|
February
05
|
|
|
|
Martin
Regan |
It
was a week of mixed fortunes for New Ross in a variety of team competitions.
The division 4-team were comprehensively beaten 11-4 by Clonard in the shield
final on Sunday in Ramsgrange in a competition that marked the debut of Ella
Bigos and John Nolan for the club and a welcome return to club colours for Liz
Murphy. On Tuesday the sequence of victories for the
Waterford
division 1 mixed team came to an end when they were held to a 3-3 draw by
Waterford
BC
in New Ross. Heroes on the night for New Ross were Rosemary Burke and
Celine Hayes with two victories apiece. Rosemary and Brideen Lynch had a 2
sets to 1 victory over Mary Walsh and Kate Hayes and then Rosemary teamed up
with Celine Hayes to record her second success of the night with a straight sets
victory over Kate Hayes and Ann Walsh. Celine recorded her second triumph
when she and Niall Barrett kept their unbeaten run in the league going when
defeating Martin Walsh and Kate Hayes in two sets. On Wednesday the
division 4 men’s team entertained Olympic and played out a trilling 5-5 draw.
Neil Barrett and
Pat Furlong
were New Ross victors in the opening men’s doubles and John Nolan and
Andrew Wayland
picked up a point in the 2nd doubles. Neil Barrett and John Nolan won the
first of the reverse doubles, but Olympic secured the draw when
Pat Furlong
and
Andrew Wayland
lost the final game of the evening. On Thursday the division 2-side
travelled to Taghmon with Martin Regan stepping in to replace the absent Colm
Byrne who was away on holidays. Taghmon took the opening game when Stewart
O’Toole and Alan Mackay overcame Martin Regan and
Pat Lynch
in 3 sets, but New Ross went into a 3-2 lead when
Ralph Stone
and team captain Neil Barrett won the 2nd doubles. In the reverse doubles
Martin Regan and
Ralph Stone
defeated Alan Mackay and Philip Wadding, but
Pat Lynch
and Neil Barrett lost in 3 sets to Stewart O’Toole and J. J. Winters to leave
the final score at 6-4 in favour of the visitors.
In
the singles ladder Martin Regan consolidated his 2nd position with an easier
than expected 15/3, 15/1 victory over Billy Bennett. John Nolan continued
his upward climb when he proved too good for Laura Lynch when winning 15/4,
15/1. John now moves to 7th spot and in position to challenge some of the
bigger names at the top.
|
|
.
|
|
|
|
Colm
Byrne |
Taghmon
were the visitors to New Ross during the week for the 1st leg of the ladies
division 1 league final and proved much too strong when winning 8-1.
New Ross were always the underdogs in this encounter against the much
higher graded team, but despite the score line they were some good overall
performances from the home side.
Brideen Lynch and Karen Henessey took a set of the county number 1
pairing of Siobhan and Deirdre Kehoe when losing 8/15, 15/12, 7/15 in a high
class game. Laura
Lynch and Celine Hayes were close to taking a set of Elaine Dunne and Gillian
Murphy but eventually lost 15/4, 17/14.
In the reverse doubles Brideen and Laura Lynch went down 15/6, 15/11 to
Siobhan Kehoe and Elaine Dunne, and Deirdre Kehoe and Gilllian Murphy were much
too strong from Karen Henessey and Celine Hayes in the night’s final game when
they won 15/4, 15/4.
In
the men's division 2 league a
missing mobile phone has put a serious dent into the title aspirations of the
New Ross men’s team with Colm Byrne failing to appear for the top of the table
clash with Clonroche because of the loss of his phone while on holidays. Various
reminders sent to the offending phone were falling on deaf ears on a distant
snowy mountainside and with their number 1 player absent New Ross were forced to
a last minute reshuffle of their team. John Nolan who was practising
in the hall at the time got a rapid promotion to the division 2-side, but not
surprisingly Clonroche took the opening game when Noel Carton and Philip Walsh
defeated
Pat Lynch
and
Ralph Stone
15/2, 15/13. Team
captain Neill Barrett and John Nolan also lost in 2 sets to
Sean Sexton
and Francis Morrissey 15/3,
15/6. New Ross were 6-0 down after the 1st of the reverse doubles with
Philip Walsh and
Sean Sexton
overcoming
Ralph Stone
and Neill Barrett 15/6,
15/6. It was looking like a whitewash
for the home side, but
Pat Lynch
and John Nolan had a surprise victory in the final game of the night when they
defeated Noel Carton and Francis Morrissey 15/11, 15/8 to leave the final score
at 6-2 to the visitors.
A
quiet time in the clubs singles ladder, but they were victories for Neil Barrett
over Billy Bennett 9/15, 15/8, 15/9 and Aoife Bennett overcame Dean Hunt 15/1,
14/15, 15/12.
|
|
.
|
|
|
|
Anne
Walsh |
The
unbeaten run of the division 1
Waterford
mixed team came to an end in Ballymacabarry when the home side inflicted a
4-2 defeat on the previously unbeaten visitors. New Ross victors on
the night were
Ralph Stone
and Neill Barrett in the 2nd men’s doubles and Celine Hayes and Laura
Lynch at 2nd ladies. New Ross were not unduly troubled by the loss
however as they had already qualified for the knockout phase of the league
as result of their 4-2 victory over Lismore in New Ross earlier in the
week.
In
the Wexford doubles leagues the towns division 1 men’s team had a
trilling victory over neighbours Terrerath in Terrerath. Almost
every game of the night went to 3 sets before New Ross just shaded
proceedings 6-5. In division 4 the local derby between Shelburne and
New Ross was comprehensively won 6-2 by the rossonians. The victory
moves New Ross to the top of the division ahead of Campile, but they have
a game more played than the division favourites. The ladies division
5 team journeyed to Olympic, but were beaten by the home side 6-3.
Making a welcome return to club colours in this fixture was Anne Walsh and
it also marked the debut of Polish national
Ella Bigos who has transferred her allegiance from handball to badminton
at least while staying in Ireland. It was also a winning debut for
Ella who picked up two points for the visitors in the 1st of the reverse
double with partner
Sue Barrett
. Completing the team was Liz Murphy.
Even
at this early stage the New Ross club are well represented in the finals
of the 39 Wexford individual championships. Laura Lynch has made it
to 4 finals and will play in both the division 2 and 3 singles and doubles
games. In the division 2 doubles she partners mum Brideen, while in
the division 3 decider she teams up with club colleague Celine Hayes.
Also through to his first men’s single final is club secretary Neill
Barrett who had a titanic semi-final game against
Fin Rooney
(Olympic) before winning 15/11, 8/15, 15/13.
Pat Lynch
and
Ralph Stone
lost out in the division 1 men’s semi-final when going down in 3 sets to
Olympics Gavin Smyth and Donal O’Keeffe. John Nolan lost his
division 5 singles game to Taghmon’s Michael O’Gorman in 3 sets,
16/15, 15/2, 13/15.
Sue Barrett
was beaten 11/6, 11/6 in the 6th division ladies singles by Ella Sinnott
(Ballycogley) and Helen Moore lost in the division 5 singles in 2 sets to
Galbally’s Olynna Dunne.
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Laura
Lynch |
There
was All-Ireland success for Laura Lynch in the BUI National Championships played
in Lisburn County Antrim last weekend. Laura took the under-15 mixed
doubles title to become the club’s first ever national champion. Laura also
reached the girl’s doubles and singles semi-finals, but was narrowly beaten in
both. Not to be totally outdone by the young generation Pat & Brideen
Lynch reached the semi-final of the veterans (over 40’s) mixed doubles
championships at the same venue before losing to Graham Henderson and Doreen
Rodgers.
Closer
to home and New Ross members continue to do well in the Wexford Individual
Championships with John Nolan and Raymond Breen being the latest members to
reach the March 6th finals. John caused a major upset in the division 4
singles when he beat the reigning champion Paudie Foran from Shelburne in the
semi-final. The 1st set was the crucial game in the tie and it was a real
cliff-hanger which was eventually won by John 17/15. One always got the
impression that the winner of the this set would take the match and so it proved
to be with John going on to take the second set on a 15/7 score line. John
and Tony Sinnott lost their men’s doubles semi-final in two sets 15/11, 15/8
to Seamus Redmond and Richard Millar (Olympic) with a mid-week injury to Tony
not helping the cause of the New Ross pair. In the division 7
singles Raymond Breen continues to improve and fully justified his number 1
seeding to make the March final with ease. Raymond defeated Eddie Galavan
(Galbally) 15/2, 15/2 in the top semi-final and will start as odds on favourite
to add the county title to his charity championships won in December when he
meets Brian Healy (Olympic) in the final.
Only
one game played in the Wexford doubles league and it was honours even when New
Ross visited neighbours Terrerath in the 3rd round of the division 2 men’s
doubles league. The final score was 4-4 but the result does little to help
the title prospects of either team. Terrerath: Seamus Creane, Jimmy
Sinnott, John Joe Murphy and Sonny Cahill. New Ross: Colm Byrne,
Pat Lynch
,
Ralph Stone
and Neil Barrett.
|
|
|
|
Previous Month Next Month
|
|
