Great day For Roscommon In Kilkenny.
Mark Finneran and Thomas Concannon returned home to Oran with titles under their belts, winning their respective youth competitions at the Ireland Players Championship Finals in Kilkenny. It proved to be a good day for Oran, as McDermotts team mate Gerry Fallon won the 2009 All Ireland Poc Fada competition (singles and pairs).
Finneran won the Youth Championship competition, beating pre-tournament favourite Paddy Meaney from Kilkenny 3-2, with all legs won against the throw.
Concannon, the pre-tournament favourite for the Youth Plate competition, won that out on the day, beating Dublin's Dylan Routledge 3-0.
The hat-trick was on for Roscommon, but Mick Egan's early form sadly deserted him, as he went down at the quarter final stage in the Mens competition, to a very good Peter Quinn effort.
Despite some good earlier performances, with 3 wins in the group stage against John Elder (Antrim) 5-1, Fred Holligan (Laois) 5-2, and Dominic Fenlon (Wexford) 5-0, and 5-4 win over an excellent James Broderick (Kerry) effort in the last 16, Egan's last ever effort for Roscommon fell short, as Quinn - in the best display at the last eight stage with a 90 average - gained a deserved 5-1 win.
Quinn won through to the final, beating Cavans Aodhagan O'Neill in his semi-final. John Elder from Antrim, defeated another Antrim player, Brian Cathcart in the quarter finals, and Dublin's Garrett Gray in his semi-final.
John Elder won out the cometition, beating Quinn 6-4 in the final. Elder managed to get on top of Quinn from the start. Despite a mini revival from Quinn, including a 157 checkout in leg 9, Elder held on for a deserved win.
It was ironic in the end, as Egan had beaten Elder 5-1 earlier in the day in the group stages, but Elder improved from his bad start, to finally win his first Ireland Player's Championship.
Grand Finals day also marked the re-appearance of Kerry's Sean Marshall, who has been battling serious illness for several months. It was a welcome return to a great dart player and a very popular member of the national darting fraternity We wish him well on the road to a full recovery.
Men's results:
Last 16:
Mick Egan 5 - 4 James Broderick
Mick Barry 4 - 5 Peter Quinn
William O'Connor 4 - 5 Aodhagan O'Neill
Ricky Dunlop 4 - 5 Damien O'Driscoll
Connie Finnan 5 - 3 Darren Clifford
Garrett Gray 5 - 4 Martin Murphy
Brian Cathcart 5 - 3 Anto McCracken
Sean Marshall 3 - 5 John Elder
Quarter-finals:
Mick Egan 1 - 5 Peter Quinn
Aodhagan O'Neill 5 - 4 Damien O'Driscoll
Connie Finnan 1 - 5 Garrett Gray
Brian Cathcart 2 - 5 John Elder
Semi-finals:
Peter Quinn 6 - 4 Aodhagan O'Neill
Garrett Gray 4 - 6 John Elder
Final:
Peter Quinn 4 - 6 John Elder
Men's Highest Check-out:
170 Peter Quinn

Youths' results:
Championship Quarter-finals:
Paddy Meaney 3 - 1 Ryan Maher
Ryan Courtney 0 - 3 Martin Heneghan
James Gearon 0 - 3 Mark Finneran
Jason Hahessy 3 - 0 Dean Forde
Semi-finals:
Paddy Meaney 3 - 1 Martin Heneghan
Mark Finneran 3 - 1 Jason Hahessy
Final:
Paddy Meaney 2 - 3 Mark Finneran

Plate Quarter-finals:
Ciaran Sullivan 0 - 3 Thomas Concannon
Cathal Murphy 3 - 1 Conor Walsh
Murty Brown 1 - 3 Paul Donovan
Craig Casey 1 - 3 Dylan Rutledge
Semi-finals:
Thomas Concannon 3 - 0 Cathal Murphy
Paul Donovan 1 - 3 Dylan Rutledge
Final:
Thomas Concannon 3 - 0 Dylan Rutledge
Youth's Highest Check-out:
118 Murty Brown

Ladies' results:
Semi-finals:
Sharon O'Brien 2 - 3 Caroline Breen
Maureen Kelly 0 - 3 Denise Cassidy
Final:
Caroline Breen 1 - 4 Denise Cassidy
Ladie's Highest Check-out:
118 Denise Cassidy