COCA-COLA 60 x 30 FINALS At Croke Park, Saturday 25th September,

Report by Michael McGee – Hogan Stand Reporter
Walter O' Connor and Tom Sheridan SSBD all-Ireland Champions 2004 Joe McCann, Intermediate singles champion with Anna Costica John O'Shaunessy, Robert McCarthy W-Meath, Minor Doubles champions with Tony Hayes and Patrick Hurney and John Kindregan gallant R-Up from Waterford

FOURTH TITLE IN A ROW FOR THE ROYALS

Meath’s Tom Sheridan and Walter O’Connor claimed their fourth All-Ireland Senior Doubles 60 x 30 titles in a row following their victory over arch rivals Michael Duxie Walsh and Eugene Downey of Kilkenny in an enjoyable encounter in Croke Park on Saturday 25th last writes Michael McGee. 

Sheridan who had to get a high court decision on the previous day to allow him to play was in fantastic form and with doubles partner O’Connor in equally tremendous form the best I have seen him in years there was only to be one outcome a victory for the Royal County men.President Mary McAleese and husband Martin attended and met the players before the Senior Final commenced.Tommy O’ Brien was the Master of Ceremony’s and Des Willoughby from Wicklow got the finals off on a high note when he sung the National Anthem with a rousing rendition.Meath had the better start going 6-1 up.Kilkenny responded well to be only 6-5 behind.Sheridan then got an excellent kill from the back of court for 7-5 and another point from Sheridan following a good straight shot past Duxie on the left side of court to be three in front.Kilkenny drew level at 8-8 following a right side kill point from Duxie.Sheridan and O’Connor opened up a lead of 14-8 with Sheridan taking up good positions in the centre and using the tactic of playing the ball over Downey in the back right of court forcing Duxie to cover the whole back of court.Sheridan and O’Connor were getting great power in their returns forcing the Kilkenny duo out.Duxie kept Kilkenny goingwith a good service to O’Connor who could only put the return onto the roof still Kilkenny were behind 14-11.Sheridan with great anticipation of Downey’s serve moved into position to hit on the volley and Downey missed the return to put Meath 16-11 up.Kilkenny got into serve and managed two points with a nice lightly placed shot from Downey’s openhanded shot for point 13 to Kilkenny.Meath with a good lead of 18-13 and were playing well with O’ Connor cleaning up everything on the right.Duxie the Kilkenny maestro showed his undoubted class with some excellent points to put Kilkenny level at 18-18.Duxie served to Sheridan’s left corner to gain a one-point lead.Sheridan then threw off his left glove and nonchantly walked back to his service area.Soon the scores were tied for the third time in the match.Meath got the next two scores to win the first game after 45 minutes of play.

With the scores at 6-5 and Kilkenny poised to make an impact their challenge subsequently faded out as Royals took charge of the contest.Meath’s greater team play was now in evidence as they kept pulling away.Downey faced a torrid evening from the barrage of the Royals hitting accurate shots to his side and he had to be alert on each occasion to the onslaught facing him on his side of the court.It was becoming all too easy now for Royals as the challenge from Kilkenny wilted away as Duxie missed a number of easy shots in the centre.Sheridan got an excellent kill point from the back of court with his left hand for 18-5 lead and then he lobbed Downey to put the Royals on score of twenty.Downey got a nice point off the sidewall for Kilkenny’s last score of seven.O’ Connor put the nail in the Kilkenny coffin when he killed in the right corner as Downey made a desperate attempt to retrieve it.After the presentations were made O’Connor took the microphone from Tommy O’ Brien and praised Sheridan for his great performance and in a gesture Sheridan picked out Michael Regan the well known Solicitor in Meath G.A.A. circles in the crowd and handed him his winners medal.O’ Connor thanked the Kilkenny men for a great sporting game. 

Westmeath’s clean sweep in Minor Championships

With the Senior, game over it was over to the Minors to show what they are capable off.Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy was aiming for a clean sweep in the Minor grade having already won the Minor Singles 40 x 20 Singles and doubles earlier in the year and two week previous had won the Minor 60 x 30 singles over Waterford’s Patrick Hurney.McCarthy again teamed up with Delvin’s John O’ Shaughnessy which has already seen the duo won last year’s World U-17 Doubles final.Westmeath effortlessly took a big 10-0 lead in the first game before Hurney got Waterford’s account off the mark with a kill in the right corner. Westmeath extended their lead to 15-1.Try as they did the Waterford minors were facing an uphill battle. Kindregan tried hard to make a game off it and helped to put a more respectable score on the board as Westmeath reeled off the first game by 21-12.In game two, the scores were level at two, three mark when Westmeath went in front.John O’ Shaughnessy was serving very well with a high right-handed serve hitting off the left side and bouncing to Hurney’sright causing problems for the Waterford players.Westmeath took control with McCarthy moving up a couple of gears and Shaughnessy dominant on the right Waterford simply had no answer to the greater team play from Westmeath as they built up a huge lead of 19-6.Waterford could only manage three further points as Westmeath took the title on a score line of 21-9.

McCann wins Intermediate Title for Mayo

Last on the programme was the Intermediate Singles Final between Niall Kerr of Tyrone and Joe McCann from Mayo.Kerr who lost singles finals in the last two years was bidding for Tyrone’s first win in this competition.Joe McCann was the hot favourite going into the final.Kerr kept with McCann ingame one with scores level on six occasions.Joe looked to be heading for the win in the first game when leading 18-15 but Kerr bravely fought back and with a sweet roll out on the right side put scores level at 18-18.Kerr kept up the pressure and was rewarded in taking the first game by 21-18.In game two, it was remarkable as Kerr hardly made an impact at all, as McCann totally dominated to such an extent that the second game was over before the supporters had time to analyse the first game.McCann breezed past Kerr winning most comfortably by 21-2.At 5-5 in the third game McCann played some great handball as he made full use of the court.Good play by McCann for point number eleven as he forced Kerr into the left side to return and McCann had all the time to place the ball down the right.Kerr missed from back of court and McCann was now 12-6 to the good.It was now that Kerr applied the pressure and for four hands, McCann got no points he even looked to his Coach John Gaffney in the crowd for some inspiration.Doubts must have entered McCann’s head as he found it hard to shake off Kerr’s determined struggle to come back.McCann’s serving was letting him down as Kerr edged closer to McCann’s lead.He got to within one point of McCann at 14-13 but could not keep the pressure applied as the Ballaghaderreen man opened up an 18-13 lead.Kerr got three more points but it was to be McCann’s day as he won by 21-16 to follow in the footsteps of clubmate Dessie Keegan who won it in 2002.