BADMINTON: Defending champions Chloe Magee and Scott Evans both have byes into today’s Irish National Badminton Championships quarter-finals at Baldoyle (Sat). Magee is likely to play Claire Flood today and then possibly Alannah Stephenson in the semi-finals tomorrow. Second seed Jennie King will probably face Sinead Chambers in the semi-finals. In the men’s draw, Evans is scheduled to face Scott Burnside in the final, with Joshua Magee and Tony Stephenson the other contenders.
* Update: Scott Evans beat the talented Stuart Lightbody of Lisburn 21-5, 21-10 in the men’s final in two sets, 21-5,21-10. Chloe Magee beat Sinead Chambers of Lisburn 21-10,21-9 in the women’s decider. Defending champions Chambers and Jennie King of Mount Pleasant then beat Pauline and Fiona Glennon to take the women’s doubles 21-14, 20-22, 21-18.
The men’s doubles title went to No.1 seeds Sam Magee and Ian Macbeth when they beat Lisburn’s Tony Stephenson and Tony Murphy 21-15, 22-20. In the mixed final, Sam and Chloe Magee took their sixth national title when they beat Leinster pairing Dan Magee and Fiona Glennon 21-15, 21-14
SURFING: An Irish team will compete at the inaugural International Surfing Association World Stand Up Paddle Games starting in Peru on February 20.
Stand up paddle boarding has caught on in the Dublin area because, unlike conventional surfing, it doesn’t need big waves. Surfers stand on their bigger surf boards and use a paddle to keep going on lakes and rivers. Competition categories include endurance racing, surfing riding and prone paddling.
Representing Ireland in the surfing competition will be three-times Irish champion Finn Mullen of the Causeway Coast Surf Club and Paul Byrne from Dublin-based East Coast Surf Club. Ed O’Farrell, David Owens, Keith Gorman and Jane Downes, all members of the East Coast Club make up the entire racing team. They will take on over a hundred surfers from 20 nations in Peru. Info www.isasurf.ie.
SNOOKER: For more years than anyone care to remember, the Stars of the Future tournaments have nurtured the talent of Ireland’s budding snooker aces. At last weekend’s U-12 and U-13 tournaments in the Ivy Rooms Carlow, local player Corey Ramsbottom from Carlow was in fine form in the U12 competition.
He beat Dublin player Dylan O’Connell in the semi-final and then Fred Connors from Newbridge for his first underage title. In the U-13 event, Michael Woods from Dublin the current U-12 Stars Champion made it through to the final without dropping a frame.
On the other side of the draw, Darragh Cusack also from Dublin was equally dominant. In a tense final, Woods held his nerve to take the title 2-1. This weekend, it’s the turn of the U-14 and U-15 age groups.
Meanwhile, at the Irish Snooker Club Championships in the Gleneagles Hotel, Killarney, Celbridge successfully defended their title. They beat Drumaness from Co Down 3-1, after putting out Minnesota from Antrim in the semi-finals. Making up the Celbridge team were Joe Delaney, Martin McCrudden, Colm Gilcreest, TJ Dowling and John Sutton. High break of the tournaments was a 135 potted by Brendan O’Donoghue of New Institute, Nenagh.
TARGET SHOOTING: A strong Irish team is competing at the annual Intershoot match in the Netherlands this weekend. Ray Kane, Paul O’Boyle and Peter Friend are back after a successful outing last year and are joined Aisling Miller in the air rifle competition. Caroline O’Brien and Peter Friend are shooting air pistol. Also competing is a team from Northern Ireland. Some of the best target shooters from nations such as Italy, Russia, Germany, England and Rumania are in action.
PARALYMPICS: Ireland’s Paralympians will celebrate their achievements at the inaugural Irish Paralympic Awards night, sponsored by OCS, later this year. The awards ceremony on December 7 will follow what is hoped to be a successful outing for the Irish at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Awards will go to the outstanding male and female paralympians of the year, as well as to the best young paralympian and the outstanding newcomer.
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