Class prevails as DCU secure Tennis Double

DCU’s top tennis players travelled to Belfast’s Queens University last month with only one thing on their minds – to be crowned both Ireland’s men’s and women’s intervarsity champions for the second consecutive year.

The players travelled up north as red hot favourites and proved exactly why by vastly outplaying their opponents and sweeping several rival teams aside, leaving them trailing in their wake.

Rival participants of the men’s draw may well have breathed a sigh of relief at the news that DCU’s number one player and former Irish Davis Cup team member, Dave O’Connell, could not take part in this year’s competition.

Despite missing their only professional player, DCU still had an abundance of talent on court, young in age but highly experienced nonetheless.

Simon Wrafter, a member of Castleknock Tennis Club, filled the number one spot vacated by O’Connell’s absence.

Wrafter is currently the national university singles runner-up, only losing out to O’Connell in a tight three-set match in November.

Team members Liam Byrne and Brendan Mulligan, along with Wrafter and O’Connell, finished a respectable 7th place in the European equivalent of the Intervarsities in October.

Many Irish tennis cubs suffer from the absence of a continuity of success across both genders.

Fortunately, that is not a problem experienced in DCU, with the ladies proving that they are equally as robust and convincing as their male counterparts.

DCU’s number one player, Niamh Coveney, certainly had a reputation to uphold after being described as Ireland’s “new shining star” as a result of her performance in the Europeans last year. Coveney and her team progressed through Group 1 with ease, winning both matches 6-0.

The quick surface (as a result of overnight rain) posed no problems for DCU as the men brushed aside UCD’s second team 6-0 in their opening encounter.

Despite the retirement of Cal Craven mid-match due to injury, the men secured their place in the semi-final with a comfortable 5-1 victory over NUIG.

The ladies’ team were given a minor scare for the first time in the competition when they were forced into the doubles rubber by the hosts.

However, composure and class prevailed, with DCU closing out the match 5-3 winners. The ultimate showdown awaited the ladies in the final, when they would face arch-rivals UCD.

The men, in determined fashion, came through their semi-final with the greatest of ease, defeating their opponents UCC, 6-0. Queens awaited them in the final.

The ruthless display of tennis shown by DCU in the finals proved exactly why they are currently the dominant force of university tennis circles.

Neither Queens nor UCD could come close to stopping DCU in their stride. In every tie DCU had the edge, sweeping to a 6-0 victory in both the ladies’ final and the mens’.

By clinching the intervarsity double in Belfast last month, DCU proved simply that at the moment, they are untouchable.

Men’s Team: Simon Wrafter, Liam Byrne, Cal Craven, Brendan Mulligan, Daragh Rowan, Mark Sexton, Colm Murphy, Brian Bannon, Pauric McGroarty.

Women’s team: Niamh Coveney, Laura Milner, Chloe Giacometti, Joan Dolan, Clare Keane, Emma Cassidy.