U15/U19 Irish Open: Round-up

Scotland’s young shuttlers put in a valiant set of displays at last weekend’s Irish Open in Dublin, coming away with two silver medals from the three-day event.

Abbie Barrie was the pick of the performers as she took silver in the U15 mixed doubles final alongside Ireland’s Rhys MacAuley, while Katrina Chan and Ishbel McCallister also took an impressive silver in the U19 women’s doubles.

There were also semi-final appearances for Angus Meldrum and Iona Muir in the U19s singles, while Barrie was also beaten in the semi-finals in the U15 girls singles and girls doubles alongside Ireland’s Anna Lucy O’Sullivan.

Barrie and McAuley lost narrowly to top seeds Andrew Hassett and Nicole Joy, 21-19, 21-15 in the U15 mixed doubles final, with Joy also taking gold in the girls singles final after overcoming Barrie 21-8, 21-7 in the semi-final.

The Inverness shuttler also lost out in the girls doubles semi-final in a thrilling battle that went the distance, as top seeds from Ireland Amber Buchanan and Kimberly Pearson came back from one set down to take their place in the final 16-21, 21-19, 24-22.

There was also a titanic three-set battle for Angus Meldrum, as he lost 20-22, 21-14, 21-10 to eventual gold medallist Hanz Haiqal of Malaysia.

It was a similar fate for fellow Glaswegian Iona Muir, who took the opener 21-15 against Rosalina Langhoff before the Dane roared back to take the next two 21-10, 21-8 on her way to silver.

In the U19 women’s doubles, Chan and McCallister clinched silver after beating Irish duo Neasa and Siofra Flynn 18-21, 25-23, 21-16 in the semi-finals before losing to England’s Matilda Franklin and Yulia Tang 21-10, 21-7 in the final.

Elsewhere in the women’s doubles, Sophie Barrie and Sophie Ford reached the last 16 before defeat to Amalie Kjalke and Rosalina Langhoff while Iona Muir and Brooke Stalker reached the last eight before defeat to top seeds Laura Comer and Sophia Noble.

In the men’s doubles, pairs Howard Yau Lok Cheuk and Theo Johnston, Finlay Jack and Evan Kenny, Anthony Mcguire and Angus Meldrum, and Richard Adams and Ross Macartney all fell at the Round of 16 hurdle.

It was a similar story in the mixed doubles, with Callan Short and Jessica Randall, Evan Kenny and Iona Muir, Howard Yau Lok Cheuk and McCallister, and Anthony Mcguire and Brooke Stalker all exited before the quarter-finals.

However, fourth seeds Angus Meldrum and Sophie Ford reached the quarters before a 21-7, 21-18 defeat to German pair Philipp Euler and Constanze Winnefeld, while Finlay Jack and Sophie Barrie lost to second seeds Florian Otto and Pheline Kreuger in a thrilling 17-21, 21-15, 21-14 battle.

In the men’s singles, Evan Kenny was the best of the rest behind Angus Meldrum. The Kilmarnock athlete reached the Round of 16 before a 21-11, 21-15 defeat to fourth seed Kevin Baum.