LEINSTER SQUASH

ANNUAL REPORT

2007/2008

LEINSTER SQUASH

COUNCIL

2007/2008

President: Colm Andrews

Vice President: Beatrice Byrne

Honorary Secretary: Ray Byrne

Honorary Treasurer: Gerry Delaney

Junior Administrator:

Coaching Secretary: Gerry Callanan

Vets Administrator: Patrick Murray

Tournament Secretary: Jackie McCreevey

Referee/Marking Secretary: Marian Birmingham

Schools Secretary: Deirdre Byrne

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

As this is my first year in office, having been persuaded by Gerry Callanan's simple “8 Point Plan, I thought this could be easy. How wrong I was!!!!

The Leinster Council committee is a very dedicated group of individuals who give their precious time to the sport we love. I know I will miss out on naming names and clubs so  I would like to thank Members of the Council for their time in attending meetings and carrying out various onerous duties given to them usually on weekends.

To those outside the Council who made a massive contribution to running the various tournaments at junior senior and masters levels. It was nice to see a youthful look to the volunteers at senior and junior level.

To all the clubs who provided facilities and hosted the players and officials.

To the referees for their tireless commitment to the cause .

Finally, a big thanks to Suzanne our Administrator for her dedication and particularly for stepping into the Junior Administrator role . To make a point on this, we failed to get a person to fulfil this role but the running and co-ordination of all Junior events in Leinster  was not effected in any way due to the massive effort put in by Suzanne and those she also enticed to help.

A sad note, due to a lengthy injury list we could not field a team for the second round of the Inter - Counties in England. Leinster were in contention for a promotion and hopefully next year we will return with strong teams once again.

All in all the leagues and cups ran well and we need to encourage new clubs into squash.

Once again thanks to all who helped during the year.

Colm Andrews / President Leinster Squash

LEAGUE/CUP WINNERS & RUNNERS-UP

Number of Clubs Playing in Leinster Squash Leagues 18

Number of Men’s Teams 52

Number of Ladies Teams 15

LEAGUE COMPETITION

Leinster Squash made some changes to the league structures for this season. Leinster decided to reduce the Men’s Divisions, dropping Division 6 and spreading the entries more evenly over the remaining Groups. We encouraged some ambitious teams to move up a level and give themselves a real challenge and this seems to have worked quite well. Division 5 remains the largest and we feel it is important to accommodate players at this level as we have many juniors ( starting at 14 years of age ) beginning their League at this stage. A decision was also made to reduce the ladies teams to 4 players. There continues to be a drop in the number of ladies participating in the league and we felt that it might help the situation. Unfortunately the number of teams was still at an all time low with only 15 teams over three Divisions. We feel it is important for Clubs to start encouraging the ladies and Junior Girls to participate in the leagues as it is only one night a week. There are many more playing Squash and there is a suitable standard for all involved.

League Sponsorship is always a major priority and this season we were delighted to achieve almost full sponsorship. We were very grateful to all companies who kindly showed their support by sponsoring an individual Division and by the response they received from their advertising.

Many thanks to:

RONAN CAMPBELL JEWELLERS ( Ronan Campbell ) Sponsors of Mens Premier

INNER CIRCLE HEALING CENTRE( Magda Batiste ) Sponsors of Ladies Div 2

STYL-OPTIK ( Arthur Moore ) Sponsors of Mens Div 1

LEXMARK ( Ray Byrne ) Sponsors of Ladies Div 1

MEPC Chartered Surveyors ( John McKay ) Sponsors of Mens Div 2

LAVERY KIRBYGILMARTIN Solicitors ( Jim Flynn ) Sponsors of Mens Div 5

Should you need the services supplied by any of the above companies please do not hesitate to give them a call. Why look any further?

We would urge anyone who feels they could contribute by putting something back into the game that has given them so much enjoyment over the past number of years to consider becoming a sponsor.

LEINSTER SQUASH LEAGUE

FINAL POSITIONS AT END OF SEASON 2008

MENS PREMIER Sponsored by RONAN CAMPBELL JEWELLERS

WINNERS: FITZWILLIAM A 203 RUNNERS-UP: SUTTON 183

(Fitzwilliam B 148, Westwood A 152, Trinity 125, Old Belvedere 115, Westwood B 94, Mt Pleasant 58,)

* * * * *

LADIES PREMIER

WINNERS: FITZWILLIAM A 123 RUNNERS-UP: FITZWILLIAM B 112

WESTWOOD 112

(Sutton A 71, Sutton B 10)

* * * * *

MENS DIVISION 1 Sponsored by STYL-OPTIK

WINNERS: CURRAGH 195 RUNNERS-UP: SUTTON 166

(Fitzwilliam 148, Aer Lingus 142, Westwood 137, Mt Pleasant 123, Total Fitness Castleknock 86, Trinity 38)

* * * * *

LADIES DIVISION 1

WINNERS: TOTAL FITNESS MALAHIDE 109 RUNNERS-UP: MT PLEASANT 82

(Aer Lingus 48, Sandycov 15)

* * * * *

MENS DIVISION 2 Sponsored by MEPC Chartered Surveyors & Auctioneers

WINNERS: OLD BELVEDERE 175 RUNNERS-UP: FITZWILLIAM 162

(Leinster 161, Sutton 152, Mt Pleasant 131, Riverview 127, Total Fitness Castleknock 103, Curragh 71)

LADIES DIVISION 2 Sponsored by INNER CIRCLE HEALING CENTRE

WINNERS: WESTWOOD 163 RUNNERS-UP: TRINITY 161

(Old Belvedere 135, Mt Pleasant 109, Sutton 80, UCD 21)

* * * * *

MENS DIVISION 3

WINNERS: NAAS 147 RUNNERS-UP: SUTTON & FITZWILLIAM 163

(Tullamore 161, Leinster 120, Aer Lingus 117, Old Belvedere 109, Westwood 74)

* * * * *

MENS DIVISION 4

WINNERS: SUTTON 167 RUNNERS-UP: MT PLEASANT 145

(Sandycove 143, Fitzwilliam 121, Leinster 121, RTE 88, Old Belvedere 74)

* * * * *

MENS DIVISION 5 Sponsored by LAVERY KIRBY GILMARTIN SOLICITORS

WINNERS: FITZWILLIAM 261 RUNNERS-UP: JOE MAY 260

(Mt Pleasant 254, Sutton F 231, Leinster 221, Sutton G 217, UCD 183, Old Belvedere 169, Fitzwilliam H 153, Sandycove 112, Trinity 56)

* * * * *

CUP COMPETITION

The Cup Competition commenced directly after the end of the league. The Cup Finals took place in Fitzwilliam LTC on Saturday 19^th April. Fitzwilliam LTC is a fantastic venue for such an event and Leinster Squash would like to thank them for their fabulous facilities and warm welcome. Together with the Irish Open we were witness to some excellent squash. Thanks to Jackie McCreevey for buying the beautiful prizes.

We are proud to announce the winners and runners-up as follows:

IVY HADDEN TROPHY

WINNERS: SUTTON A RUNNERS-UP: FITZWILLIAM A

* * * * *

LADIES DIVISION 1 & 2

WINNERS: TOTAL FITNESS MALAHIDE RUNNERS-UP: MT PLEASANT B

* * * * *

MENS CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

WINNERS: FITZWILLIAM A RUNNERS-UP: FITZWILLIAM B

* * * * *

GRAY CUP – MENS DIVISION 1 & 2

WINNERS: CURRAGH A RUNNERS-UP: FITZWILLIAM C

* * * * *

MENS DIVISION 3 & 4

WINNERS: FITZWILLAIM C RUNNERS-UP: NAAS A

* * * * *

MENS DIVISION 5

WINNERS: JOE MAY A RUNNERS-UP: FITZWILLIAM G

REFEREEING & MARKING 2008

Refereeing Report

We are coming to an end of another season; we have one new referee Paul Byrne welcome Paul.

At this stage I would like to thank all the usual suspects for all their help throughout the season.  Brian Williams, Brian Mc Nally, Maria Blair, Gerry Delaney, Patrick Madigan, Mick Hennessey, Hugh Fitzsimons, Ciaran Roach, Joe Ruddy, and Eugene O Sullivan without their support it wouldn’t be possible to run the events again thank you.

Anyone interested in doing a course don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Marian Bermingham

I would urge clubs to encourage players to do the course in the future, as the list of referees is getting shorter. By doing the course the player learns a lot more about the game. So don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Leinster Squash would like to thank Marian Birmingham and Brian Williams for organising and holding the courses and for arranging the referees for our tournaments.

PUBLICITY / MEDIA COVERAGE

The Irish Times Newspaper thanks to Malachy Logan and The Irish Independent thanks to David Courtney and his crew continue to print all results on a daily basis. We also have Vets results along with our Tournament results being entered on request. This is especially wonderful for the Juniors as it means so much to them.

Thanks to Shane Murray and James Proby in RTE for giving us space on Aertel. It is great to see the Sponsors names associated with their Divisions in both newspapers and on Aertel Results are updated daily on Networks 2, page 506/507. ( may vary )

SENIOR CAPTAINS & SELECTORS

The Captains and Senior Selectors have the responsibility of providing us with an up to date ranking list throughout the year. This list is changed on a constant basis following Tournaments and League results.

The Captains also take on the task of picking teams and organising the Inter Provincials and the Inter Counties Competitions.

Thanks to Derek Ryan and Emma Toolan and their crews for all their work.

MENS CAPTAIN: DEREK RYAN Selectors: Roland Budd and Neil Byrne

LADIES’ CAPTAIN: EMMA TOOLAN Selector: Rosie Barry

SPONSORSHIP

Our thanks go to:

Ronan Campbell, RONAN CAMPBELL JEWELLERS Sponsors of Mens Premier

Arthur Moore, STYL-OPTIK, Sponsors of Mens Division 1

John McKay, MEPC CHARTERED SURVEYORS Sponsors of Mens Division 2

Jim Flynn, LAVERY KIRBY GILMARTIN SOLICITORS, Sponsors of Mens Division 5

Ray Byrne, LEXMARK Sponsored of Ladies Div 1

Magda Batiste, INNER CIRCLE HEALING CENTRE Sponsors of Ladies Div 2

Leinster Squash would like to thank these Sponsors for their support and would hope to keep them on board for next year. Sponsors are needed for all events both senior and junior and their funds not only provide prizes but also to boost the profile of the tournament and therefore put squash out there for all to see. They are essential in any sport and are giving very valued aid.

If you are interested in joining the team of Sponsors or know someone who may be willing to help, please contact Leinster Squash LeinsterSquash@eircom.net / 8396299 or any member of the Council. If you would prefer to just make a donation and remain anonymous we would be more than willing to comply with your request.

THE LEINSTER SENIOR CLOSED 2007/08

Eoin Ryan and Sutton Lawn Tennis Club run the Leinster Senior Closed Tournaments on behalf of Leinster Squash. The Leinster Closed is run over a week allowing for matches to be more flexible and it has a great atmosphere as a results.

Leinster Squash would like to thank Eoin and the Sutton LTC committee for a great event.

Thanks to Sutton Lawn Tennis Club for their fantastic Club facilities and friendly welcome. The results are as follows:

MENS A: Winner - Dara O’Flynn Runner-Up - Peter Emmanuel

MENS B: Winner - Alan Tighe Runner-Up - Neil Brannigan

MENS C: Winner - Glen McGahern Runner-Up - Gary Donnelly

MENS D: Winner - Stephen Cahill Runner-Up - Seamus Harmon

LADIES A: Winner - Roisin Brennan Runner-Up - Claire O’Brien

SENIOR INTERPROVINCIAL 2008

The Senior Interprovincials were held in Limerick on the weekend of 11^th – 12^th April.

Team Captains: A: Dara O’Flynn B: Kevin Moore

A TEAM Friday Evening: Leinster V Connaught

Leinster A started the weekend playing against Connacht on the Friday evening at 5.30. The games were not close with Leinster running out 4-1 winners. At one Rory lost to Niall who is playing very good squash, Peter was too strong for his opponent at two and Dara won in four against David Noone. At four and five both Ronan and Ciaran played solid squash and won convincingly. This gave us a good platform for Saturday matches as Ulster and Munster were having a tight match with a number of long games. Ulster eventually came through 3-2 with some keenly fought battles particular at 2 & 3.

Saturday Morning: Leinster V Munster

Munster lined out on the Saturday morning with a strong competitive side and won at four and five. Ronan and Ciaran both were beaten well leaving Munster two up. Dara and Rory won their matches leaving it down to Peter to decide the match; he outplayed and paced his opponent and share great levels of focus and determination to seal the win. This left us with a head to head against Ulster who beat Connacht.

Saturday Afternoon: Leinster V Ulster

After a quick turnaround we were back on court at 2pm. Ciaran gave us the perfect start by winning at five making up for a disappointing loss to Munster earlier and Ronan soon followed suit. Both wins were hard fought proving to be the closest tie of the weekend. Ciaran in particular demonstrated the type of concentration which helped inspire the rest of the team. At that stage we were two up and Rory at one was too strong for his opposing number. Rory won 3-1 was gave Leinster the win and we conceded last year to Ulster. Dara lost in five to a young Neil Martin who played very mature squash for his age and Peter win at two leaving the final score at 4-1.

B TEAM

Unfortunately the B team travelled with only four players so we started each match at a disadvantage but the team of Kevin Moore, Roland Budd, Alex Broadberry and Colm Dolan produced some excellent displays to win the title in a very tight contest.

Results: Leinster 4 Connacht 1

Leinster 2 Munster 3

Leinster 4 Ulster 1

Summary:

In summary the event certainly was competitive and enjoyable but given that no women were present it certainly impacted on the general atmosphere. I have played the event for a number of years and it was disappointing to see the absence of senior players through the provinces. Leinster were without a full panel where in the past 11 players would travel to fill in if any injured parties pulled up during the event. Regarding the expenses I would give the responsibility to one senior person who could pay for the accommodation and they claim back as opposed to individual claims been submitted. The hotel was great and the location was 5mins from the club.

A special mention must go to Barry Hessian and his team and the club. Barry ran the event like clockwork and the catering was fantastic. I would certainly recommend that he runs the event again when the time comes. There were no issues over the weekend as everything had been planned and arranged accordingly. All the results were available the following days and his was ever present and on hand to support where he could.

Report By: Dara O’Flynn

Competition	Winners	Runners-up
Men's A	LEINSTER	ULSTER
Men's B	LEINSTER	MUNSTER

MensTeam: MENS A MENS B

1. Rory Byrne 1. Kevin Moore

2. Peter Emmanuel 2. Roland Budd

3. Dara O’Flynn 3. Alex Broadberry

4. Ronan Peyton 4. Colm Dolan

5. Ciaran McCoy 5.

Ladies Team: LADIES A

1. Roisin Brennan

2. Claire O’Brien

3. Jody Hannon

4. Emer O’Brien

5. Niamh Brennan

6. Vicky Menzies

Unfortunately, Irish Squash cancelled the Ladies Event as Ulster were the only other Province to field a teams and they would not travel for one match. Our Ladies were very disappointed and offered to play at a closer venue to no avail. Congratulations to the Lads, who took titles at both Mens “A” and Mens “B” levels. Thanks to Barry Hessian and all in Limerick for their organisation of the event and all players who travelled to compete for Leinster.

THE LEINSTER SENIOR OPEN 2007/08

The BYMAC Leinster Senior Open was held the weekend of the 16^th – 21^st October 2007 in Fitzwilliam LTC. We were delighted to have a sponsor for this event in the name of BYMAC and Simon Byrne. We must also remember that the tournament is also open to players of all other grades and we were delighted to have a Mens A,B & C along with Ladies A & B. Results below.

Ireland's Laura Mylotte will be disappointed with the outcome of the Bymac Leinster Squash Open having missed out on a glorious chance to capture her second tour title, losing a tight final to top seed Orla Noom, three games to one. A tense first game saw the girls trading shots and tussling for position in the centre of the court. At 5 points a piece Mylotte took the initiative with some great driving and closed out the game 9-6. Looking relaxed and in fine form Mylotte raced to a six nil lead in the second game and seemed to have the beating of her Dutch opponent. A string of unforced errors however let Noom back into the game and although Mylotte had a game ball at 9/8, Noom clinched it 10/9 to tie the match at one all. Again in the third Mylotte looked in control at 6/4 but could not seem to keep out the errors, losing the third 9-6. Noom then sensed her chance of victory and played some great squash to close out the fourth and final game 9-6 and with take the title at Fitzwilliam.

Bradley Ball took the Bymac Leinster Squash Open Title in Dublin after a 3/1 victory over Egypt's Omar Abdel Aziz. The Fitzwilliam crowd were treated to a hugely entertaining final with little or no mistakes by either player. Ball was dominant in the opening game taking it 11/4 but the Egyptian found his rhythm to take a very close second set 13/11. The pace of the match didn't drop throughout the course of the 78 minute final and in the third set with both players under pressure Ball proved the stronger taking it 11/5.

Aziz came out in the fourth set determined to take Ball the full distance and had two game balls at 10/8. However two well worked rallies from the Englishman saw him level the score at 10/10 and seeing his opponent tire went on to take the game 12/10 and with it the title. leinster squash president colm andrews and simon byrne of bymac

In the Men's A section veteran Derek Ryan recovered from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the professional event by beating Arthur Gaskin. Gaskin raced into a two set lead but Ryan called on all his experience to claw himself back into the match. Having changed the pace of the game and taking the match to a fifth set Ryan's class proved too much for the Carlow man. Gaskin will rue the missed chance to finally beat the eight times Irish National Champion Derek Ryan and will now until the Irish National Championships in December for another chance.

Women's Professional Final
(1) Orla Noom (Ned) bt (2) Laura Mylotte (Irl) 3/1 (6/9, 10/9, 9/6, 9/6) 60 minutes

Men's PSA Final Result:
(1) Bradley Ball (Eng) bt (2) Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) 3/1 (11/4, 11/13, 11/5, 12/10)

Our thanks to Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, Gerry Callanan and the Squash Council for running this event. Thanks once again to all referees and markers for their help during the event.

The results are as follows:

MENS A: WINNER: Derek Ryan RUNNER-UP: Arthur Gaskin

MENS B: WINNER: Kevin Moore RUNNER-UP: Roland Budd

LADIES A: WINNER: Tanya Owens RUNNER-UP: Jennifer Dillon

INTERCOUNTIES (ENGLAND) 2007/08

INTERCOUNTIES TEAM:

1. Derek Ryan

2. Arthur Gaskin

3. Nigel Peyton

4. Brian Byrne

5. Neal Murphy

6. Ciaran McCoy

STAGE ONE

The Leinster Squash team were promoted in the UK Inter County Championships in November. A strong team of Derek ' Slice' Ryan, Arthur 'ah man' Gaskin, Neal 'No Nicks' Murphy, Brian ' Coma' Byrne and Nigel 'The Hurricane' Peyton started the weekend with an impressive 5 - 0 win over the host county Buckinghamshire. The score does not reflect the very tight matches at numbers one, two and three with the mornings best win coming with a dramatic 3 - 2 fightback win by Nigel 'The Hurricane' Peyton over the Bucks number three. Derek 'Slice' Ryan used his experience as a world top 10 player to overcome fellow professional and ex English junior international Thomas Phipps in a tight four set match. The unusually active Brian 'Coma' Byrne had a swift three set win at number four and Arthur 'Ah Man' Gaskin and Neal 'No Nicks' Murphy completed the mornings matches with more wins for Leinster.

The Afternoons session would make or break the weekend for the Leinster team. With the early travel and two matches on Saturday, no team wants to go into Sunday morning needing a win to stay in the competition. A determined Leinster team started well with Neal 'No Nicks' Murphy getting an early win. Having stayed awake all day Brian 'Coma' Byrne lost no time winning in straight set to get Leinster off to a great start. The top three matches all took their time but all the Leinster players Derek 'Slice' Ryan, Nigel 'The Hurricane' Peyton and Arthur 'Ah Man' Gaskin putting Leinster through to a comprehensive victory.

The weekend’s promotion complete the Leinster team then proceeded to down town Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire to continue the ambassadorial roles required in top level Leinster squash. The rest of the night 'stays on tour'.

All the team would like to thank Leinster squash for their support. The promotion weekend in Newcastle in March will be a real chance for Leinster to progress into the top divisions of UK squash. We hope the success of Ulster and Leinster teams in this event may enthuse Connacht and Munster to consider entering teams into this competition.

Report by Neal Murphy

Unfortunately, due to injuries the team were unable to attend the second stage of the Inter Counties in England

LEINSTER JUNIORS 2007/08

Leinster Juniors have had another very successful season. Despite the fact that Leinster do not have a Junior Administrator we did not fail to provide the events and back up needed to keep the juniors on track. At this point we would like to note that in the event that we are unable to fill this position we will endeavour to work together to run all Leinster events. Juniors are tomorrows seniors and we will not fail them.

We would like to congratulate all Juniors for their participation is tournaments throughout the season. We were delighted to have Leinster Represented in Junior event abroad.

JUNIOR INTERCOUNTIES IRISH SQUASH

U/13 Team: David Ryan and Breanne Flynn

U/15 Team: Daniel Harkin, Conor Lavin, Sean Conroy & Aoife Jordan

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IRISH SQUASH

U/15 Team: Daniel L’Estrange, Sean Conroy, Melissa NiBhroin & Aoife Jordan

EUROPEAN U/19 IRISH SQUASH: Colm Dolan & David Tighe

JUNIOR INTERPROVINCIALS 2008:

GALWAY

5^th – 6^th April

Leinster Squash selected the Junior Interprovincial Teams based on the results throughout the season and compulsory Events. The Interprovincial Championships gives the players a chance to compete as a team rather than against each other. This is a wonderful experience and players make friends for life during this weekend. Our Juniors travelled to Galway to compete in the Inter Provincials and we are delighted to announced their huge success again this year.

Many thanks to Edwin Brennan and his crew for their work in making the event such a success.

Results as follows:

Event	Winners	Runners-up
BOYS U/13	Leinster	Munster
GIRLS U/13	Leinster	Connacht
BOYS U/15	Leinster	Ulster
GIRLS U/15	Leinster	Munster
GIRLS U/17	Ulster	Connacht
BOYS U/17	Ulster	Leinster
MIXED U/19	Ulster	Leinster

Congratulations to all junior whose behavior both on and off court was excellent. We had a great weekend. Leinster took 4 titles and were beaten on countback in the U/17 boys and by one point in the mixed. We should be very proud of our juniors, they are a great crew.

Suzanne Ryan/Leinster Administrator

Junior Interprovincial Teams are as follows:

BOYS U/13 1. David Ryan MANAGER: EOIN RYAN

2. Cillian Dunne

3. Shaun Hennessy

4. Oisin Logan

5. Kvin Hughes

6. Gavin Comerford

GIRLS U/13 1. Breanne Flynn MANAGER: JAMES MCDERMOTT

2. Rebecca McDermott

3. Griffin Gillanders

4. Niamh O’Keeffe

5. Lauren Keogh

6. Jemma See

BOYS U/15 1. Daniel Harkin MANAGER: ALAN L’ESTRANGE

2. Conor Lavin

3. Ben Logan

4. Jack Macken

5. Daniel L’Estrange

6. Sean Conroy

GIRLS U/15 1. Elaine Ware MANAGER: LIZ JORDAN

2. Aoife Jordan

3. Bronagh Jordan

4. Fiona Murphy

5. Melanie NiBhroin

6. Lauren McCreevey

BOYS U/17 1. Adam McCreevey MANAGER: JACKIE MC CREEVEY

2. Seamus Harmon

3. Conall Murphy

4. Liam Nolan

5. Max Gillanders

6. Cathal Hennessy

GIRLS U/17 1. Katelyn Doran

2. Mellissa NiBhroin

MIXED U/19 1. Colm Dolan MANAGER: PAT JORDAN

2. David Tighe

3. Alan Tighe

4. Ciaran Rogers

5. Sarah Murphy

6. Laura Casey

LEINSTER JUNIOR OPEN 2008:

Leinster Junior Open

Mt Pleasant Squash Club & Old Belvedere Squash Club

18^th – 20^th January

The Results as follows:

BOYS U/11 WINNER: Philip McSweeney

RUNNER-UP: Sean Power

GIRLS U/11 WINNER: Stephanie Ryan (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Aoife Turley (Leinster)

BOYS U/13 WINNER: David Ryan (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Michael Craig

GIRLS U/13 WINNER: Breanne Flynn (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Labhaoise Dunbar

BOYS U/15 WINNER: Dan Harkin (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Conor Lavin (Leinster)

GIRLS U/15 WINNER: Gemma Owens

RUNNER-UP: Rachel Power

BOYS U/17 WINNER: Joey Roberts

RUNNER-UP: Hugo Diamond

GIRLS U/17 WINNER: Cathryn Abernethy

RUNNER-UP: Katelyn Doran

BOYS U/19 WINNER: Rory Byrne

RUNNER-UP: Neil Martin

GIRLS U/19 WINNER: Sarah Corcoran

RUNNER-UP: Sarah Murphy

The Leinster Junior Open was held in Mt Pleasant and Old Belvedere this season. We originally had Esb Sport Co Courts but due to Renovations they had to pull out at the last minute. Old Belvedere Squash Club stepped in but were limited with the court space and thankfully Mt Pleasant supplied a huge number of hours to allow for all the matches we need to complete. Mt Pleasant is an excellent venue for such a tournament as viewing is easy and it allows for a great atmosphere among both juniors and parents alike. Leinster Squash would like to thank the committee and members of Mt Pleasant for giving their wonderful Club up for the weekend and for their patients. I hope they managed to see some of the brilliant squash performed over this weekend.

It was a fabulous event with matches on court Friday at 5.00 p.m. until late, all day Saturday starting at 9.00 a.m. again until very late and Sunday 9.00 a.m. until last final ended at 6.00 p.m. All players were very patient and seemed to enjoy the vast number of great and long matches.

Ray Byrne & Jackie McCreevey of the Leinster Council along with Gerry Delaney, Marian Birmingham ran the event. Jack Doyle, Dermot McNamara, Tariq Zaki, Kareem Zaki, Stephen Cahill, Mark Ryan and Brian Canny all helped out over the weekend.

There were 98 junior entries over all age groups U/11 Boys & Girls to U/19 Boys and Girls. Rory Byrne played his last junior tournament and we wish Rory all the best in his Senior Events.

IRISH JUNIOR NATIONALS 2008:

BELFAST

1^st – 3^rd February

BOYS U/11 WINNER: David Conroy (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Sean Power

BOYS U/13 WINNER: Michael Craig

RUNNER-UP: David Ryan (Leinster)

GIRLS U/13 WINNER: Breanne Flynn (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Fiona Murphy (Leinster)

BOYS U/15 WINNER: Conor Lavin (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Daniel Harkin (Leinster)

GIRLS U/15 WINNER: Gemma Owens

RUNNER-UP: Rachel Power

BOYS U/17 WINNER: Ben Craig

RUNNER-UP: Theodore Anderson

GIRLS U/17 WINNER: Cathryn Abernethy

RUNNER-UP: Niamh O’Hare

BOYS U/19 WINNER: Neil Martin

RUNNER-UP: Sean Caheny

GIRLS U/19 WINNER: Roisin Brennan (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Sarah Corcoran

LEINSTER JUNIOR CLOSED 2008:

The Leinster Junior Closed

ALSAA Squash Club and Sutton LTC

7^th – 9^th March.

The Results and Prizes awarded are as follows:

BOYS U/11 WINNER: David Conroy

RUNNER-UP: David Johnston

GIRLS U/11 WINNER: Aoife Turley

RUNNER-UP: Stephanie Ryan

BOYS U/13 WINNER: David Ryan

RUNNER-UP: Cillian Dunne

GIRLS U/13 WINNER: Breanne Flynn

RUNNER-UP: Rebecca McDermott

BOYS U/15 WINNER: Daniel Harkin

RUNNER-UP: Conor Lavin

GIRLS U/15 WINNER: Elaine Ware

RUNNER-UP: Aoife Jordan

BOYS U/17 WINNER: Adam McCreevey

RUNNER-UP: Seamus Harmon

GIRLS U/17 WINNER: Katelyn Doran

RUNNER-UP: Melissa NiBhroin

BOYS U/19 WINNER: Colm Dolan

RUNNER-UP: David Tighe

GIRLS U/19 WINNER: Sarah Murphy

RUNNER-UP: Laura Casey

Congratulations to all participants and thanks to them for a wonderful and entertaining weekend. Leinster Squash would like to thank Aer Lingus and Sutton LTC for the use of their excellent facilities.

PRINCE EAST OF IRELAND JUNIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS:

The East of Ireland Championships continues to be an enormous success. Run by Eoin Ryan in Sutton LTC it welcomes players from all over. Once again there was a huge entry and a fantastic weekend of Squash. The quality and standard of squash being played at junior level is unbelievable, from U/11 to U/19. Irish Squash and all individual Provinces need to take advantage of this situation and nurture this potential for the future of our Squash in Ireland.

Result of all sections are as follows:

BOYS U/11 WINNER: Bobby McGonigle (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Shane Maher

GIRLS U/11 WINNER: Griffin Gillanders (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Aoife Turley (Leinster)

BOYS U/13 WINNER: David Ryan (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Ciaran Maher

GIRLS U/13 WINNER: Breanne Flynn (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Jemma See (Leinster)

BOYS U/15 WINNER: Daniel Harkin (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Conor Lavin (Leinster)

GIRLS U/15 WINNER: Rachel Power

RUNNER-UP: Bronagh Jordan (Leinster)

BOYS U/17 WINNER: James Judge

RUNNER-UP: Cian O’Brien

GIRLS U/17 WINNER: Katelyn (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Melissa NiBhroin (Leinster)

BOYS U/19 WINNER: David Tighe (Leinster)

RUNNER-UP: Alan Tighe (Leinster)

ONE DAY TOURNAMENTS

The “One Day Tournaments” are Squash Competitions held for the juniors. The Events are usually individual age categories e.g. U/11 Boys & Girls on one day, U/13 Boys & Girls on another day etc. It is encouraged that all Clubs with Juniors hold these One Day Tournaments at regular intervals to give the juniors a chance to compete throughout the season. Once again, Sutton LTC held U/9, U/11, U/13, U/15 & U/17 events on both sides of Christmas. Eoin Ryan and the Sutton LTC committee ran all sections and was delighted to have full draws.

It is important that we get all Clubs to hold these tournaments and they should become a normal part of the calendar for each season. We find that they are very successful as Juniors and Parents have only to commit themselves to one day as opposed to full weekend tournaments. They are also a great preparation for the bigger events.

OPEN CLUB TOURNAMENTS HELD IN LEINSTER

The Club Open Tournaments are a crucial aspect of Squash and we would like to thank the organisers. We would also like to thank Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club and their Squash Committee who brought some of the best Squash players to our shores to play in the IRISH OPEN.

CANON KIRK HOMES IRISH OPEN SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Held in Fitzwilliam each year, we are given a chance to witness some of the finest players compete for the Irish Open Title. This competition is a “Knock-out” Event for the top 16 Entries. Ireland’s Mens No:1, Liam Kenny and Ladies’ No:1 Madeline Perry took part and gave us a week of wonderful squash. The event was free for all to attend and the level of squash improved with every day.

White and Legthorn-Massaro take titles:
John White (SCO), the top seed in the men's draw, duly did the business in the final beating Azlan Iskandar (MAS), one of the surprise packages of this year's event, 3-2 {11/9, 8/11, 11/4, 5/11, 11/8} in 75 mins.
Laura Legthorn-Massaro followed up her surprise victory over the number 1 seed Vicky Botwright, with a 3-2 win against the second seed, Alison Waters in a thrilling final that lasted 78 minutes. (9/1, 0/9, 9/6, 7/9, 10/8) 78 mins.

Although the home fans were disappointed that local favourite, Madeline Perry failed to retain her title, it was thought generally that she is close to her previous form and it is only a matter of time before she begins to register more wins.

LADIES FINAL:

Laura Legthorn-Massaro (ENG) bt (1) Alison Waters (ENG) 3/2 78 mins

MENS’ FINAL:

John White (SCO) No: 1 seed bt Aslan Iskandar (MAS) 3/2 75 mins

Old Belvedere IACT Handicap and Championship 2008

Sponsored by The Irish Academy of Computer Training (IACT)

Sections consisted of Mens Championship with 12 entries, Mens Handicap with 23 entries, Vets Handicap with 24 entries and Ladies Handicap with 8 entries. There was a competition and plate in each section, so each player was guaranteed at least two matches.

Derek Ryan came out as winner of the Mens Championship – beating Rory Byrne 3/0 in the Final.

In the Mens Handicap Jimmy Carroll from Mt Pleasant was winner – beating Stephen Fasenfeld from Riverview 3/1 in the final. This is the third time Jimmy has won the event – the handicap committee will make sure this is reflected in next years handicap !

In the Vets Handicap section Donie O’Brien from Old Belvedere put in a great performance and narrowly beat Henry Gillanders from Mt Pleasant 3/2 in the final.

In the Ladies Handicap Rosie Barry from Fitzwilliam won yet again beating Bernie Geoghan from Mt Pleasant 3/0 in the final. Unfortunately this will not help Rosie’s handicap next year – she has now won this competition for four consecutive years!

Many thanks are due to the organising Committee of Ken Knox, Jeff Davys, and Brian Williams and to all the players who helped out in Refereeing matches. And of course a huge thanks to our sponsors – Irish Academy of Computer Training (IACT) for their generous support and we hope they will help us out again next year.

Brian Mc Nally Tournament Organizing Committee

MT PLEASANT OPEN 2008

The ever popular Mount Pleasant Open Squash Tournament was held in the Club over the weekend Friday 25^th to Sunday 27^th January. Now in its 21^st year, the tournament attracted one of it largest entries with players travelling from all over Ireland and the UK to compete. Upgraded to Grand Prix status in recent years it is now firmly established with the leading players as a tournament not to be missed as they compete for places in the Irish national squad.

Derek Ryan, the number 1 seed in the Mens A section came through a scare in his semi-final on Saturday evening to win his final convincingly on Sunday 3-0 against Stevie Richardson.

In the Ladies A section, the up and coming number 3 seed Claire O’Brien upset the number 1 seed Jody Hannon again with a 3-0 triumph.

Players from the host club featured in a number of finals but unfortunately, all were defeated by stronger opponents in closely fought out matches. Congratulations are due to all and the organisers would like to thank everyone in Mount Pleasant who supported the event as well as Leinster Cricket Club for the kind use of their facilities over the weekend.

Results: Mens A Winner: Derek Ryan Runner-Up: Stevie Richardson

Ladies A Winner: Claire O’Brien Runner-Up: Jody Hannon

Mens B Winner: Alan Megaw Runner-Up: Danny McInearney

Mens C Winner: Glen McGahern Runner-Up: Jim Coyne

Mens D Winner: Liam Butler Runner-Up: Jimmy Carroll

Ladies B Winner: Jackie McCreevey Runner-Up: Gay Grant

Mens B Plate Winner: Neil Brannigan Runner-Up: David Tighe

Mens C Plate Winner: John Healy Runner-Up: Tariq Zaki

Mens D Plate Winner: Brian Dowley Runner-Up: Max Gillanders

Gerry Delaney

Mount Pleasant Tournament Organiser

DUBLIN VETERANS 2006/2007 SEASON

DUBLIN VETERANS 26^th March 2008

DUBLIN VETERANS SECTION - ANNUAL REPORT

2007/2008 SEASON

LEAGUES We had three less teams this year – the First Division had 5 teams and the Second Division had 7 teams. Each Division played each other 3 times during the season.

The results were as follows -

DIV	PTS	WINNER	PTS	RUNNER-UP
1	157	Fitzwilliam A	145	Sutton
2	242	Leinster	214	Westwood

HANDICUP Competition

This year we came up with a new format for the previous “Cup” competition. The format was a mixture between a Handicap and a Cup competition – hence the name. Teams were seeded and the weaker team was a warded the average difference between the teams as scored in the three encounters during the league matches. The Handicup matches were played as a normal League match ( except that no bonus points apply) and in the event of a draw, the weaker team goes through to the next round

The Handicup matches for each Division are scheduled for 3^rd to 24^th April and results will be posted later

DIV	WINNER	RUNNER-UP
1
2

Sponsorship

The Veterans section is indebted again this year to two generous players from RTE for the sponsorship of the Leagues and Cup matches and also the Leinster Masters Open in Fitzwilliam in Nov 2007.

COMPETITIONS

Leinster Masters Open – was sponsored by Grasia Developments and O’Connor Property Group and held in Fitzwilliam on 2^nd and 3rd Nov. 2007. Results were as follows : -

Leinster Veteran Open Results
SECTION	WINNER	RUNNER UP
MENS OVER 45 A	Eddie Murphy	Damian O’Reilly
MENS OVER 45 B	Seamus Wolfe	Derek Collins
MENS OVER 50 A	Frank Donnelly	Bill Todd
MENS OVER 50 B	Michael Mulhall	Robert Garvin
MENS OVER 55	Terry Norman	Alf Kavanagh
MENS OVER 60 A	Tom Cantwell	Arthur Adair
MENS OVER 60 B	Colm Andrews	Bill Ryan
MENS OVER 65	Mossie Collins	John O’Brien
LADIES OVER 40	Michele Jackson	Christine Lowry
LADIES OVER 50	Lynda Tavakoli	Myrtle Shannon

Irish Masters Open – was sponsored by Fitzwilliam LTC and held in Fitzwilliam from 15^th to 17th Feb 2008. Results were as follows : -

Irish Veterans Open Results
SECTION	WINNER	RUNNER UP
MENS OVER 45	Julian Bidlake	Paddy Craig
MENS OVER 50	Martin Mc Donnell	Derek Collins
MENS OVER 55	Kyran Hurley	Martin O’Meara
MENS OVER 60	Arthur Adair	Tom Cantwell
MENS OVER 65	John O’Brien	Mossie Collins
LADIES OVER 40	Jacqui Kearney	Michele Jackson
LADIES OVER 50	Norrie O’Grady	Anita Mylotte

Masters Interpros – were sponsored by the local County Council and were held in the Ballyearl Arts and Leisure centre in Newtownabbey on 4^th and 5^th April 2008 and results were as follows : -

MENS OVER 45	TEAM
1^ST	MUNSTER
2^ND	ULSTER
Note – Connacht	had no Team

MENS OVER 55	TEAM
1^ST	LEINSTER
2^ND	ULSTER

LADIES OVER 40	TEAM
1^ST	ULSTER
2^ND	LEINSTER
Note – Munster	had no Team

LADIES OVER 50	TEAM
1^ST	CONNACHT
2^ND	LEINSTER
Note – Munster	had no Team

(Hon. League Sec. – Dublin Veterans Squash)