Mark Edwards (Blakes of the Hollow Manager), Lisa Greaves (Erne Business), Maxine Leary (Tournament Director) and Patrick Blake (Blakes of the Hollow, Owner).
This week sees over 100 players descend on Enniskillen Tennis Club to contest the 2014 West Ulster Open Tennis Championships.
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Fermanagh’s most famous establishment “Blake’s of the Hollow”, the competition for all 14 titles is certain to be intense, with an impressive prize fund of £2500 on offer.
The battle for the Men’s A title is one of the most difficult to call in years with Butt Hall’s in form Francis Venson travelling from Donegal as the number one seed. However, he will face a severe challenge from 2011 champion Conor Schelling Tisza and local favourite Matthew McGann just returned from a superb showing representing Ireland at the World Team Championships in Florida.
The A Ladies singles will see a new winner crowned with local junior Laura Griffin hoping to add her home club senior title to the senior Fermanagh Open Title which she won in Irvinestown, last July. She will however, first have to overcome club coach Louise McGann along with Omagh’s Nikki Hawkes and Irvinestown’s Donna McSorley.
This week’s B events are expected to produce some of the most competitive tennis of the week with Irvinestown’s Francis Taggart looking to repeat her treble winning exploits from a year ago. Francis will again be partnered by Joanne Daly in the Ladies Doubles and Donal Burns in the Mixed doubles. The B Men’s singles sees Enniskillen’s Chris Cieplucha seeded one with Donegal’s Joseph Bonner at two. Joseph will be looking to follow up his strong form from last week’s West of Ireland Open in Sligo with victory here and possibly the men’s doubles where he forms a formidable partnership with Drew Chambers.
As ever, some of the largest draws are to be found in the C Sections with Irvinestown’s Brendan King looking to go one better than his second placed performances from last year in both the singles and mixed doubles. He will face stiff competition in the singles from Omagh’s Adam McQuade and Enniskillen’s Brendan Duffy while Cavan pairing of Joe Grimes and Orla Malone will be leading the opposition in the mixed doubles. Similarly, Mary Gilgunn, runner up in the ladies doubles for the last two years, who is partnered this year by fellow Manorhamilton player, Bernie McManus will want to regain the title she last won in 2011 but will have to deal with local pairing Maxine Leary and Enid Redmond as well as in form Irvineswon pairing of Wendy Eaton and Mary McCoy if she is to succeed.
As players from clubs stretching from Belfast to Longford congregate and with the weather forecast looking very favourable for the weekend, the organisers are hoping for large galleries over the Saturday and Sunday matches as the competitions draw to a climax.
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