Six of the 10 players who won titles at last month’s Connacht Junior Open, the opening event on the 2025/26 Irish tour, have doubled up by winning Ulster Junior Open titles this weekend.
Galway’s Conor Mullery (BU11), Windsor’s Georgie Ryan (GU11), Celtic’s Harry Knox (BU13), Limerick’s Ruby Carroll (GU13), Mount Pleasant’s Michael Lai (BU15) and Sutton’s Zoe Yeomans (GU19, pictured abive playing for Ireland in Cairo) all followed up their success in Galway three weeks ago by coming out on top in Belfast at tour event number two.
All six were convincing winners in their respective categories, but the GU13 win by No.2 seed Carroll stood out as she picked off the top-seeded Aurora McDonnell, who won a Danish Junior Open title two weeks ago in Copenhagen.
Of the four Ulster events where there was a different winner from the tournament in Connacht, two featured reverse results from those September finals with the No.2 seeds, Belfast’s Gabby Curran (GU15) and Celtic’s Aaron Knox (BU19), getting the better on this occasion of a No.1 duo, Mount Pleasant’s Zoe Nyhan and Sutton’s Conal Jackson.
Meanwhile, Zoe Sheridan, the No.1 from Sutton, won the GU17 while her clubmate Danny Jones triumphed in the BU17. Jones belied his No.4 seeding by beating the No.2 Samuel Hann in his round-robin group and then eclipsing the No.1, Celtic’s Adam Power, in the final.
A total of 99 players registered for the tournament in Ulster hosted by Belfast Boat Club and Windsor.
Ulster Junior Open finals
BU11: Galway’s Conor Mullery [1] WON 3-1 (13-15, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3) v Dunhill’s Dylan Murphy [2]
GU11: Windsor’s Georgie Ryan [1] WON 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-3) v Windsor’s Sofia Heron [2]
BU13: Celtic’s Harry Knox [1] WON 3-1 (11-4, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9) v Sutton’s Eoin O’Brien [2]
GU13: Limerick’s Ruby Carroll [2] WON 3-0 (11-3, 11-2, 11-3) v Mount Pleasant’s Aurora McDonnell [1]
BU15: Mount Pleasant’s Michael Lai WON 3-0 (11-2, 16-14, 11-4) v Sutton’s John Quigley [3]
GU15: Belfast’s Gabby Curran [2] WON 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-3) v Mount Pleasant’s Zoe Nyhan [1]
BU17: Sutton’s Danny Jones [4] WON 3-1 (11-9, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7) v Celtic’s Adam Power [1]
GU17: Sutton’s Zoe Sheridan [1] WON 3-0 (11-1, 11-7, 11-4) v Highfield’s Maggie Jones [6]
BU19: Celtic’s Aaron Knox [2] WON 3-0 (12-10, 11-7, 11-7) v Sutton’s Conal Jackson [1]
GU19: Sutton’s Zeo Yeomans [1] won the four-player round robin on six points, four points ahead of Sutton’s Rebecca Jackson [3]
