Tuesday, day 9 of the Championships. We had the pleasure of watching amazing tennis, whilst nibbling on some delicious snacks provided to us by the glam squad, Helen and Agnes. Great performances were had by all, with many having us at the edge of our seats as we watched on.

To kick things off, we had the new kid on the block, Jamie Campbell up against Mark Gill on court 5. The tie break in the third set saw Mark become the overall winner, however, Jamie put up a great fight and although it was his first championship, you best believe it won’t be his last.

On the Jimmy Casey Court we saw the ladies doubles take off. Great team work by both Oilbhe Doyle and Niamh Byrne who brought their A-game and had brilliant net play and super smashes. Their opponents, Eva Bennett and Jade Hanley, struggled to get off to a good start which saw them down 5-3 in the first set, however, they managed to make a comeback and put on a great performance which saw them as the winning-combo.

Sadly, a repeat win wasn’t meant to be for Eva and Jade, as they were defeated in their second match of the night by 2nd seeds, Becky Breech and Joanna Van Remoortere who played exceptionally well as expected. Over on court 3, friends Ian Brady and Andrew Sherry went head to head in a lovely game of tennis but in the end it was Ian who won both sets.

Meanwhile, the ladies singles commenced on both court 4 and court 6. Some great tennis was played but it was Lisa Morgan who had an impressive win against Mairead Totterdell. Ruth Milne also showed great determination against Emma McCann who put up a good fight but it was Ruth who overcame with a score of 6-1 6-3.

On Court 2 we watched on as mixed doubles partners Yvonne Fitzsimons and Alan Warren had a tough challenge against Iain Walker and Clodagh Lowry. This was another balcony pleaser as Yvonne and Alan put in an impressive and consistent performance, winning the first set 7-5. This brilliant match soon unfolded with Iain and Clodagh making a fierce comeback going on to win 6-2 7-5.

Mixed doubles quarter finalists kicked off at 7:15 on the Jimmy Casey Court, which was another family affair. Father and daughter, Paul and Sophie Fitzgerald took on siblings, Will and Cara Fitzgerald. Both Will and Cara played brilliantly with a triumphant win against their opponents and will now see them through to the semi-finals against Rob Neiland and Rebecca McNally O’Rourke.

As we headed into the 8Up Men’s doubles at 7:15, we were met with father and son, Stephen and Shane Gill up against Mark Fourie and John Stanley. It was clear that new member John, after a long hiatus from the club, enjoyed playing alongside the well accomplished Mark Fourie. They had impressive shots and rallies throughout but the eventual winners were Stephen and Shane with a score of 6-4 6-4.

Next up we had Ken Browne and Alan Warren up against another father and son combo, Roy and Zach Bailey. Rumour has it, Ken has become quite the red sticker collector over the years and some might say it’s his lucky charm, as although losing their first set, Ken and Alan demonstrated powerful rallies and drop shots which worked in their favour. After losing the first set 6-3 Ken and Alan finished off with a score of 6-4 6-2. A shout out to Alan who pulled it out of the bag having just played over 2 hours in his previous mixed doubles match. Woot Woot!

On Court 4 at 7:15, No.4 seeds Fleur Muldowney and Aileen Regan were challenged by Catherine Holmes and Lisa Morgan. It was a long 3 setter and eventually Aileen and Fleur were defeated by Lisa and Catherine’s controlled performance and fantastic baseline play. Over on court 3, Rob Neiland and Rebecca McNally O’Rourke enjoyed a good win over mother and son, Caoimhin Cronin and Ellen O’Carroll, who both withstood a strong challenge.

At 8:30, we watched the ladies doubles played on court 3 between No.3 seeds Vanessa O’Reilly and Alison O’Connor against Andrea Begley and Linda Walsh. Vanessa and Alison, both a force to be reckoned with, had control throughout the match which saw them through to the semi-finals. Over on court 5, the 8Up ladies doubles saw Jenny McCann and Karen Johnson have a great win against Julia Cullen and Niamh Hughes.

We eagerly awaited the men’s singles where we saw Ivan Brady, No.2 seed, bring his powerful serve and exceptional skills up against Brian O’Gorman. Brian showed off his consistent quality throughout but unfortunately for him it was the end of the road, with Ivan heading into the semi-finals.

Match of the night had to be the men’s singles with No.7 seed Mark Cunnigham against No.1 seed and tennis club champion, Oisin O’Hanlon. Both played fantastically and it was a very tight game that had us all on our toes, with Mark saving 5 match points. However, Oisin managed to win with the overall score 7-6 7-6. A very exciting match to witness as it doesn’t get much tighter than that.

Looking forward to tonight’s matches, the final is near and things are starting to get spicy! Be sure to head down to the club as early as possible to get front row seats. Sandycove Senior Championships 2022

Don’t forget Pizza night tonight!!