Where to start ? Well firstly a huge thank you to BARRY DEMPSEY for coming up to Coleraine at short notice and installing 20 Supreme tables for the event, it was very much appreciated and the tables played great all weekend. To RICKY BIGLEY of STREAMING SERVICES NI who done a superb job with the live stream, very quick in sorting out any problems and very approachable, we would definitely recommend him to anyone looking an event streamed and not only for our sport of Pool. To our sponsor McLEAN BOOKMAKERS for their continued support of our event - Kaci and Georgia-Lee disappointed youze didn't get up to sing and dance for us this time … only joking, lol 😁. To the LODGE HOTEL and all the hospitality from their staff a big thank you for another successful weekend. Thank you to referees ALEX IRVINE and ROBERT HAWKINS and to PADDY LYNCH for his immense contribution to the Top Table team. To LUCY and CARA BELL and AMY MCRANDLE for their help with the ballot and to the coolest man in the room REMO DEVITO for bringing vanilla, honeycomb and parma violet flavoured Morellis Ice Cream to the Top Table 🍦🍧. And last but definitely not least our dedicated Committee at the Top Table, PAULINE LYNCH, GILLIAN ROLSTON and DEREK WHITESIDE all take a bow please for your tireless advance planning and work at the event, incredible job 👏
To you the players, thank you all for making the weekend the success it was. Great to see new faces along with familiar ones and it's especially heart warming to see upcoming talent in the Under 15/18 and 23 age groups. The road ahead looks good.
OUR NEW 2019 - 2020
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
MENS - Declan Brennan
(Newry) 8-7 Gerard Heaney (Belfast)
LADIES - Maryjo McCourt
(Carnlough) 7-1 Roisin Smith (Newcastle)
SENIORS - Ronan
McCarthy (Kircubbin) 7-2 Brian Crilly (Bangor)
MASTERS - Ronan
McCarthy (Kircubbin) 7-5 Brian Crilly (Bangor)
UNDER 23 - Ryan Marcus
(Larne) 7-5 Reece McCloskey (Coleraine)
UNDER 18 - Reece
McCloskey (Coleraine) 7-4 Ryan Marcus (Larne)
UNDER 15 - Reece
McCloskey (Coleraine) 7-1 Tyler Mitchell (Coleraine)
We started off on
Friday night with our Under 15s/18s and 23s, Masters (over 50s) and
Ladies events and all five were very competitive with some memorable
matches. In the Ladies Maryjo McCourt was unstoppable as she stormed
to her second National title. "MJ" won 25 frames dropping
only 4 on her way to the title. In the Final she faced Roisin Smith
who had played great to get there but it wasn't to be and Roisin had
to settle with the Runners Up trophy. It's a good confidence builder
for both girls before they head to Cyprus for the EBA Nations Cup in
November.
In the Masters Final
we had a cracker between reigning Champion Brian Crilly and Ronan
McCarthy playing in this age bracket of over 50 for his first time.
Ronan led 4-1 and looked like running away with it but big Brian dug
deep and brought it back to 5-5. It wasn't to be two in a row for the
Bangor man as Ronan went on to take the next two racks for a 7-5 win.
The Under 23
defending Champion Connor Marron went down to Reece McCloskey in the
first round and one of the Tournament favourites Rory Kinney lost out
in an 11th frame decider to Ryan Marcus. Those two winners would go
on to meet in the Final and in a great match it was Ryan who took it
with a 7-5 success. 16 year old Ryan has now won all three NI Unders
titles, U15/18 and U23, a tremendous achievement indeed.
Sunday was to be
Reece's day though. First he stormed to victory 7-1 in the Under 15
Individual Final over Tyler Mitchell who had beaten the previous
seasons Champion Tyler Hutchinson in the Semis. And to put the icing
on the cake for the 13 year old he added the Under 18 title coming
from 0-2 down to oust Ryan Marcus 7-4 in the Final.
Now to the Seniors
(over 40s). Some great talent and experience on display in this event
and some fantastic matches but when it was all done and dusted the
final pairing was the same as the Masters Final, Brian Crilly against
Ronan McCarthy. McCarthy was on fire and produced a superb display to
win his second title of the weekend by 7-2
The Mens, the
biggest of them all. We had 94 entrants in the Mens and what an event
it was with Declan Brennan defending his title concluding in a nail
biting 8-7 win over the ultra consistent Gerard Heaney. Declan rode
his luck to get there first he trailed Paddy Clarke 3-5 before coming
back to win a deciding 11th rack and what a battle he had against
rank outsider Tom Morgan. The Last 16 match was tied at 5-5 with Tom
in pole position, but Declan forced the match into a 9 ball re-reack
in which he won the lag but decided to give the break away. It turned
out to be the right decision and Declan went through 6-5. His Semi
Final against Rab Fee was lethal stuff as he raced to a 7-0 victory
in about 35 minutes. Meanwhile in the other half of the draw Gerard
had knocked out a lot of peoples tournament favourite Ronan McCarthy
by 6-5 and also took the scalps of Ricky Clyde and Sam Newell before
facing Rab McCullough in the Semi Final. What a comeback from Heaney
as he trailed 3-6 only to take the last four frames including a nervy
decider to make it into the final. Already looking forward to next
years, can Declan make it a hat trick, can Ronan win another NI Mens
title, will Gerard go one step further or will Rab McCullough get
over the Semi Final disappointment to go on to glory. Plenty of
others more than capable too.
Twelve teams battled it out in the Willie Lucas Super 7s Memorial and
it was Remo Devito's Coleraine "Potters" team who defended
their title in a repeat of last years Final against Gordon Boomer's
Highwaymen from Dromara Blackball Pool League. Biggest shock result
of the night was little Lecale League beating the 147 Antrim side by 6-1 in the Group stage !! Allen McKibben led a delighted
Newcastle League to success in the Plate with an 8-4 win against
Coleraine.
Report from our Special Pool Section who had their Festival from Monday - Wednesday to follow.
