Mixed Fortunes for UCC Tennis

It was a weekend of some lows and highs for UCC Tennis club. Six different teams competed in the Intervarsities event hosted by Trinity College Dublin in Ashbrook Lawn Tennis Club, with Leinster Cricket Club and Rathgar Tennis Club also hosting matches throughout the event.Two teams competed in the Men’s main draw for the tournament, the Men’s first and second teams. The Men’s first team came up against a strong Queen’s University Belfast first team, who managed to defeat the UCC team 5-3 overall in the Quarter-finals in some closely fought games. The Men’s second team played the Queen’s second team in the first round, winning 5-3 overall with some impressive matches in the tie. They progressed to the quarter-finals where they came up against the UCD firsts, who proved to be too strong for them. The Men’s first team went onto win the consolation draw against NUI Galway, winning the tie 5-0 in the final.The Women’s first team came to a similar fate as the Men’s, drawing a very strong Trinity first team, who ended up winning the tie 6-3 overall. Some tremendous encounters were had in this result, and the players were very pleased with how they did despite the loss. The team then went on to win the consolation draw, beating UCD Women’s second team 6-0 in the final.The Women’s second team competed in the Women’s Bowl Tournament, where they encountered a strong Trinity seconds in the first round. The tie was very closely fought, with the team losing 5-3 overall despite being one player short on the day. Following on from this disappointment, the team competed in the bowl consolation draw. UCC was victorious in this draw, beating the Queen’s second team 5-0 in the final.The final two teams competing were, the Men’s third and fourth teams, who were both entered into the Men’s bowl competition. The Men’s third proved victorious overall in this tournament, winning their first round with a comfortable 6-0 against Queen’s fourth team. This was followed by a tough semi-final draw against Trinity’s third men’s team. The encounter proved to be the most closely fought tie in the entire tournament, with UCC prevailing 5-4 in the end, the tie determined by the final doubles match. Following this, UCC triumphed in the final 5-1 against Queen’s third team, with some impressive displays all round. The UCC Men’s fourth team didn’t have as much fortune as the thirds in their first match, narrowly losing to the Mary I’s first team 5-4. This did not dampen their spirits, however, as the fourth team proved to be one of the most entertaining teams of the entire weekend, drawing some of the loudest cheers and biggest crowds. The team progressed through the bowl consolation draw, winning it overall, defeating Queen’s fourth team 5-0 in the final.