PRESS RELEASE
The pairing of Tony Healy from the Ballydesmond Club in Cork and Cavan seniot footballer Paul Brady of Kingscourt in the All-Ireland 40 x 20 Senior Singles final at the O’Loughlin Gaels Club in Kilkenny on Saturday is one of the most eagerly awaited clashes in handball for many years. Both players have been performing remarkably well in the United States Handball Association ranking tournaments over the past two seasons. Brady was the first ever Irish player to win a ranking tournament and is now the No. 3 player on the US circuit with Healy in the No 7 slot. The Cork player won three successive All-Ireland Senior Singles titles from 1999 to 2001 but surrendered his crown to Eoin Kennedy of Dublin in 2002. He was certainly very much in form in defeating Kennedy in the semi-final on Saturday last while Brady accounted with Ciarán Curran of Tyrone on the other side of the draw. The Cavan man hopes to be the first Ulster player to win the Senior Singles title. Both players reached the semi-finals of the World Championships in Chicago in 2000 and with an eye to the World Championships in Ireland in October 2003 it will be interesting to see who will come out on top in what should be a marvellous encounter.
Fiona Shannon from the St. Paul’s Club in Belfast, who won three successive Senior 40 x 20 Singles titles from 1999-2001 takes on Fiona Healy from the Naomh Mhuire Club in Leixlip in an attempt to regain the Ladies Senior Singles crown which was won by her sister Sibeál McKenna in 2002. She also won the Waterford Crystal Women’s Open Singles title on three occasions from 1998-2000 and has vast experience at international competition. Her opponent, Fiona Healy, also has wide experience at international level, having competed in the United States Collegiate Championships on four occasions. The Kildare player won All-Ireland Senior 40 x 20 and 60 x 30 Doubles titles last year to add to her All-Ireland Minor and three successive Intervarsities Open Singles titles. Fiona Shannon recently took part in the US Women’s Ranking Tournament in Denver and will certainly be favoured to take her fourth Senior Singles title.
History will be made in the Minor Singles final when Damian Martin, from St. Coman’s in Roscommon, and Brian Carroll, from the Kells Club in Meath, meet to decide which of these counties wins this title for the first time since the Championship began in 1975. The Roscommon player holds three Irish Nationals and six Colleges titles as well as a United States 17 & Under title and 5 All-Ireland medals, including a Minor Hardball Singles, which he won in 2002. Brian Carroll represented Ireland in the US 17 & Under Championship in December and holds an All-Ireland Under 14 40 x 20 medal as well as two Irish National One-Wall titles and an Intermediate Colleges All-Ireland. The Meath man had a 21-9, 21-10 victory over Ger Coonan of Tipperary to qualify for the final, while Damian Martin accounted for Gary McCrory of Tyrone in a tie-break in his side of the draw.
Barry Goff from the Castlebridge Club who has been hitting the headlines for Wexford hurlers in recent weeks is partnered by Paul Carty in the Intermediate Doubles final against Campbell Brennan and Vincent Moran from the Ballaghaderreen Club in Mayo at the Crinkle venue in Offaly on Saturday evening. In addition to his hurling achievements, Goff already holds All-Ireland Intermediate Singles and Doubles 60 x 30 titles (2002) and an All-Ireland Under 21 medal as well as three Minor titles. Paul Carty is the holder of several All-Ireland Club medals while Campbell Brennan and Vincent Moran have been a formidable partnership for Mayo for the past ten years. Brennan holds an Under 16 All-Ireland medal as well as two Minor Doubles titles and an All-Ireland Junior Hardball Doubles title. Moran holds five Colleges All-Irelands, an Under 16 60 x 30 Doubles, an Under 21 60 x 30 Singles and an Intermediate 60 x 30 Doubles as well as five Hardball All-Irelands. The Wexford pair accounted for Declan Frawley and Daragh Kirby of Clare, 21-13, 19-21, 21-3 in their semi-final while Mayo defeated Antrim’s Paul Graham and Paddy Duffy 21-18, 21-13 in their semi-final. The Mayo pair will be hoping the retain the title which Dessie Keegan and Padraig Gaffney won in 2002 while Wexford’s only victory at this level was in 1996.
Brothers Brendan and Niall Fleming from Ballydesmond represent Cork in the Under 21 Doubles final against Owen McKenna and Kevin Holmes of Antrim at Ballymore Eustace on Sunday afternoon. Cork will be aiming for a record seventh title at this level while the Antrim pair will be hoping to record their county’s second victory in Under 21 Doubles. The Junior Doubles final at Ballymore Eustace is between Des Kelly and Michael Carroll of Tipperary and Antrim’s Dominic and Tony Caddell. Antrim will also be in action in the Emerald Masters B Singles in the opening game at Ballymore Eustace where Tommy Shannon represents the Ulster county against Dan O’Brien of Cork.
Galway players line out in four finals at the St. Coman’s venue in Roscommon town on Sunday. First into action will be Noel Rigney who takes on Neville Farrelly from Dublin in the Golden Masters B Singles final. Morgan Darcy has the task of facing Clare’s John Kirby, winner of every honour in handball, in the Emerald Masters A Singles final. Galway will be represented by Lena Connaughton and Karen Finnegan of Williamstown in the Ladies Junior Doubles against Dublin’s Maria McCarthy and Claire Devlin while the final game at Roscommon sees Eamonn Conneely from Galway in action against Billy Bourke of Kilkenny in Masters A Singles. Both players will be hoping to fill a gap in their county’s records as neither Galway nor Kilkenny have won this title since this championship was inaugurated in 1978.
Brian Kilcommins from Roscommon takes on Carl Burkett of Kerry in the Diamond Masters B Singles final at Newmarket-on-Fergus on Saturday evening. Cork play Mayo in two games at the same venue, Pat O’Brien v Seán Heaney in Diamond Masters A Singles and Pat Morris taking on Kevin Geraghty in Silver Masters A Singles. Crinkle is the venue for another Mayo player, John Granahan, in the Silver Masters B Singles final against Martin Clancy of Carlow while Neil McDermott of Roscommon and Jason Tobin of Tipperary clash in the Junior B Singles final at the same venue.
Dublin players travel north to the Saval venue in Co. Down on Sunday where Frank Daly plays Thomas Maguire of Antrim in the Masters B Singles final and Eugene Kennedy will be hoping for his third Golden Masters A Singles title when he meets John McCullough of Tyrone.
In summary, 16 counties take part in 18 All-Ireland finals at 6 venues throughout the country over the coming weekend. Cork and Antrim will be in five each with Galway, Dublin and Mayo contesting four and Roscommon competing in three. But the main focus of attention will certainly be on the Senior Singles final between Paul Brady and Tony Healy at the O’Loughlins Club in Kilkenny.
DMBS Roscommon
(Brian Kilcommins) v Kerry (Carl Burkett)
Ladies MS
Semi-final Kerry (Maria Daly) v Kildare (Eimear
Fallon)
DMAS Cork
(Pat O’Brien) v Mayo (Seán Heaney)
SMAS Cork
(Pat Morris) v Mayo (Kevin Geraghty)
At Crinkle, Saturday 5 April, 5:30 p.m.
SMBS Mayo
(John Granahan) v Carlow (Martin Clancy)
JBS Roscommon (Neil McDermott) v
Tipperary (Jason Tobin)
ID Mayo
(Campbell Brennan, Vincent Moran) v Wexford (Paul Carty, Barry Goff)
At O’Loughlin Gaels, Saturday 5 April, 5:30 p.m.
MS Roscommon
(Damian Martin) v Meath (Brian Carroll)
Ladies SS Fiona Healy (Kildare) v Fiona Shannon
(Antrim)
SS Tony Healy (Cork) v Paul
Brady (Cavan)
At
Roscommon, Sunday 6 April, 1:00 p.m.
GMBS Galway (Noel Rigney) v Dublin
(Neville Farrelly)
EMAS Galway (Morgan Darcy) v Clare
(John Kirby)
Ladies JD Galway (Lena Connaughton, Karen
Finnegan) v
Dublin (Maria McCarthy,
Claire Devlin)
MAS Galway (Eamonn Conneely) v
Kilkenny (Billy Bourke)
At
Ballymore Eustace, Sunday 6 April, 1:00 p.m.
EMBS Cork (Dan O’Brien) v Antrim
(Tommy Shannon)
U21D Cork (Brendan Fleming, Niall
Fleming) v Antrim (Owen McKenna, Kevin Holmes)
SMBD Tipperary (Michael Gleeson, Gerry
Spillane) v
Antrim (Seamus Collins,
Tom Smith)
JD Tipperary (Des Kelly,
Michael Carroll) v Antrim (Dominic Caddell, Tony Caddell)
At Saval,
Sunday 6 April, 2:00 p.m.
MBS Antrim (Thomas Maguire) v
Dublin (Frank Daly)
GMAS Tyrone (John McCullough) v Dublin
(Eugene Kennedy)