National Titles for Cheung, Rong & Comer

Waterford WIT Arena was the venue for the Irish U17 & U13 Nationals , 15-16th Februay with Ulster players excelling in both competitions. Matthew Cheung took home all 3 titles at the U17 Irish Nationals, while Jeffery Rong took home the Singles & Boys Doubles Title at the U13 Nationals . Laura Comer was in the winner’s circle again taking the U17 Girls Doubles title. Check out the overview below:

U17 Irish Nationals

Boys Singles

Seeded ¾ for the event Matthew Cheung had a comfortable passage to the Semi final stage where he defeated 2nd Seed Ben Lawlor to progress to the final. There he faced Mount Pleasant’s Vincent Pontanosa and it was an excellent opening set from the Dublin player taking it 22-20. Matthew came storming back in the 2nd set to win it 21-15 to force the decider. It was tight enough in the early stages of the 3rd set but it was the Ulster Emerging Performance Squad player who edged ahead at the break. He finished it off with a commanding performance for the remainder of the set to win 21-16 and his first title of the day.

Girls Doubles

Balyclare’s Laura Comer teamed up with South Dublin’s Sophia Noble to win the Girls Doubles event. Sophia was fresh of winning the Girls Singles event earlier in the day and the pair looked confident in their semi Final match again Kothiyal/Murtagh winning 21-8, 21-19. In the final they played the up and coming Flynn sisters, Nessa & Siofra. However, Laura & Sophia controlled the match throughout winning 21-14, 21-14 to take the title.

Boy’s Doubles

The two Boy’s Single’s finalist, Matthew & Vincent, teamed up for the Boys Doubles event and had steady progress to the final. They faced the Top Seeds, Guildea/Lawlor but it was the Ulster/Leinster combo who took the first set 21-15. It was a closer affair in the early stages of the second set but Matthew & Vincent won some critical points coming out after the mid game break. They maintained their lead to take the 2nd set 21-16 and Matthew’s second title of the day.

Mixed Doubles

The 2 singles winners were the 2nd seeds for the mixed event but were made to work for their Semi-final spot coming through their QF in 3 sets against Pontanosa & Flynn. A 21-16, 21-18 win in the Semi against Kong/Bogoslovskaya ensured their progressed to the final with the opportunity of both Matthew & Sophia to win their 3rd title of the day. The final was a tough match against Ulster’s Laura Comer & Scott Guildea, with Laura and Scott playing a great opening set to take it 21-16. Matthew & Sophia took the second in similar fashion 21-15 and maintain their playing level in the 3rd set to win 21-14. 3 titles each for Matthew & Sophia!

 For full U17 results click here 

U13 Irish Nationals

Boy’s Singles

Jeffery Rong fulfilled his 2nd seed position to reach the final of the boy’s singles and faced 1st Seed Andrew Hassett in the Final. The opening set was extremely close but it was the Ulster Raw Performance Squad player who took it 22-20. Jeffery took the momentum of winning the first set into the second set and played some great stuff to win 21-13 and the Boy’s Singles Title.

Boy’s Doubles

Jeffery & Singles final opponent Andrew were paired together for the doubles event and were seeded 1 for the event. They had a comfortable progression to the final not dropping any sets and played the Dublin pair Cowman & Copinath. The top seeds had a great start to the match taking the first set 21-8. Their opponents upped their game in the second set but it was Jeffery & Andrew how came out on top 21-15 to take the title.

Girls Doubles

Raphoe’s Kimberly Pearson & Alpha’s Amber Buchanan were seeded 2nd for the girl’s doubles event and played very well to reach the final not dropping a set en route. They faced the in form Top seeds Joy/Pender in the final and it proved a match to far for the Ulster pair losing out 21-9, 21-12. A Silver medal and a good performance gained.

Mixed Doubles

Alpha’s Jeffery Rong & Raphoe’s Kimberly Pearson played very well in the opening rounds of the event and moved smoothly into the final. They faced the Top seeds of Hassett/Joy and it was a tough match for the young Ulster Pairing losing out 21-15, 21-8.

 For full U13 Results Click here 

Well done to all winners, Medalists and competitors. Thanks to Badminton Ireland for running the event.