Niamh, Priscilla, Dallan and Gavin travelled to Ballina Tennis Club last weekend to compete in the Ballina Open 2023. Below is a breif recap of how the guys got on!
Ladies Doubles
On Friday evening Niamh and Priscilla took to the court to start their Ladies Doubles campaign. There first match was against the No.1 seeded team. Despite a great battle against everything a strong team Niamh and Priscilla lost their opening match, on a sore of 6-3 , 6-3. The ladies then went on to compete for the Ladies Doubles Plate. The Boyle duo stormed through their first two matches, winning 6-1 , 6-0 & 6-2 , 6-3 landing themselves in the Ladies Doubles Plate Final. The ladies were well set for the final and we knew they would fight hard for the win and that they did, winning on a score of 6-1 , 6-4. This was a massive achievement and we couldn't be prouder of Niamh and Priscilla. The ladies set the standard for the rest of the competition and this was only the first of 4 finals the Boyle Teams would reach over the weekend.
Mixed Doubles - Priscilla & Gavin
On Saturday morning Priscilla and Gavin played their Mixed Doubles first round match. This was to be a tough match losing the first set 7-6, they rallied themselves to take the second set 6-0 forcing the match to a championship tiebreak. The tiebreak was tense to say the least going point for point but in the end their Ballina opponents came out on top winning the tiebreak 10-8 to take the match. Priscilla and Gavin then competed for the Mixed Doubles Plate. They went on to win their next two matches 6-3 , 6-4 & 6-2 , 6-1 landing themselves in the Mixed Doubles Plate Final. The final was played on Sunday evening after a long day of tennis. They came up against tough competition and lost the final on a score of 6-3 , 6-3. Again this was a great achievement and they will be back to compete together in the near furture.
Mixed Doubles - Niamh & Dallan
Niamh and Dallan began their Mixed Doubles campaign on Saturday morning with a convinving first round win with a score of 6-3 , 6-0. They went on to win their quarter final match 6-0 , 7-5 and not long after won their semi final match with a score of 6-0 , 6-1 setting them up to play in the Mixed Doubles Final. This match took place late on Sunday evening, again after a long day of matches. However this did not stop Niamh and Dallan putting on a stellar performance in the Final. The Boyle team found themselves playing the No.1 seeded team in the final. Niamh and Dallan fought hard in this match but it wasn't to be their day this time losing out to the very strong father/daughter team from Manorhamilton on a score line of 6-3 , 6-2. The guys did so well to reach the final and we know they will be back up there again in furture competitions. Well done Niamh and Dallan.
Mens Doubles - Dallan & Gavin
On Saturday night Dallan and Gavin played their Mens Doubles semi final against the No.1 seeded team from Ballina. From the get go the Boyle team played with great conviction and took the first set 6-0. They continued this form into the second set winning it 6-3 to win the match, seeing them through to the Mens Doubles Final. On Sunday afternoon Dallan and Gavin took to the court for their Mens Doubles Final. Little did they know the intense match that lay ahead of them. After finding themselves 4-0 down in the first set the guys fought back to win the next 3 games to bring it to 4-3 but their opponents won the next two games to take the first set 6-3. The Boyle team knew they were going to have to fight so hard in the second set to bring the match to a tiebreak. The second set was close the whole way and at 6-6 a tiebreak had to decide the set or match. Thankfully the tiebreak went in the way of the Boyle Team, 7-5, forcing the match to a championship tiebreak. The tiebreak again went point for point until 11-11. Physical and mentally drained the Boyle duo found themselves a point up at 12 - 11 and serving for the match, which I am so glad to say they did, winning the tiebreak 13-11 and the Mens Doubles Final. Another great achievement for the Boyle Team. Well done Gavin and Dallan. Roll on the next one.
The weekend in Ballina was all in all a massive success for Boyle Community Tennis Club. Well done to all involved and we highly recommend other members taking part in cometitions like these. The experience you gain is incredible. You won't regret it!