Young Seán king of the court
Finals organised after an absence of almost 30 years
THE COUNTY squash championships saw a welcome return last week after an absence of almost 30 years.
The last squash county finals were held in 1991 in New Ross and, unfortunately, most squash clubs have long since disappeared.
There are, however, active clubs in Enniscorthy, Barntown and Askamore who provided all the competitors for this year’s county championships.
There are big plans to renovate and, indeed, add to the playing facilities in both Enniscorthy and Barntown in 2020 which will really increase the standard on offer.
The committee of Richard Odlum, Tom Dunphy, Ciarán Whelan, Kevin White and Declan Ruth worked together to oversee the first successful championships for many years which will become an annual fixture in the squash calendar.
The championships were held in the St. Patrick’s (Enniscorthy) club which is located in Pearse Road beside St. Patrick’s Park G.A.A. grounds.
The 2020 county championships were held over five days, with 35 competitors entering and playing off for the men’s ‘A’, men’s ‘B’, men’s ‘C’ and ladies’ championships.
All first round losers entered a plate section and there was a superb standard of squash across all grades over the five days.
The men’s ‘A’ final was contested by Barry Deegan and Seán White. Seán prevailed 3-0, with Barry giving a great account of himself against this superb competitor.
Seán is a prodigious 17-yearold talent who has dedicated himself to the sport and has represented Ireland at youth level and, indeed, won inter-provincial titles to date.
There is no doubt Seán has a massive future in the game and is sure to represent Wexford and, indeed, Ireland for many years to come under the guidance of his father and coach, Kevin White.
The men’s ‘A’ plate final was contested between Paul Lambert and Ciarán Whelan. Paul prevailed as Ciarán had to withdraw due to an unfortunate injury.
The men’s ‘B’ section final was contested by Ray Goggins and Richard Odlum, with Ray coming out on top 3-0 after some very tight games decided the contest.
The men’s ‘B’ plate final was contested by Eunan Doyle and Tom Breen. Eunan emerged victorious on a 3-0 scoreline, with all three games being extremely close.
The men’s ‘C’ section final was featured Eoin Quigley and Graham Doyle, with Eoin coming out on top 3-0 in a very sporting and competitive contest.
The men’s ‘C’ plate section was between Tom Dunphy and Colm Buttle, with the experienced and wily Dunphy successful on this occasion.
Finally, the championships concluded with a titanic battle in the ladies’ final, with Caroline Buyak winning 3-2 against the valiant Julie Fox.
The ladies’ plate was between two young competitors, with Ailbhe White accounting for Hannah Odlum.
A big thank you to our sponsors, John Young and MySport, Enniscorthy, who sponsored the cups and plates respectively.
The committee would like to acknowledge all the participants who took part in what was a great week of squash, and we hope to see them all again next year, with many more also hopefully joining them.