An eight-strong squad will represent Ireland at the upcoming World Junior Championships in Canada in July.
Junior performance coach David Noone will see Aaron Knox of Celtic, the BU19 Nationals champion, and the Sutton trio Conal Jackson, Christian Dromgoole and Tyler Dromgoole take part in the boys Individual event at Niagara-on-the-Lake from July 20th to the 25th.
The quartet will then combine to form the Irish side for the boys’ team event from July 26th to the 31st.
Shriya Drawid of Belfast, the GU19 Nationals champion, and the Sutton duo Zoe Yeomans and Rebecca Jackson will play in the girls’ individual event. They will then be joined by American-based Ella Erickson for the team event.
Knox was the highest placed Irish boys player in the BU19 Individual event at the recent European Championships in Krakow, with Christian Dromgoole 37th, Tyler Dromgoole 39th and Fitzwilliam’s Frank O’Flynn 40th out of 64 players.
Drawid was the highest placed Irish girls player in Poland in March, finishing 21st with Mount Pleasant’s Riley Slade 26th, Erickson 34th and Yeomans 35th out of 53 players.
The team event at the Europeans was a mixed competition, and the Irish six – Conal Jackson, Knox, Christian Dromgoole, Drawid, Erickson and Yeomans – finished 11th out of 14.
Three of this year’s boys selection played at last year’s World Junior Championships in Egypt, with Knox and Christian Dromgoole reaching second round of the BU19 Individual and Conal Jackson featuring in round one. In the GU19 individual, Yeomans won through to round two.
The Irish men’s team of Danny Lynch, Jackson, Dromgoole and Knox finished 20th in Cairo, with the women’s team of Erickson, Ella Walsh, Yeomans and Slade 12th.
Coach Noone will be joined in Canada by manager Róisín O’Shea in Ontario for the team tournament.
