Munster Senior Interprovincial Champions 2010.
Wow, there's a lot to write about here so where to start.
It's being 17 years since Munster last won the Senior Interpros, which is too long. We have come close twice in recent years. In 1999 in Limerick and 2000 in Galway we finished joint first with Leinster. I was lucky enough to have being part of both of those teams and when I stopped playing for a few years in 2001 it never crossed my mind that I would be part of a winning Interpro team. Another person who was on both of those teams and the winning team in 1993 was our non-playing captain Liam O Brien, whose experience was invaluable all weekend. He kept us motivated, grounded, hydrated and anything else we needed, great job Liam.
To give Leinster credit they are the team to beat every year and no matter what team they select from their vast array of players they will always be favourites but favourites don't always win and this year was one of those years.
When the team was announced I felt we had a very strong team and a very flexible team in that it gave us options for singles and doubles which strengthens any team.
I know the others felt the same and that helps your confidence. The people selected had being playing well over the summer and people were putting in a lot of individual practice sessions also and this definitely helped.
I got selected last year and while I thought I deserved it and that I was ready, when we got to Omagh I found I was nowhere near the pace.
Interpros is different to an open tournament, your mind set is different, the pressure is different and the atmosphere is different. If you lose in an open you only have to deal with your own emotions or maybe your partner but in an Interpro you have a full team counting on you and this can affect people in different ways and last year I had forgotten about this and wasn't ready for the event.
This year I think the whole team was ready for that, we were a team from first thing Thursday morning when we got on the train and we stuck together to whole weekend.
Each match was supported like it was a Davis\Federation Cup final and each player responded accordingly. This was evident from the first round of matches on Friday when Jamie was a set and 3-1 down to an inspired Nelson Boyle and after one point in the fifth game the match turned, Jamie started believing and Nelson started doubting. Jamie went on to win in a third. This win confirmed the believe within the team and at the end of Friday we had beaten Ulster 4-2.
Saturday started with Leinster and we were in good spirits. You never know what is going to happen during the course of a match and trying to predict results, especially in interpros, is never easy.
Our first 2 singles were on court and as the first sets got going it looked like it would finish 1-1, Jamie was well up and Niamh was down, to someone who could have won Wimbledon the way she was playing. This was a tough start for Niamh as on the previous day she was playing someone who was also playing flawless tennis but where Jamie dug deep yesterday Niamh wasn't going to be beaten today. She stuck in there until chances arrived and when they did she took them and turned what looked like defeat into a victory which hurt Leinster's confidence. Unfortunately Jamie's match turned midway thru the second when he cramped in both legs to the point where he could barely stand upright. So as we had thought earlier we were at 1-1.
The next matches on court were the number 2 singles and one person who inspired all weekend was Andrea. I met Andrea for the first time last year and I was as impressed then as I am now. If poker were her game she would be rich, she has a game face that gives nothing away. Only for the scoreboard we couldn't tell if she was up or down. She is there for a fight and if you're not willing to fight you've lost as was the case in all 3 of her singles matches. She has such a variety of shots that she was able to cope with whatever was thrown at her and give it back better. You have a fan here!
Our mens 2 singles was played by Paul Fitzgerald and he was like a man possessed. I knew a few weeks prior to the event that Paul was really up for this interpro as he was none stop practice and talk about the weekend. I also think he had a point to prove, last years interpros weren't great for Paul and he didn't do himself justice, I don't think he'd disagree with me here, but this year from the first match, where I partnered him in doubles, he wasn't going to be beaten. Paul has the most positive, up beat attitude on court when he is prepared and he was ready for anything this weekend.
As I said earlier about not be able to predict results this was the case in our 2 doubles matches, as the matches progressed the men lost the first, the women won theirs, both second sets were tight with the women having a match point and the men saving break points not to go behind on a few occassions. Into the third sets the women, Aoife and Joanne, were having a great battle with Lesley and Aine, with all playing some fabulous tennis, and were still there at the death before eventually losing 7-5.
For me one of the form players on our team was Cian Blake, my doubles partner against Leinster, who had a few weeks earlier played near perfect doubles to win Rushbrooke with his brother Jamie, and we were now in a very good game trying to do our bit for the team. Our match swung a few times in the third and none more so than at 5-3 down in the third we had to break to stay in the match, between us we made 4 good returns and held on. This plus the unbelieveable support from courtside helped us go on and win 7-5 in the third.
We finished the Leinster match with a 4-2 victory and this set up an afternoon of matches where the faith of the cup was in our own hands. As it stood ourselves, Leinster and Ulster were on 8 points each and with Leinster and Ulster to face each other we knew we had a great chance.
Again Jamie and Niamh did the business for us, as did Andrea, this left Kevin to hopefully keep the momentum going. I've known Kevin a long time and he is always smiling, upbeat and ready for fun, well if you saw him before this match he was expressionless and pale, but very, very focussed. He played a fabulous game and didn't give a very good opponent a sniff to give us a 4-0 lead.
This left the 2 doubles and our girls had the perfect start, winning the first set 6-2, but Connaught weren't going to give it to them easy and after a hard fought second set and some great doubles from Aoife and Joanne they came thru 7-6 in the second to edge us closer to victory.
While our last match was on, so was Ulster V Leinster ladies doubles and at this stage Ulster were leading 4-1 in matches so to be certain of victory we needed to win the mens doubles.
Again Connaught were in no mood to hand it to us and with Tom and Garrett playing well, Paul and I were up against it. After 2 tough sets and a nerve wrecking end (we served for it at 5-3 and lost and then broke at 5-6 to force a tiebreak) we didn't need Leinster's ladies doubles victory, we won it on our own.
We were now Senior Interprovincial Champions for 2010, and what a feeling. This is definitely the proudest moment of my sporting career and I couldn't have shared it with a nicer bunch of people.
Results:
Vs Ulster
Jamie Blake V Nelson Boyle 1-6, 7-5, 6-1
Niamh Coveney V Lynsey McCullough 3-6, 1-6
Kevin Rea V Adam Boyle 7-6, 6-7, 5-7
Andrea Maughan V Emily Madill 7-6, 7-6
Paul Fitzgerald\Rob Leahy V Carlos Miranda\Karl Donaldson 6-3, 6-2
Aoife O' Neill\Joanne Williamson V Julie Thompson\Alexia Russell 6-3, 6-2
Vs Leinster
Jamie Blake V Gary Kilduff 6-2, 3-6, 1-6
Niamh Coveney V Lisa Lawlor 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
Paul Fitzgerald V Steve Taylor 6-3, 6-3
Andrea Maughan V Tanya Murtagh 7-6, 6-1
Cian Blake\Rob Leahy V Mark Carpenter\Mike Johnston 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Aoife O' Neill\Joanne Williamson V Lesley O Halloran\Aine Leonard 6-4, 5-7, 5-7
Vs Connaught
Jamie Blake V Alan McCormack 6-3, 6-4
Niamh Coveney V Aisling Towey 6-0, 6-4
Kevin Rea V Neil McLoughlin 6-3, 6-2
Andrea Maughan V Marion Hanley 6-3, 6-1
Paul Fitzgerald\Rob Leahy V Tom McGrath\Garrett Barry 7-5, 7-6
Aoife O' Neill\\Joanne Williamson V Deirdre Collins\Aoife Wilson 6-2, 7-6
Munster Women | Munster Men Non-Playing Captain |
