainger came through a titanic struggle in the other semi-final against Nigel Trimble (Downshire) 6-7 6-1 10-6 and then maintained his momentum to defeat Alan in the final, sealing a well-earned title. Cavan's Aoibhinn O'Neill showed nerves of steel to beat Kathleen Maguire (Irvinestown) in a final that had the crowd on edge. After Kathleen fought back to take the second set in a tiebreak, O'Neill held firm to take the title 6-4, 6-7, 10-8. In the men's doubles, Clive Funston and Roger Howe (Enniskillen) overcame fellow club members Dougal Dorman and Michael Preston 6-4 6-4 in a very entertaining game to reach the semis, but top seeds Donal Burns and Colin Watterson proved too strong and went on to win the final against John O'Neill and Stephen Wallace (Limavady). The Ladies B Doubles semi-finals saw the Enniskillen duo Liz McGuinness and Emily Donaldson take on the number 2 seeds Vanessa McBrien and Aoibhinn O'Neill. Emily and Liz prevailed in a tight first set before winning convincingly in the second set. The final featured another sterling effort from Liz and Emily, who fell just short against Dungannon's Joanne Hurl and Janet McCleary in a gripping 6-4, 7-5 contest. The B Mixed Doubles featured tight battles throughout. In the semi-final, Roger Howe and Orla Malone came through 7-5 7-6 against the tough opposition of Alan Kennedy and Kerry McCarroll. The number two seeds Donal Burns and Bernice Clarke had an even tougher encounter against the father and daughter pairing of John and Laura Griffin. In a see saw battle where the match ebbed and flowed, Donal and Bernice scraped home 6-4 5-7 13-11. However, it was Roger and Orla who won an entertaining final 6-3 6-4 with some excellent net play from both Roger and Donal with Orla and Bernice trading lengthy rallies from the baseline. The C mens singles was between the top two seeds Cian O'Connor (Cavan) and Leo Ili (Dublin), Leo having got the better of David Kuss in the semis and Cian overcoming William Spotten. However, it was Cian who took the honours in the final. The C ladies singles was between Vanessa Salvador (Manorhamilton) who beat Janice Smyth in the semis and Leslie Campbell who came through against Fiona Balfour. In a pulsating final, it was Vanessa who came out on top with the narrowest of margins 6-2 4-6 10-8. The C Men's Doubles was a round-robin affair with Dominick Burns and Brendan Duffy claiming top spot with three wins, their tightest match coming against runners-up Sean Bradley and Aidan Corrigan (7-6, 7-6). Sean and Aidan's position as runners up was cemented by their narrow victory over Michael Cadden and Nick Finlay with the match ending 10-5 in the championship tiebreak. In the Ladies C doubles and in an all Enniskillen affair, Ruth Elliott and Maxine Leary beat Fiona Balfour and Yulia Hamilton in a three set marathon having come back from a set down and 2-5 down to take the second set 7-5 and winning the deciding set 10-5 in the tiebreak. But it was the number two seeds from Manorhamilton, Mary Gilgunn and Mary McGurran who triumphed 10-7 in a 3 set thriller over the number one seeds from Irvinestown Wendy Eaton and Karen Johnston. The C mixed doubles had a series of close matches. The number 1 seeds Simon McCormick and Laura Conway just got the better of Enniskillen's David Cuss and Yulia Hamilton in the semi-final 10-5 in the third set tiebreak. The other semi-final was between the number 2 seeds Irvinetown's David Lowe and Karen Johnston and Enniskillen's Dominick Burns and Maria Burns. The result was similar with David and Karen prevailing in another 3 set marathon and also 10-5 in the third set tiebreak. Ultimately though, it was the top seeds Simon McCormick and Laura Conway who came through to win the final. At the closing presentation, Mark Cousins, on behalf of Enniskillen Tennis Club, paid tribute to tournament organiser Sonja Hateboer, for her tireless work throughout the event, both in preparation and execution. He also acknowledged the key roles played by club chair Maxine Leary and referee Yulia Hamilton, whose efforts ensured the tournament ran smoothly. Warm thanks were extended to the club members who generously gave of their time to prepare food, staff the barbecue, and support the players and spectators alike. The 2025 West of Ulster Tennis Championships will be remembered not just for its winners, but for the wonderful spirit in which the game was played and the glorious week of sunshine.
