Men’s Summer League – Week 1 Report
Run by the Dublin Lawn Tennis Council, the Men’s Summer League kicked off on Friday May 10th.
The men’s summer league will run throughout May and June with group matches played on Friday nights and all day Saturday. This year Donnybrook had a very strong panel of gentlemen getting involved – the club fielded six teams spanning Class 2 to Class 7.
A strong start to the competition saw the club finish the first weekend with 5 wins from 6 fixtures, taking 22 points from a possible 30.
Donnybrook 1 – Won 4-1 vs Fitzwilliam 3 (away, class 2)
Captained by Andrew Kirwan, Team 1 came away with a 4-1 win in Fitzwilliam. Owen Casey’s invaluable experience and some great young talent mean this team is shaping up to have good campaign.
Donnybrook 2 – Won 3-2 vs Laytown / Bettystown 1 (home, class 2)
The undoubted star of the show here was 14 year old Frank Fagan. With the tie locked at 2-2 Fagan clinched it for Donnybrook by taking the third set of his match in style as his teammates looked on. Playing against a very experienced opponent, his ability to hit winners and dominate points was particularly impressive given this was his Senior League debut.
Donnybrook 3 – Won 3-2 vs Malahide 6 (home, class 4)
Singles got us over the line here. Large clubs like Malahide often have resilient, experienced doubles partnerships and this was evident as Donnybook came out second best in both doubles but won all three singles matches.
Donnybrook 4 – Won 5-0 vs Templeogue 7 (away, class 5)
Captain Andrew Synnott lead the way here by only dropping two games in a straight-sets win with double partner Peter Morgan. The team followed his lead by recording a 5-0 win and getting home in plenty of time for the Heineken Cup Final – an obvious incentive to play aggressive tennis this week!
Donnybrook 5 – Won 5-0 vs De Vesci 3 (home, class 6)
The League Training Programme which ran throughout March and April for class 4-7 players has been a big factor in players hitting the ground running. Another 5-0 win here with all players recording straight-sets wins. Well done and thanks to Peter Morgan and Darragh Connaghton for organising the coaching with Owen Casey and Jimmy McDonogh.
Donnybrook 6 – Lost 2-3 vs Castleknock 10 (away, class 7)
With a raft of last-minute injuries and challenging availability this week, Team 6 lost their tie but did secure two points which could come in valuable later in the campaign. Special thanks to Conor McAuliffe and Peter Clarke for stepping in late in the day as subs.
For those playing or wishing to spectate, below is an overview of Donnybrook Men’s Summer League Fixture list.
