Sam Buckley has reclaimed the Irish Senior Nationals Men’s A title he lost last year to Conor Moran while Hannah Craig retained her Women’s A title for the third year in a row, winning a thriller at Fitzwilliam in Dublin against Breanne Flynn.
Buckley, the PSA men’s No.105, was denied winning a fourth title in a row 12 months ago when Moran dramatically struck back from 0-2 to win 3-2. However, he roared to an emphatic 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-6) victory this time around against the PSA No.141.
The opening game was critical, with Buckley pipping his Sutton clubmate 11-9, and he drove on from there, winning the next two games by convincing 11-2 margins.
“It means the world to me,” he said. “Leaving here empty-handed last year was probably one of the lowest points I have ever had on a squash court. To be two-love and 8-4 up and find a way to lose was tough.
“I spent many days, probably every day to be honest, since last year thinking about it, how I am going to right that wrong.”
Buckley’s match took just 44 minutes to complete, which was in sharp contrast to the 77-minute, five-game Women’s A epic where Craig eventually pipped Flynn 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9).
Last year’s decider between the pair ended 3-0 in Craig’s favour, but this year’s rematch was a remarkable contest.
The Calgary-based Craig, the PSA women’s No.66, struck first, taking game one, but she lost the next two games to trail 2-1.
Flynn, the PSA No.104, then threatened to take the title in the fourth. The game eventually went to a tie-break that Craig managed to nick 12-10 and she then carried the fifth 11-9 to clinch her title hat-trick. “This one was probably the most important one of the last three years,” she said.
“It was such a brutal battle with Breanne: I know she is playing so well. Anyone could have taken that match, so I had to really dig deep. It means a lot.”
Michael Creaven and Hannah McGugan respectively won the third-place play-offs at the Senior Nationals, while Christian Dromgoole clinched the Men’s A title with a 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 15-13) win over John Abrahamse.
