Newcastle’s juniors in great form at Lisburn

Newcastle’s juniors in great form at Lisburn

6 April 2016

NEWCASTLE Tennis Club’s Juniors were out in force, in every age category, for the Lisburn Junior Open, hosted by Hilden Tennis Club at Lisburn Racquets Club.  

The Newcastle juniors jumped in and had a go at this tournament. Luke Crawford narrowly missed reaching the final round of the U-12 novice section, winning three of his four matches and playing excellent tennis. This was Luke’s first competition outside of Newcastle’s home tournament.

His sister, Molly, also played very well in both singles and doubles in the U-14 novice and U-14 main draw respectively).

Molly’s doubles partner, Katie Lowry, also did herself credit in the U-12 main draw singles, showing real promise and making it through to the seeded section of the draw.

Katie’s little sister, Niamh, who was making her debut in public competition, came third in the U-8 round robin.

Aaron McAnulty entered the U-18 novice and the U-16 main sraw. He won the first of his three matches and played some extremely good tennis. The Flanigan siblings, Michael, Sinéad, Ciarán and Patrick, all played well, enjoyed themselves and gained good experience.

Michael won the U-18 novice title in a Newcastle derby against fellow club member Aaron.

Sinéad had a really impressive match, coming back from 5-2 down in the first set to force a tie break which she lost. This did not deter her and she proceeded to take the second set and win the champions tie-break in the third set.

Áine Rice also played her part for the Newcastle team, entering both singles and doubles events and showing consistency in her shots and a really good attitude.

Sister and brother Emma and Joseph Roseingrave joined in the fray and played their first tournament as part of the squad. They showed true determination against some very strong opponents, never losing their good humour despite the outcome.

Gabriel Corrigan won two of his five matches, facing some very tough competition and having fun throughout. 

The great performances from the Newcastle players were in no small measure due to the dedicated hard work of coach Sam Clegg.

Under Sam’s guidance over the last year there has been a very noticeable improvement in every age and ability range for the juniors in the Newcastle club. Juniors and Coach have braved the winter months and kept training going throughout.

Newcastle TC is very thankful to Shimna Integrated College for hosting the youngest classes on Tuesdays and Saturdays in their new sports hall, allowing training to continue which would otherwise have had to be suspended due to the inclement conditions.

Coach Sam was a very gracious host to all the Newcastle participants, making sure everyone was comfortable and enjoyed themselves. While not playing tennis, the Newcastle juniors were able to relax and play badminton, squash and table tennis between matches. There was reasonable weather throughout the week and it was an excellent experience for everyone concerned. Roll on next year!

Newcastle Tennis Club’s AGM will be held at the Newcastle Centre tomorrow (Thursday) at 7.30pm. All are welcome.

Coaching for the next term recommences this week. The 2016-17 membership year commenced on 1st April. Now is the time for existing members to renew and new members to join. Full details and membership forms available at newcastletennisclub.com. All welcome. Any enquiries contact Secretary Rachel Corrigan (07591 762061).