Sunday, September 1, 2013

Connacht titles for Earlis, Fox & Harte


"Opening the door" - Jason Earlis Connacht U-17 singles  60 x 30 champion 


Connacht titles for Ealis, Fox & Harte writes Michael McGee.

Juvenile players are continuing their huge potential and this was evident in the Connacht Juvenile Championships which took place in the newly opened 60 X 30 court in Belcarra on Saturday. Sligo was represented in the Boys U17 singles & doubles & Girls U16 singles.  Sligo made it a U-17 double with Jason Earlis singles & Stanley Harte & Pat Fox all securing titles for the Yeats County.

Earlis from the Castleconnor club who has already cemented a great season for the Sligo teenager when he was part of the Castleconnor side that won an historic first Connacht Interclub 60 x 30 title in July. Earlis had a terrific battle with Galway’s Ronan O’Beolain in the semi-final but came through  a testing challenge by 21-12, 21-12. In the final he defeated Mayo’s Pat Cummins comprehensively by 21-5, 21-4. Earlis will meet the Leinster champion in two weeks time in the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Representing Sligo in the doubles was an all Collooney combination of Stanley Harte Jnr & Patrick Fox  who defeated Mayo’s Nathan Massey  & Alan Kenny in a hard fought match. The Sligo players  went into an 16-8 lead but let it slip with a Mayo comeback. Harte & Fox’s shot selection let them down at times and in a tense finale to the first game Sligo held their nerve and took the opening game by 21-17. In the second a more relaxed Harte & Fox played exceptional handball and took complete control with superior finishing winning out by 21-7. Harte & Fox will now face Leinster champions in Kilkenny’s Darragh O’Shea & Mark Dowling in the All-Ireland semi-finals. Sligo’s prospects of a treble at the Connacht finals ended when Aoife Quinn was defeated by Roscommon’s Fiona Tully in straight games in the Girls U-16 singles final.

Sligo only representatives in the All-Ireland handball 60 x 30 championships semi-finals Francis McCann & Martin Golden lost out to Meath’s Christy McGovern & John “ Boy” Molloy from Meath by 12-21, 13-21 in the Golden Masters A doubles.  McCann recovered sufficiently from an injury the previous week to play the game and gave a terrific display. Despite McCann’s gutsy performance the Meath duo’s overall strength unhinged Sligo and paved the way for the win for the Royal county men.

Connacht Juvenile A 60 x 30 championships finals:
Boys U17 singles:  Jason Earlis (Sligo) dft  Pat Cummins (Mayo) 21-5, 21-4
Boys U-17 doubles: Stanley Harte & Patrick Fox (Sligo)  dft  Nathan Massey & Alan Kenny (Mayo) 21-17, 21-7
Girls U-16 singles:  Aoife Quinn (Sligo) lost to Fiona Tully (Roscommon) 6-21, 5-21

All-Ireland 60 x 30 championships semi-finals

Golden Masters A doubles:  Francis Mc Cann & Martin Golden (Sligo) lost to Christy McGovern & John Boy Molloy (Meath) 12-21, 13-21

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