The 2019 Donegal County Pool Championships take place in the Radisson Hotel in Letterkenny at the weekend.
A jam-packed schedule, which included no less than 7 separate competitions, was on the cards, and saw some fantastic pool being played.
Friday evening saw 3 competitions take place. 6 ladies took part in the inaugural Ladies Championships, and it was Dungloe’s Helena Sharkey who came out on top. Helena has represented Ireland at a number of international competitions, and in February gone reached the quarter final of the Ladies European Championships.
In the under 23s section, it was Kilcar’s Luke Donegan who reigned supreme in a field of 12. 20 players contested the highly competitive over 40s competition. Reigning champion, Tony Mulhern, just missed out on retaining his title – succumbing to his good friend Donal Curran in the wee hours of Saturday morning, on a 7-4 scoreline.
Saturday saw the hugely enjoyable A and B team competitions take place. In the B section, it was last year’s runners up, The Beachcomber, who went one better this time.
Gabriel McAteer potted a really tough black to get his team over the line, winning 9-7. In the A section it was the the Snug Bar from Letterkenny who took the spoils, beating the highly talented Donegal Town team, Fox’s Den in a nail-biting deciding frame!
Sunday saw a field of 32 contest the singles main event. Although not quite firing on all cylinders, Shaun Sharkey managed to dig deep in some tricky matches to make the final, and managed to come out on top against his Donegal teammate, David Moore. This was Shaun’s fifth county title, and his fourth on the trot.
In the men’s plate competition it was Joe Gallagher who came out victorious in a tight final against teammate Mattie Mahon.
Well done to everyone who came along and made it such a fantastic weekend.
The Donegal Pool Association would like to thank everyone who helped make this event possible. The Radisson Hotel for hosting the event, the table provider, CGQ Quinn Snooker and Pool, Irish Pool Online for providing the live stream all weekend. Also, the table and stream sponsors – Donegal Service Station, DM Construction, Letterkenny Readymix, Cassidy Concrete, Charleys Café, Joe Bonnar Metal Crafts, The Stove Store, Steppers Bar in Dungloe, McGuigans Bar in Stranorlar, Rosey Pics Photography, Brittons Pharmacy in Donegal Town, Dohertys Bar in Ardara, Donegal Q Club pool hall in Ballybofey and Owenies Bar in Dungloe.
