Three more Ulster Championship title wins for Tyrone
Tyrone players were involved a number of provincial adult championship finals at the weekend and in the end came away with three titles on Saturday. Breacach’s Conor McElduff was forced to pull out all the stops in his Ulster Under 21 Singles Championship triumph against Monaghan’s Darren Doherty and in the end emerged victorious on a 21-13, 17-21, 21-10 scoreline. McElduff has been in top form this season to date and will give a very strong account of himself in the prestigious All Ireland Under 21 series in a fortnight’s time. He will also partner Gabhain McCrystal this weekend in the Ulster Under 21 doubles final against Antrim.
An Charraig Mhór’s Ryan Daly negotiated his way to a first Ulster Junior Singles Championship title win on Saturday in Tydavnet. Daly has been in excellent form this term and, having won a series of tough encounters to reach the final, showed terrific resilience on this occasion to get the better of last year’s winner, Terry Kiernan of Monaghan on a 21-20, 14-21, 21-12 scoreline. Ryan will also contest the Ulster Junior Doubles Championship Final this Thursday evening when he will partner club colleague, Patrick McCrory, against Down’s Paul Shields and Sean Digney. Loughmacrory’s Chris Curran collected in the first Ulster Singles Championship final of the weekend in a terrific battle against his county colleague, Carrickmore’s Rory Grogan. The duo contested the Masters Singles final on Friday evening in Beragh and Curran claimed the honours by 21-12, 21-19.
Breacach’s Niall Kerr had a terrific battle in the 2014 Ulster Silver Masters A Singles Championship final with Antrim’s Paddy Crothers, the champion in 2013. Kerr lost the opener 21-14 and came back to win the second by 21-15. The Breacach man then opened up a 7-0 and 10-6 lead in the tie-break game but Crothers then hit a purple patch and with emphatic corner killshots went ahead and claimed the title on a 21-15 scoreline. Loughmacrory’s Kenny Curran lost out in his bid to secure back-to-back Ulster Silver Masters B Singles Championship triumphs when he fell at the final hurdle to Antrim’s Kevin McParland on a 21-14, 21-12 scoreline. Curran will now partner Finbar Fullen against McParland and Stephen Brady of Antrim in the Silver Masters B Doubles final next Sunday.
Following a tough series of games, Breachach’s Eamon McCrory fell at the final hurdle in the Ulster Junior B singles Championship on Saturday in Tydavnet. Cavan’s Cormac McMahon emerged to collect the 2014 provincial crown as he ran out the winner on a 21-6, 21-13 scoreline. McCrory still has the Junior B Doubles Championship final to play in this coming weekend when he partners up with club colleague, Jack Campbell. Breacach’s Michelle Warren showed fine form to reach this year’s Ulster Ladies Junior B Singles Championship final this weekend but lost out in the end to Monaghan’s Niamh Farrell on a 21-9, 21-18 scoreline.
Results: Ulster 40×20 Championship Singles Finals:
Ulster Junior Singles Championship Final: Ryan Daly (Tyr) defeated Terry Kiernan (Mon) 21-20, 14-21, 21-12
Ulster Under 21 Singles Championship Final: Conor McElduff (Tyrone) defeated Darren Doherty (Monaghan) 21-13, 17-21 & 21-10
Masters B Singles: Chris Curran (Tyr) defeated Rory Grogan (Tyr) 21-12, 21-19
Ulster Junior B Singles Championship Final: Cormac McMahon (Cav) defeated Eamon McCrory (Tyr) 21-6, 21-13
Ladies Junior B Singles Championship Final: Niamh Farrell (Mon) defeated Michelle Warren (Tyr) 21-9, 21-18
Silver Masters A Singles: Paddy Crothers (Ant) defeated Niall Kerr (Tyr) 21-14, 14-21, 21-15
Silver Masters B Singles: Kevin McParland (Ant) defeated Kenny Curran (Tyr) 21-12, 21-14
Boys Minor Singles: Johnny Woods (Tyr) defeated Eugene McGeough (Mon) 21-10, 21-9.
Ladies Minor Singles: Maeve McElduff (Tyr) defeated Aoife Kelly (Tyr) 21-12, 21-5.
Tyrone show strong form in Ulster Juvenile Championships
Tyrone had an impressive winning series of games on Sunday in Kingscourt in the Ulster Juvenile 40×20 Handball Championships. In the Boys semi finals the day started with victory for Cahir Munroe (under 12 singles) as he defeated Donegal’s Oisin Marley 15-2, 15-2. Lorcan McBride followed that with a 15-2, 15-0 win against Odhran McGlynn of Donegal in the Under 13 Singles. In the Under 14 singles, Ronan Curran then won through by 15-1, 15-5 against Down’s Tim Prenter. Sean Kerr then served up an impressive display to defeat Antrim’s Declan Walsh 21-1, 21-4 in the Under 16 singles semi final. In the Under 12 doubles the brothers combination of Tiarnan and Lorcan McGarrity showed tremendous resilience to come back and deny Cavan’s Oisin Byrne and Niall McMahon by 11-15, 15-9, 15-12. The under 13 doubles then brought a 15-4, 15-9 win for Dara Curran and Caolan McCartan against Down’s Rhys Cunningham and Philip Doran. Cormac Munroe and Darragh Canavan were 15-5, 15-7 winners in the under 14 doubles against Cavan’s Brendan Boylan and Conor Owens. In the Under 15 doubles semi final the pairing of Conor Kelly and Tiarnan McAleer were 15-0, 15-2 winners against Down’s Eoin McGrattan and Eoin Watterson. Matthew McCartan and Pauric Mullan then teamed up to secure a 21-13, 21-7 win in the under 16 doubles against Monaghan’s Martin Mullen and James McCague.
The Girls semi finals were in Gort Na Mona, Belfast, also on Sunday. In the under 15 doubles Clodagh Donaghy and Michaela Curran lost out to Antrim’s Emma Shannon and Cara Doyle by 15-1, 15-5. In the under 16 doubles semi final Aoibheann McAnespie and Sinead Donnelly put up a great display but lost out narrowly in the end by 21-20, 10-21, 9-11 to Antrim’s Erin Doyle and Niamh Enright.
The Ulster Juvenile Championship finals will be staged in Kingscourt on Sunday 9th March in what promised to be a great day with Tyrone now strongly represented in almost all grades.
Tyrone Attic Stairs Juvenile doubles titles decided
In the Tyrone Attic Stairs Juvenile Doubles Championships, there were again a number of finals played last week. In the Boys Grades, at Under 12 level it was Carrickmore’s Cahir Munroe who completed the double by teaming up with Tiarnan McGarrity to collect the doubles honours with a 15-7, 15-3 win over Killyclogher’s Brian and Orrin McAleer. Cormac Munroe, a brother of Cahir, then completed his own impressive County double as he followed up his singles triumph when teaming up with Darragh Canavan to defeat Loughmacrory’s Ronan Curran and Shane Grimes in the Under 14 doubles final by 15-3, 15-8. There was a Carrickmore treble when the Under 15 doubles partnership of Ciaran Cuddy and Conor Kelly secured that title following a 15-3, 15-9 win over Loughmacrory’s Colm Logue and Cathaoir Gallagher. The Loughmacrory club did get their name on the honours list when Dara Curran and Diarmaid Gallagher teamed up to get the better of Breacach’s Caolan McCartan and Fionn Given in an excellent final, winning 15-3, 14-15, 11-1. in an all Breacach Under 16 doubles final it was the partnership of Matthew McCartan and Turlough Clarke who had the better of the exchanged with singles champion, Sean Kerr, and Patrick McGinn, winning out in the end by 15-11, 8-15, 15-9.
In the She’s Ace Girls Under 15 doubles championship decider, Breacach’s Michaela McCartan and Elizabeth McGarvey teamed up for a title win on a 15-7, 15-10 scoreline against Carrickmore’s Ciara Mullan and Bronagh Allison. The Under 16 Doubles final then saw Eilise McCrory and Emer Kerr team up to take the honours against Loughmacrory’s Sinead Donnelly and Aoibheann McAnespie by 15-3, 15-4. The Under 10 and Under 12 doubles remain to be played with those taking place on Tuesday evening in Loughmacrory.
The Boys and Girls Under 10 A Singles Championship Finals provided brilliant handball from some of the most exciting young stars of the future in the county. In the Boys Final, Breacach’s Conor Owens showed terrific consistency and battling qualities to come back from behind against 8 year old Eoin McElholm (Loughmacrory) winning on a 7-11, 11-8, 11-9 scoreline. In the Girls final it was Carrickmore’s Clodagh Munroe who claimed her second in a row in the event when she denied another exciting young player in Clodagh McNamee (Carrickmore) by 11-6, 11-5.
There are 3 Juvenile Doubles Championship finals remaining while there are also the full programme of Juvenile B Singles Championship Finals in Loughmacrory this coming Saturday, starting at 12.30pm.
Tuesday 25th February, Loughmacrory, 6.00pm:
Boys Under 15 B Singles Championship Semi Finals: Colm Logue (LM) v Aaron Travors (CM), Cathaoir Gallagher (LM) v Rian McCaul (CP)
Thursday 27th February, Killyclogher, 7.30pm:
Boys Under 12 B Singles Championship Semi-Finals: Brian McAleer v Jonathan Owens, Fintan McNamee v Jack Darcy
She’s Ace Finals on Tuesday evening
The last of the She’s Ace Adult Finals will take place as a triple bill in Loughmacrory on Tuesday night 25th February, commencing at 6.30pm with the Girls Under 10 Doubles Final, followed by the Under 12 doubles final and concluding with the Ladies Open Doubles final. These three finals will conclude all the Girls She’s Ace doubles finals in Tyrone.
Tuesday 25th February 2014, Loughmacrory, 6.30pm:
Girls Under 10 Doubles Championships Final: Niamh Curran/Dearbhail Fox (LM) v Clodagh McNamee/Clodagh Munroe (CM)
Under 12 Girls Doubles Championship Final: Mairead Fox/Emma McElduff v Sarah Devlin/Dervla Farley (Br)
Ladies Open Doubles Championship Final: Lisa McAleer & Aoife Kelly (LM) v Maeve McElduff & Eilise McCrory (BR)
Juvenile B Singles Championship Finals this weekend
Saturday 1st March, Loughmacrory, 12.30pm:
Girls Under 10 B Singles Championship Final: Dearbhail Fox (Loughmacrory) v Bronagh McWilliams (Breacach)
Boys Under 10 B Singles Championship Final: Gary McAleer (Loughmacrory) v Patrick McCann (Breacach)
Girls Under 12 B Singles Championship Final: Saturday 1st March, Loughmacrory: Sharlene Shortt (Breacach) v Seana Clarke (Breacach)
Boys Under 12 B Singles Championship Final: Brian McAleer (Cappagh) OR Jonathan Owens (Breacach) v Fintan McNamee (An Charraig Mhor) OR Jack Darcy (Breacach)
Boys Under 13 B Singles Championship Final: Diarmaid Gallagher (Loughmacrory) v Patrick Curran (Loughmacrory)
Girls Under 14 B Singles Championship Final: Meabh McCrystall (Breacach) v Bronagh Allison (Carrickmore)
Boys Under 15 B Singles Championship Final: Colm Logue (LM) OR Aaron Travors (CM) v Cathaoir Gallagher (LM) OR Rian McCaul (CP)
Boys Under 16 B Singles Championship Final: Turlough Clarke (Breacach) v Shane McCrystal (LM)
Junior Doubles triumph for Grogan and Allison
The Tyrone Attic Stairs GAA Handball Junior Doubles Championship title was won in super style by An Charraig Mhor. Rory Grogan and Niall Allison have shown fine form this term and were unlucky to lose out in three finals in recent weeks. However an eye catching semi final win over Conor Kerr and Mark McCartan was followed by an excellent 21-14, 21-9 win over Eamon and Seamus McCrory in the Junior Doubles decider in Beragh.
Open Doubles final to close out Tyrone Championships
The 2014 Tyrone Attic Stairs GAA Handball 40×20 Championships will conclude on Wednesday 5th March in Loughmacrory. This will see the rescheduled Mens Minor Singles Championship Final, involving Johnny Woods and Ryan Mullan along with the Mens Open Senior Doubles decider, which will see Daly brothers, Darragh and Caolan, face another brother, Ryan, who teams up with Breacach’s Barry Devlin. The programme will commence with the Boys Under 10 Doubles Championship final. The full programme will start at 6.30pm.
Wednesday 5th March 2014, Loughmacrory, 6.30pm:
Boys Under 10 Doubles Championships Final
Mens Minor Singles Championship Final: Johnny Woods (Breacach) v Ryan Mullan (An Charraig Mhór)
Mens Open Doubles Championship Final: Darragh Daly & Caolan Daly (An Charraig Mhór) v Barry Devlin & Ryan Daly (Breacach/An Charraig Mhór).
Daly reaches US Collegiates semi finals
An Charraig Mhór’s Caolan Daly has made a big impression at this year’s US Collegiate Championships but in the end was very unfortunate to suffer a quad injury in his Open semi final clash with Daniel Cordova. Caolan lead by 5-0 in that semi final match when sustaining that injury and lost out in the end by 21-9, 21-6. In the quarters he defeated Jeff Streibig, after losing the opening game 21-6 and he was down 14-9 when he hit a purple patch to make it 18-18 and he eventually held out to win 21-20 and then closed out the tie-break, winning 6-21, 21-20, 11-3. He had served up an excellent display to beat Eric Matiasek in the round of 16 by 21-6, 21-11. The event was won in the end for a third successive year by Galway’s gifted rising star, Martin Mulkerrins.
