Hynes and Lambert dethrone Buggy and Walsh in classic 4 wall county senior final

Report by AOB

A brilliant display from Tommy Hynes and Paul Lambert wrested the county 4 wall senior open doubles title from the grasp of reigning champions Gavin Buggy and Adam Walsh at a packed St. Josephs Community Centre yesterday. The latter partnership had won the championship in the black and white of St. Josephs in 2019, but there was to be no instant success in their ‘new’ colours as Hynes and Lambert combined brilliantly to win a first 4 wall title together, on a scoreline of 21-14, 21-11.

Both games were strikingly similar in how they evolved, with scores very tight up to the half way point before the more effective and cohesive work of the winners paid dividends. In this respect the efforts of Lambert in particular were noteworthy as he mixed clever attacking play with some great retrieving and he had by far the better of the argument on the right hand side of the court. Hynes was his usual dynamic self on the left and when the opportunities presented themselves, as they frequently did,  he applied the coup de grace in his own inimitable way.

It was all too much for the 2019 champions and an end to Buggy’s run of seven consecutive county 4 wall senior doubles titles.  Ironically, Buggy had won the title with each of the other three players on court in his time at St. Mary’s, St. Josephs and now back again at Emmet Place, but on this occasion, despite a spirited performance from him and the promising Adam Walsh, the better pairing always looked likely winners.