High quality served up at Meath Open

ON the same weekend as Wimbledon came to a conclusion the 40th Meath Open Tennis Championships also ended at Kells on Saturday in bright sunshine. The finals ended a week of high quality tennis with the warm weather ensuring that the matches were played in ideal conditions with some high quality fare served up. Players from far and wide made their way to Kells over the course of the week as they sought to make their mark in this well established event on the local sporting landscape. Among the players who sought to make their mark was Jim McKeever from Stackallen who has missed only a handful of Meath Open Tennis Championships over the past four decades. This year proved to be a particularly memorable championship for Dubliner Conor Carroll who won the men"s singles title. Carroll proved unstoppable and he ran out winner on a 6/3, 6/1 scoreline in the decider against Cormac Deady from Trim. Michelle Hardiman from Dublin turned back the clock and switched on the style to claim the women"s senior crown. Hardiman won the title 21 years previously when she was only 17 and she conjured up the magic again working her way to the final where she come up against Kells player Aoibheann Tully. There was little to divide the players in the opening set which Hardiman edged 7/5. She maintained the momentum into the second set which she won with relative ease, 6/2. It was a comprehensive victory and achieved with considerable style. And Hardiman wasn"t finished at that as she went on to clinch the ladies doubles title along with her sister Emer. The Hardimans outscored the combination of Emma O"Rorke and Tully, 7/5, 6/2. The winners of the men"s doubles title were Conor Carroll and Kevin Brannigan. They produced the goods to get the better of Ken Butterfield and Peter Nangle who know what is required to prevail at this level as they had bagged the title on seven previous occasions. The mixed doubles final proved to be a real ding-dong affair with the balance of play going one way, then the other before the Kells Tennis Club combination of Tully and Daire Gargan emerged the victors. The Tully, Gargan partnership eventually got the better of Emer Hardiman and Kevin Brannigan but only after a sustained struggle and on a score of 0/6, 6/3 and 6/4. Two Kells club members who made it to three finals at various grades including Sarah Curran and Hilda Melia and they contributed to a memorable week of action. The sponsors Imperative Energy and Yore"s Garage Maghera, made available a variety of prizes and trophies. The organisers thanked all the players who took part, officials, the sponsors and anybody who helped out in ensuring the the 40th Meath Open Tennis Championships were ran off smoothly.