Donegal pip Ulster League teams to title

That Ulster League B team had beaten the A’s in a hard-fought semi-final.

Both sides got their campaigns underway with impressive victories, the A team beating Coleraine and District 6-1, Donegal C 7-0 and North Down 7-0 while the B side had two 7-0 victories in Group B over Donegal B and Down only to lose 4-3 to Donegal A.

Conor Monteith and Thomas Cherry, Ulster League B, had an extremely close straight sets win over Aaron Magee and Cameron Wilson in the top men’s doubles only for Jamie McKinney and Jack Macbeth to bring the teams level when they recorded a 21-14 21-18 victory over Reuben Lamour and Oliver Patterson.

Rachael and Rebecca Woods had a 21-11 21-13 victory in the top women’s doubles but Ulster League’s Sarah Cherry and Summer Ferguson just missed out on taking their clash with Leah Magee and Lynne McKinley into a third set which could have seen a different result.

Donegal’s Aaron and Leah Magee snatched the opening set of the top mixed doubles against Conor Monteith and Rachael Woods 21-19 but the Ulster League partnership, not unexpectedly, came back to level taking the second 21-17. However, the Ulster pair would have been disappointed that they had not made a bigger impression in the final set and the match went in favour of the Donegal pair 21-9.

Thomas Cherry and Rebecca Woods came out on top in the second mixed doubles clash with Cameron Wilson and Lynne McKinley 21-17 21-18 but Donegal clinched the overall result with a 21-10 21-15 win by Jamie McKinney and Kim Laird (Donegal A) over Reuben Lamour and Summer Ferguson.

semi-final clash

With this defeat, the two Ulster League sides were drawn against each other in the semi-final and as expected, there was little between the two sides before the B side booked their place in the final against Donegal A who cruised through 7-0 over Coleraine & District League in the other semi.

The Ulster League B side enjoyed an early 3-1 advantage despite Matthew Smyth and Niall Armstrong (Ulster League A) always in control against Conor Monteith and Thomas Cherry winning 21-10 21-14 but Oliver Patterson and Reuben Lamour held out to beat Kai McPeak and Andrew Millar 21-19 22-20.

Beth Stephenson and Rachael Woods, who had been in the Irish team in the European Championships, were on opposite sides of the net in the women’s doubles with Beth partnering Aine McClure. Rachael teamed up with her sister Rebecca and the Woods were to come out on top, but only just, 21-19 21-17.

Summer Ferguson and Sarah Cherry may have taken the opening set against Phoebe Larmour and Hannah Brennan with consummate ease 21-14 but Larmour and Brennan made them fight all the way for their 25-23 second set victory.

Ulster League A side were to counter when they won two of the four mixed doubles with Matthew Smyth and Beth Stephenson beating Conor Monteith. To add to that, Rachael Woods 21-12 21-19 and Niall Armstrong and Aine McClure 21-16 21-17 victors over Thomas Cherry and Rebecca Woods.

However, it was the win in the final mixed doubles between Ulster League B pair Oliver Patterson and Sarah Cherry and Ulster League A partnership Hannah Brennan and Siam Alderdice which clinched the B side of a place against Donegal in the Division One final.

the final

With the Donegal B side lifting the Division Two title with a narrow 4-3 victory over North Down, the Division One final was always going to be difficult for the Ulster League side and so it proved with a 6-1 victory for Donegal. The fact that four of the matches went to the third set gives the local players tremendous credit.

The Ulster League’s only victory came when Rachael and Rebecca Woods won the top women’s doubles clash against Kim Laird and Chloe Lowry 21-10 21-15 but in the other women’s doubles, Sarah Cherry and Summer Ferguson came close to taking the game in to a third set while in the mixed doubles, Oliver Patterson and Summer Ferguson lost 21-18 in the third set.