Double for local girl Chloe in Connacht U11’s

Chloe lifted the Girls Singles title beating Niamh Crowley in the final 21-4 21-11, with the runner-up having earlier had to fight off the challenge of Chloe’s sister Paige, with Crowley only getting through on a 21-9 21-8 scoreline.

Chloe won the Girls Doubles to make it a double haul of titles. Partnering her sister Paige they knocked out Amy Kilker and Aoife Murray 21-7 21-16 before securing the coveted title beating Neasa Flynn and Siofra Flynn 21-8 21-10.

Cheung, the 8 year old Munster champion, came so close to taking the Boys Singles dropping only a dozen points on his way to the final where he faced the No2 seed David Downey, from Kilcullen Juvenile club, whose passage to the final was almost brought to an end by the unseeded Kevin Downey in three sets.

Matthew made a confident start to take the opening set 21-14 and even when the No2 seed won the second 21-13, there was no real cause for concern but the young Alpha player just could not take control and he had to be content with runner-up going down 21-13 in the deciding set.

In the Boys Doubles Matthew partnered Liam Furey from Oranmore and they were seeded No2 behind David and Kevin Downey and nearly came a cropper in the semi-final against Cathal Cosgrave and Michael Waldron dropping the opening set 21-7.

They came back to edge out the Castlebar pair in three 22-20 21-18 but were to find the Downey’s in an compromising mood and it was the southern pair who went on to take the title 21/10 21/6

Matthew also lost out in the final of the mixed doubles partnering his Alpha clubmate Chloe Woods and this time it was Kevin Downey and Neasa Flynn who came out on top 21/17 21/13 in the final.

It all could have been so different, for Chloe’s sister Paige had partnered David Downey in the semi-final against the eventual winners and only exited the event 26-24 21 -23 21-6.

Beth Stephenson won the under 15 girls doubles in partnership with Clodagh Dunne beating Lana Browne and Karen Macnamara the top seeds 21-17 23-21 after the top seeds had overcome the Alpha pair Rachael and Rebecca Woods 21-13 21-19 in the semis.

Having knocked out the third seed Karen Macnamara 21-13 21-18, Beth was then to bring an end to the challenge of the No2 seed Rachael Woods in the girls singles 13-21 21-18 21-15 but was unfortunately unable to cause a further upset with Clodagh Dunne taking the title 21-12 21-11.

Matthew Smyth and Rebecca Woods gave Kyle Magee and Clodagh Dunne, the top seeds in the mixed doubles, more than a few headaches before going down in the semis 10-21 21-5 21-10 while Adam Mcallister and Beth Stephenson went on to test the Magee/Dunne partnership too but finished runners up 21-17 21-16.

In the Boys doubles Matthew Smyth and Kyle Magee, the top seeds, had to settle with second best losing out to No2 seeds Thomas Howard and Brian O’Mahoney 21-13 16-21 21-12.

In the Irish A Grade Competition there were victories for Norman Lau in the singles, beating the No2 seed Mark Brady 21-18 21-17 after the top seeded Colin Watterson went out in the second round beaten 17-21 21-8 21-16 by Fintan Keown. In the doubles Lau partnered Eoin Walsh to contest the final losing out to Paul Ennis and Neil O’Flaherty 15-21 21-16 21-12.

Tony Stephenson and Tony Murphy got through the opening round of the Main Draw in the Yonex Hungarian International Championships with a fine performance against Kongas and Koskenneva from Finland winning 21/15 21/9 but to reach the quarter-final they had to overcome Magnus Sahlberg and Mattias Wigard. They were not overshadowed by their much fancied opposition but went down 21-13 21-16 who went on reach the semi-finals.

Ciaran Chambers and Ryan Stewart had a close three set victory Noes/Sorensen of Denmark in the qualifying round and came out on top 21/19 in the third but found their progress ending to Kolumbajew and Pietryja 21/14 21/16.

Alpha’s top doubles pairs fared little better as Caroline Black and Sinead Chambers went out in the opening round of the qualifiers to top pair Magdala and Nojtkowska of Poland 21/15 15/21 21/15 while Keady Smith and Alannah Stephenson fell at the first hurdle in the main draw to Noergaard and Vestergaard of Denmark 21/10 21/12.

In the qualifiers of the Mixed Doubles both Sinead and Ciara Chambers exited to Hautala and Pekkola 13/21 21/19 21/13 while Ryan Stewart and Keady Smith recorded a 21-16 21-15 victory over Schlemmer and Greutter only to go out to Sravholt and juel 21/15 21/1.

In the main draw Stuart Lightbody and Caroline Black took their opening round to the Indra Viki Okvana and Gustiani Megawati (INA) before their exit 21/12 21/15 with their opponents going on to contest the final.

Alannah Stephenson in the singles made a bright start beating E Bru Tunali of Turkey 21/17 21/9 and took the opening set against Inina Amalie Anderson of Denmark. With the game going into the deciding set the Irish youngster battled all the way but could not just make the breakthrough and went down 21/11 21/19 in a game lasting over the hour mark.

The Wallace pupil can take some credence from her performance by the fact that Anderson was only knocked out in the first round of the main draw by the top seed.

Stuart Lightbody beat the Austrian Vilson Vattanirappel 21/12 15/21 21/15 but was to bow out to Denmark’s Soeren Toft Hansen 21/11 21/14.

Andrew McKee knocked out England’s Patrick Adair 14/21 21/10 21/14 only to exit to the Fin Kasper Lehikoinen 21/4 21/6.