IRELAND REGAIN THE APPLETON TROPHY WITH A NARROW VICTORY.
This handsome trophy has been played for since 1987. Ireland last won it in 2010, so the team was determined to use home advantage to regain it this year..
The Irish team consisted of Ronan Rogerson, Nathaniel Healy (C), Jane Morrison, Evan Newell, Alan Looney and Joe McGowan and were facing Campbell Morison, Bill Spalding, Fergus McInnes, Robert Inder, Janice Duguid and Hamish Duguid. The format consisted of doubles and singles, with a structure to ensure that the team internal rankings played each other.
We were blessed with the weather. This was the first dry and warm weekend of the year and the lawns of Carrickmines, in their usual pristine condition, grew faster as the match progressed.
Starting with the Doubles, Scotland took an early lead of 2-1 (details of all scores are below). Only Ronan and Joe won their game. After lunch Singles were played. Evan and Alan won comfortably, Ronan just beat Fergus and Nathaniel narrowly failed against Campbell, Jane went down to Bill and Joe, playing in his first Advanced tournament, fought hard before just losing on time to Robert. In the second round Ronan, Nathaniel and Evan won, so Saturday ended with the Scots holding their one point lead.
Sunday again started with Doubles and again the Scots won two out of three, with only Jane and Evan winning a point. This augured badly, as the Scots had a two point lead with only seven games remaining (Ronan and Campbell, as the two first ranked players, were to play each other twice). As the sun burned the lawns and the east wind dried them, play became intense and concentrated and the Irish challenge gained momentum. Ronan beat Campbell in their first game, though this was reversed in the second. Nathaniel ended his TP drought in beating Bill and Ben Reeves Smyth (substituting for Evan, who had been called away to the Curragh) completed his first competitive TP in beating Robert. Jane then defeated Fergus and it was left to Alan to score the match winning point in beating Janice.
This was a match played in the best of spirits and we look forward to next year’s tussle in Edinburgh. Thanks are due to Carrickmines for allowing us the use of their wonderful lawns and to Anne Marie McGowan for providing us with lovely teas and Pimms!
Event CAI v SCA (at Carrickmines)
Date 25-26.5.13
Winner CAI
Type single
Order firstname
1 Ronan Rogerson & Joe McGowan beat Bill Spalding & Janice Duguid +19
2 Campbell Morrison & Hamish Duguid beat Jane Morrison & Evan Newell +2
3 Fergus McInnes & Robert Inder beat Nathaniel Healy & Alan Looney +12
4 Campbell Morrison beat Nathaniel Healy +1
5 Ronan Rogerson beat Fergus McInnes +1
6 Alan Looney beat Hamish Duguid +3
7 Evan Newell beat Janice Duguid +19
8 Bill Spalding beat Jane Morrison +5
9 Robert Inder beat Joe McGowan +5
10 Campbell Morrison beat Jane Morrison +22
11 Nathaniel Healy beat Fergus McInnes +19
12 Evan Newell beat Hamish Duguid +25
13 Ronan Rogerson beat Bill Spalding +4
14 Janice Duguid beat Joe McGowan +17
15 Robert Inder beat Alan Looney +7
16 Fergus McInnes & Robert Inder beat Ronan Rogerson & Joe McGowan +12
17 Campbell Morrison & Hamish Duguid beat Nathaniel Healy & Alan Looney +22
18 Jane Morrison & Evan Newell beat Bill Spalding & Janice Duguid +2
19 Ronan Rogerson beat Campbell Morrison +25
20 Campbell Morrison beat Ronan Rogerson +26
21 Nathaniel Healy beat Bill Spalding +15tp
22 Jane Morrison beat Fergus McInnes +11
23 Benjamin Reeves-Smyth beat Robert Inder +14tp
24 Hamish Duguid beat Joe McGowan +2
25 Alan Looney beat Janice Duguid +10