SQUASH: Madeline Perry and John Rooney will defend their titles at the Irish Squash Senior Nationals already underway at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, Dublin.
Perry, currently world No 4, has had an excellent season, with the highlight a victory at the Singapore Masters last July. She reached finals in both Kuala Lumpar last March and Qatar in October and also made six semi-finals. Perry, Ireland’s most successful player of all time, has 12 Irish national titles to her credit as well as nine WISPA World Tour titles from 22 final appearances.
Perry is likely to face Irish No 2 Aisling Blake in tomorrow’s final (3pm). Blake, world ranked No 26, made the final at the Macau Open last month. She plays in the British Premier Squash League between international assignments, as indeed does Perry.
John Rooney, originally from Galway, is currently assistant squash coach at Yale University in the USA after playing on the pro circuit for over a decade. Among his likely opponents this weekend are the ageless Derek Ryan and former Irish No 1 Arthur Gaskin, who played British league squash.
*Madeline Perry and Arthur Gaskin were crowned Irish Squash National Champions in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club yesterday.
After Blake made a storming start, winning the opening set 11-7, Perry came back to win the next two both at 11-8. Balke then found a second wind winning the fourth 11-9 and forcing a tie-breaking fifth set. It meant the World No 4 had to be at her best to seal her 13th title 11-7 in the fifth.
Carlow’s Arthur Gaskin won a well-earned first Nationals title, beating John Rooney of Galway, champion for the past two years. Gaskin got off to a blistering start winning the opener 11-7. Rooney, currently assistant squash coach at Yale University in the USA, dug deep to win the second 15-14, but Gaskin was a man on a mission and wrapped up the match in the next two sets. Winning the play-off for third place was the ageless Derek Ryan, who beat young pretender Rory Byrne in straight sets.
SAILING: Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern have qualified a 49er boat for Ireland at next year’s London Olympics after making the top 10 at the World Sailing Championships in Perth, Australia. Only the top 14 boats in the regatta, which finishes tomorrow, qualify. Already through to London 2012 is Annalise Murphy in the women’s Laser Radial class.
MARTIAL ARTS: Although she had not fought for two years, Barbara Delaney nailed a third world title when she won the 50kg World Freestyle Karate and Kickboxing Organisation full contact title in Sheffield, England.
The hard-hitting Dubliner took on France’s WKA world champion Melanie Bony, who arrived at the fight complete with film crew.
Delaney took a early lead, winning the first four of ten rounds. Bony attempted to claw her way back into the match but a flurry of punches including a stunning right hand from Delaney in round seven effectively ended her chances. She fought bravely to the end, when it was discovered that she was suffering from a fractured wrist.
A bout between Delaney and Ana Roxo from Portugal for the WIMAAO world title will top the bill at a special women’s only full contact kickboxing show in Artane/Beaumont on February 4.
SNOOKER: Vincent Muldoon of Maynooth SC beat top seed Rodney Goggins of 147 Wexford 5-1 to win snooker’s third senior ranking tournament of the season in Limerick. Muldoon had made the final after beating of New Institute’s Brendan O’Donoghue, fresh from the World Championships in India, in the quarter-finals and then dismissing John Sutton of Celbridge in the semi-finals. Goggins beat Joe Delaney of Celbridge 4-2 in the semi-finals.
BADMINTON: Chloe Magee booked her place at London 2012 despite losing to top seed Pi Honygan of France in the quarter-finals of the women’s singles at the Yonex Irish Open in Lisburn. Magee, partnering her brother Sam Magee also went out in the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles, where they wer etop seeds, to Denmark’s Rasmus Bonde and Maria Helsbol. lost out on a semi final place in the mixed doubles after losing in straight sets to 21-13, 21-10.
Scott Evans went out in the opening round of the men’s singles, after winning in the opening set in his match with eventual winner Rajiv Ouseph of England. ,
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