The provincial colleges and national intervarsities were the main events of note last weekend. Pauline Gallagher representing Athlone IT picked up the ladies’ A singles title with a 21-6, 21-14, win over fellow Mayo student Amy Corrigan of the Sligo IT. Claremorris and St Mary’s College, Galway, were the venues for the boys’ and girls’ second level colleges over the weekend. The going was particularly tough in the eight boys’ grades but true to form, Kiltimagh duo T J Byrne and Shane Walsh from St Louis’, Kiltimagh, secured the junior doubles title with a reasonably comfortable win over Flanngan and Michéal Kenny, Castlerea CS, in their semi-final, and John Lalor and Conor Noone from St Mary’s in a well-contested final. Despite some fine performances, Mayo lost out to Galway and Roscommon in the other grades contested. In the girls’ finals at Claremorris, Melanie Nally was beaten by all-Ireland u16 champion Lauren O’Riordan in her junior singles semi-final, while Lorraine and Louise Gilmartin (Convent of Mercy, Ballina, ) suffered the same fate in their junior doubles final.
Senior doubles duo Ciara and Clodagh McMenamon Sacred College, Westport, were never troubled in their senior doubles final against younger Galway opposition and they and fellow student Leona Ryder, in the senior singles, will be in action this weekend in the all-Ireland Colleges semi-final and finals. The first series of provincial semi-final ties hosted by Sligo clubs takes place this weekend.
Sean Heany will renew rivalries with Paddy Walsh in the opening game at St Mary’s, Sligo, this Saturday from 3pm, while Martin Cronin take on Sligo’s Seamus Duffy in the second match.
Paschal Tuohy gets proceedings under way at Castleconnor on Sunday from 1pm as he takes on Michael Bruen in the junior C singles event, while Garoid Hughes plays local left-hander Mark Murphy in the junior B singles, and the final game is the silver masters B singles between George Miller and Sligo’s Martin Cooney.
St Coman’s, Roscommon, host the provincial Gael Linn finals this Sunday from 11am and in all there are six teams confirmed for the popular mixed doubles u13 event.
