Mixed Luck for Wexford in All Ireland 4-Wall Doubles Championship Finals

The curtain came down on the 4-Wall season last weekend in Kingscourt with the All Ireland 4-Wall Doubles Championship Finals. It was another exciting weekend with a large number of finals decided on a tie break.

The good run of form of Wexford players in national events continued with Wexford pairings claiming victory in three of the five grades they contested.

The St Mary’s duo of Gavin Buggy and Paul Lambert got the ball rolling in the right direction, on home turf in St Joseph’s, by beating Mayo pairing Joe McCann and Joe Dowling in the over 35 grade.  Having just hung on 21-18 in the first game, the local’s saw out the second comprehensively 21-13 as Buggy got one back on McCann who had beaten him in the singles decider a few weeks previously.

In the under 21 decider, Taghmon’s Mark Doyle and St Mary’s Josh Kavanagh proved far too strong for Justas Dambinskas and Szymon Polewski of Monaghan. Doyle and Kavanagh easily won the first game 21-8 before following up in style with a 21-0 victory in the second. The Wexford men were simply at a different level compared to Dambinskas and Polewski.

Tom Byrne and Jimmy Dunne had to fight right till the end in their Diamond Masters B clash with Mayo pair Joe Cummins and Seamus Hughes. The yew county-men were well on top in the opening game winning that 21-8. Though the Kilmyshall duo fought back to narrowly claim the second game 21-19. Going into the tiebreaker Cummins and Hughes would have looked like favourites on paper but Byrne and Dunne done enough to win 11-9.

Castlebridge Brothers Stephen and Brendan Murphy suffered defeat in their Emerald Masters B decider against Monaghan duo Peter Duffy and John McGeough. The Ulstermen started the better winning the first game 21-13. Despite a brave effort the Castlebridge men were unable to level things up in the second game with Duffy and McGeough running out 21-14 winners.

In the Golden Masters B Antrim’s Sean McGurn and Niall McDonnell proved too strong for Kevin Doyle and Tomas O’Shea. The Davidstown pair put it right up to the Antrim duo in the opening game and were only narrowly defeated 21-19. The intense battle in that opening game, may have took its toll on Doyle and O’Shea as the Antrim men ran out very easy winners in the second game 21-6.

 

Results:

DMBD Wexford (Tom Byrne/Jimmy Dunne) bt Mayo (Joe Cummins/Seamus Hughes) 8-21, 21-19, 11-9

EMBD Monaghan (Peter Duffy/John McGeough) bt Wexford (Stephen Murphy/Brendan Murphy) 21-13, 21-14

GMBD Antrim (Sean McGurn/Niall McDonnell) bt Wexford (Kevin Doyle/Tomas O’Shea) 21-19, 21-6

U21 Wexford (Mark Doyle/Josh Kavanagh) bt Monaghan (Justas Dambinskas/Szymon Polewski) 21-8, 21-0

O35A Wexford (Gavin Buggy/Paul Lambert) bt Mayo (Joe McCann/Joe Dowling) 21-18, 21-13