SQUASH: Both finals at the National Championships in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club yesterday were a repeat of last year's deciders but while Madeline Perry overcame Aisling Blake for the fourth time in six years, to win her sixth title, Derek Ryan reversed last year's final result to beat Stevie Richardson, taking the eighth national title of his career.
Top men's seed Liam Kenny was unable to return to Dublin in time to play after his flight from Pakistan, where he was competing in the World Open, was delayed by fog. His withdrawal, then, left Ryan as top seed, a position he duly justified with a semi-final victory over third seed John Rooney before winning the final 9-3 9-2 9-0.
Perry's triumph proved to be one of the most comfortable of her seven-year dominance of the championships - the 26-year-old from Banbridge, ranked 19 in the world, won her first title in 1997, her winning run only broken in 2000 when injury forced her to withdraw - dropping just one point to her Sligo opponent in a 9-1, 9-0, 9-0 win.
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