Club champion pipped in final
Galway tennis players were among the title winners at the annual City of Galway Open Championships which took place at Galway Lawn Tennis Club.
GLTC club champion and nationally ranked junior Michael Clarkson reached the men’s A final, losing to Clontarf’s Justin Clarke, while the 2010 club champion Mark Smyth teamed up with Al Waterson to retain the men’s A doubles title. Smyth had won the event with Neil McLoughlin in 2011.
Brendan Murtagh was runner-up in the men’s B singles and there were many encouraging local performances with GLTC’s Louis Gallagher runner-up in the men’s C final, Cormac O’Connor winning the men’s A singles plate and Dermot Flatley capturing the B Plate.
Local juniors Sean Lange and club champion Kate Hennessy lifted the B mixed doubles title, while Claire Kenny and Ber Keane won the ladies’ A doubles plate before Claire and Cormac O’Connor picked up the B mixed doubles plate.
Tennis captain Kathleen Glynn partnered Marion O’Brien to victory in the ladies B doubles plate and the GLTC collection was completed when Deirdre Byrnes teamed up with Ray Gateley from Loughrea to win the mixed C plate.
Results: Men’s A singles, Justin Clarke,Westwood Clontarf; Runner up, Michael Clarkson, Galway LTC; Plate, Cormac O'Connor, Galway LTC.
Men’s A doubles, Al Waterson & Mark Smyth, Galway LTC; Runner up, CJ Kelly & James Crowe, Limerick Lawn TC; Plate, Declan O'Rourke (Monkstown) & Mike Johnston (Lansdowne TC).
Ladies’ A singles, Anna Afanasjeva, Ierne, Dublin; Runner up, Katrin Sturm,Westwood Clontarf TC, Dublin; Plate, Karen O'Neill, Mount Pleasant TC, Dublin.
Ladies’ A doubles, Anna Afanasjeva, Ierne, & Katrin Sturm, Westwood Clontarf; Runner up, Joanne Lonergan & Alison O'Riordan,Rathgar TC, Dublin; Plate, Ber Keane & Claire Kenny, Galway LTC.
Men’s B singles, John Hennessy, Tralee TC; Runner up, Brendan Murtagh, Galway LTC; Plate, Dermot Flatley,Galway LTC.
Men’s B doubles Robert Johnston, Loughrea TC, & Brian McGuirk, Charleville TC, Dublin; Runner up, Marco Buzzi,Mount Pleasant, & Tomas Rubacek,Westwood Clontarf; Plate , Shane & Matthew Brady, Dun Boyne TC.
Ladies B singles, Leisa Fitzgerald,Abbeyleix TC; Runner up, Joy Cox, Tullamore TC; Plate, Lesley Ann Walsh.
Ladies B doubles, Sorcha Finnegan & Yolande Verplanke, Tralee TC; Runner up, Olivia Deeley & Helen Lawless, Loughrea TC; Plate, Kathleen Glynn & Marion O’Brien, Galway TC.
Mixed B doubles, Kate Hennessy & Sean Lang, Galway LTC; Runner up, Robert Johnston & Julie Casey, Loughrea Tennis Club; Plate, Claire Kenny & Cormac O'Connor, Galway LTC.
Men’s C singles, Dave Quinn, Ennis TC; Runner up, Louis Gallagher, Galway LTC; Plate, Dave Grehan, Claremorris TC.
Men’s C doubles , Dave Keane & Dave Quinn, Ennis TC; Runner up, Ray Gately, Loughrea TC & Fergus O'Shaughnessy, Limerick Lawn Tennis Club; Plate, Shane O'Sullivan & Malcolm Willies, Tralee TC.
Mixed C doubles, Sorcha Finnegan & Shane O'Sullivan, Tralee TC; Runner up, Josie Connaughton & John Lalor, Loughrea TC; Plate, Deirdre Byrnes, Galway LTC & Ray Gately, Loughrea TC.
