Game, Set and Match in Rostrevor Tennis Club open events at Kilbroney Park

In the Ladies Plate, Aileen Rooney and Denise Rooney took on Mollie Grant and Derval Campbell. There was good ball striking on both sides and a remarkable number of close games.

This is a reflection of how close the match was, not the 6-1, 6-1 score-line to the, still, well deserved victors Derval and Molly. In the Ladies final Deidre Dinsmore and June McEvoy faced Eleanor Flanagan and Clare McStay.

Deidre and June are veterans of tennis and they complimented each other well, Deidre taking to the net and June hitting hard shots on backhand and forehand from the baseline. Eleanor is a road runner from the baseline but Deidre and June had too much firepower and won 6-0 6-1.

The Plate saw tennis veterans Eamon Crawford and Derek Laverty take on Jamie Grant and Conrad Madden. It was a cracking match with strong thumping forehands from both sides of the net.

It went to three sets and all were finely balanced. The greater experience of the older players helped them to move their opponents around more, but it was close. Conrad and Jamie needed to do the same.

Too often they just hit the ball straight back to their opponents. Getting the older guys moving more might have tipped things in their favour.

It just took one slip to flip the match and that came from Jamie and Conrad at a critical moment. The old timers won 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 and showed that age in tennis doubles is just a number.

In the Kilbroney cup final [the Intermediate final], Neil Allen and Gary Hanratty took on James O’Hare and Neil McMahon. The latter were the favourites and they cruised through the first set 6-2.

Gary plays almost everyday and Neil is not far behind. Their enthusiasm and will to win is unrivalled. They took the next set 6-2 and they were just getting better as the match went on.

They compliment each other very well as a doubles team. Gary much prefers to run down balls from the baseline and Neil loves the net. James and Neil are a strong double team too but they tried to force some points, perhaps out of frustration in the final set. It only takes a few errors for it to prove costly. Gary and Neil won the final set 6-2.

The men’s doubles final saw father and son, Mal and Shane McAteer take on Tim Smith and Giby Venttiankal. Tim and Giby had got the better of the top seeds Arghal and Patrick McMahon in their semi. It was a tough match but Tim and Giby were the long time B and D tennis pick for Newry. They knew each other’s game well and their styles complimented each other. Shane and Mal had a relatively smooth journey to their final.

The McAteers were dominant in the first set and they had a set point, but they failed to capitalize and it went to a breaker and Giby and Tim took it by the smallest of margins. The McAteers regrouped and took the next set 6-4. Giby and Tim drew on their experience and kept to their game plan and dominated the third, winning the final set 6-1. It was a big victory. They had had to beat the top seeds and to win as underdogs against the McAteers. The relief and joy was clear to see.

The Mixed Doubles was the final of three open tournaments held at the club courts in Kilbroney Park. The Plate final saw husband and wife, Neil and Christina Allen, take on Margaret O’Hare and Sean Gibney. Margaret was the most experienced of the four players and her and Sean made a good combination with Sean ruthlessly running down balls from the baseline and Margaret picking off low hanging fruit when volleys came her way. Margaret and Sean had had to save match points against their opponents in their semi.

Neil and Christina had to too in an earlier round. This gave both teams match toughness for the final. Margaret and Sean kept to their formula and they were solid. Christine and Neil needed to be on their best and it only takes a few errors in tennis for the scoreline to run away from you. The Allens pulled out some terrific shots and the rallies were often high calibre but the error count, especially on break points, cost them dear. Sean and Margaret won 6-2 6-2.

In the Kilbroney Cup final, Conor Flanagan and Jude Hanlon took on Mal McAteer and Siobhan Rafferty. Both had faced tough semi-finals and with less than 24 hours away from the court, they were back for more. Conor and Jude had faced a late night semi and that perhaps gave their opponents an edge.

Conor and Jude had a definite game plan – to keep the ball away from Mal and to target Siobhan but they played into her baseline strength and Siobhan was able to defend well and to create openings for Mal to start to dominate the rallies. It was a great match, but Mal and Siobhan won 6-2 6-2. The score-line in both matches belies how close the matches really were.

The main final saw Shane McAteer and Deidre Dinsmore face James O’Hare and Eimear Downey. Eimear had made the semi-final last year with Michael Sands. This year, she was one step closer. Her and James had been pushed to three sets in their quarters and semis but they held their nerve and came through. They were the underdogs, Deidre and Shane had won this title on three earlier occasions.

James and Eimer were broken at the start but they avoided a 3-0 deficit by breaking their opponents on Deidre’s serve with the one break point opportunity they had. This kept them in the running and the first set was a tight affair, but Shane and Deidre took it 6-4. The rallies were terrific and all players produced some wonderful winners, Deidre’s deft drop shot reply at a clutch moment, was one for the highlight reel. Shane and Deidre prevailed 6-4 6-2.