Masters Interprovincials – Dublin 2015

The Munster Masters teams travelled up to Dublin last weekend for the Irish Masters Interprovincials. Last years event in Cork went poorly for the Munster teams and despite some close matches they were unable to win any of the divisions. This year the Munster teams were looking for revenge this season and strong panels were travelling up for the tournament.

The teams were:

Ladies Over 50 – Claire Jones (Capt), Barbara Murray, Rose Quilter, and Dympna Riordan.
Ladies Over 35 – Mandy Collins (Capt), Sandra Gleeson, and Siobhan O’Malley.

Mens Over 45 – John Dineen, Tommy Horgan, Eddie Murphy, Timmy McCarthy, Conor O’Neill, Kevin O’Rourke (Capt), and Brian O’Sullivan.
Mens Over 55 – Ml Conlon, Donal Coughlan, Martin McDonnell. James McSweeney, Ml Mulhall (Capt), Jim O’Callaghan, Eamonn O’Keeffe, and Neil O’Sullivan.
Mens Over 65 – Barry Cullinane, Johnnie O’Donovan, Noël Murphy, Tim Murphy, and Joe Whelan (Capt).

The Mens O55 had a great tournament, winning their division with great wins over the other provinces. It’s hardly surprising though, as this group of players have been dominant in Masters Squash for over a decade. Michael Conlon from Ennis CBS had a pivotal role winning a fantastic match to take title for the Munster team.

Similarly the O65 men were too strong for their opponents, winning their division in great style. It was the Sundays Well player, Tim Murphy who was their top man, winning all his matches in tough contests.

The Mens 045 team gave a great account of themselves just coming up short despite some great individual performances. Highfield’s Kevin O’Rourke put in ferocious work in all his matches and led the team by his example. Silversprings’ Eddie Murphy showed a deft touch and great squash against some very tough opponents.

The ladies teams were also unlucky, including the O35 team who were on their first outing led by the Munster Ladies Captain Mandy Collins and new masters players Siobhan O’Malley and Sandra Gleeson. The O50 ladies were within a few points of the title but were unable to convert, despite some great tough performances by the ladies.

A good weekend for the Munster teams taking the win in 2 of the 5 divisions and running the other provinces close in all the others. Munster Masters Secretary Martin McDonnell summarised the weekend by saying “It just goes to show that masters squash in Munster is in a very healthy position”. It’s an easy conclusion to draw, especially in Martin’s case where he went undefeated all weekend in the O55 Mens at the number 1 position.