|
Success for Lisburn Players at Classic Mineral Water Irish under 19 Championships
Sinead Chambers and Tony Stephenson of Lisburn's Alpha Club are the top young players in Ulster and Ireland lifting four titles between them at the weekend’s Classic Mineral Water Irish under 19 Championships at the National Badminton Centre, Lisburn.
Sinead, 15, and Tony, 17, have been on outstanding form this season starting with medal success at the UK Schools Games in August with Tony winning gold in the boy’s singles and Sinead winning bronze in the girl’s singles. With the season only three months old their trophy cabinets are already filling up.
In the Irish under19s Sinead, who is funded by Sport Northern Ireland, won the girl’s singles and partnered Emma Calow to victory in the girl’s doubles and Tony won the boy’s singles and partnered Gavin McAuley to victory in the boy’s doubles.
A few days earlier Tony, a pupil at Wallace High School won the senor boy’s title in the Ulster Schools Championships, and Sinead who attends Rathmore Grammar won the Junior girls title.
Earlier this month they each won two titles at the Irish junior Championships in Dublin and Sinead won the East of Scotland under 19 title again with her club mate Emma Calow.
Last month they were key members of the Irish under 17 team in the European Championships in Istanbul; just prior to their trip to Turkey in the Irish Under 23 Championships Sinead and Emma won the women’s doubles title, and both Sinead and Tony reached their singles finals.
September was a quiet month for Sinead while Tony reached two senior finals wining the Mount Pleasant Open singles but lost out in the Autumn Open Men’s Singles to Scottish International Stuart Gilliland. He also won the Ulster under 17 Men’s singles and partnered Chris Scott to victory in the Men’s Doubles.
Both these young players are looking forward to meeting world-class players in three weeks time in the Yonex Irish international Championships which will be played at the NBC 6 - 9 December.
Speaking on the success of these two young players Professor Eric Saunders OBE, Chairman of Sport Northern Ireland commented: “It is great to hear of the success of these young players. Sport Northern Ireland is delighted to once again be supporting the Yonex Irish International Championships and I am looking forward to going along to watch our local talent compete.”
|
