Two All-Ireland titles secured
LAST WEEKEND the cream of handball headed to Kingscourt, Co. Cavan, for the finals of the adult 40 x 20 singles championships and the Juvenile championships.
Wexford was represented by ten different players and came away with two All-Ireland titles as the boys’ Under-14 doubles crown was won by Conor Murphy and Mark Doyle, and the girls’ Under-17 doubles championship went to Cliodhna O’Connell and Eva Crean.
The Under-14 doubles final was a fantastic success for Taghmon duo Mark Doyle and Conor Murphy, as they defeated Jonathan Owens and Jack Darcy from Tyrone. The opening game saw the Wexford pair rip into a 5-1 lead and they continued to dominate, pushing 8-1 and 11-2 in front.
That first game was finished out with some great shots by the Wexford boys as they cruised to a 15-2 success.
The second set was a much closer affair, with the Tyrone boys confident they could turns things around, and they raced into a 5-0 lead. The boys in purple and gold settled again and soon tied the game at 5-5, and moved 10-8 in front before the game was tied up at ten points each.
With the chance of a third game becoming a reality, the Wexford boys upped their efforts and closed out the match 15-10.
The girls’ Under-17 doubles title was captured by Cliodhna O’Connell and Eva Crean as they proved to be much too strong for Tyrone pair Claire Conway and Méabh McCrystal, with the Model county girls blitzing their Red hand opponents on a 21-2, 21-1 scoreline to capture their All-Ireland title.
In the boys’ Under-17 doubles final it was defeat for Ciarán Power and Colm Parnell as they never discovered the form that got them to that stage. They went down 213, 21-12 to the Cork pairing of Niall Delaney and Stephen O’Rourke.
In the boys’ Under-16 singles final, Josh Kavanagh gave everything he had in the chase to be crowned champion. One of the most talented players in the purple and gold at the minute, Kavanagh really went for the title despite being still only an Under-15 player.
Josh won the opening game on a 21-18 scoreline and was very close to winning the second set but ultimately lost it 21-17. With momentum in the Tyrone man’s sails, he drove on to take the deciding set 11-1. However, one feels that Josh will be back and the experience gained will stand to him in the coming years.
Josh’s older brother, Daniel, was another man in final action at the weekend as he took on Tadgh Carroll from Cork in the final of the Intermediate singles. This was a memorable game for all in Kingscourt as 19-year-old Kavanagh made up for his lack of experience with heart, fitness and skill.
Carroll found his feet quickly in the opening set and moved into 7-1 and 9-3 leads. When Carroll went 16-11 ahead, Daniel really knuckled down and pulled the lead back to 17-15.
However, the Rebel county man moved up a gear again and won the set 21-15.
The second set was a very close contest, with the players tied at 4-4 and 7-7 early on before Daniel stepped up a gear or two and breezed into a 18-9 lead. However, the skids were put under him as Carroll hit back with nine points in a row to level at 18-18
Daniel saw out the set 21-18 and set up a mouth-watering tiebreak. Carroll proved too strong in the third set for Daniel on this occasion however as he used all his experience to win 21-7.
Gavin Buggy lost out in the final of the Over-35 ‘ A’ singles as he was beaten by Ricky McCann from Antrim in another war of attrition in Kingscourt.
The opening set was close to begin with as the duo were tied at 8-8 before McCann pushed into a 17-11 lead, and he finished the opening set a 21-11 winner.
Gavin flew into the second set and was quickly 13-2 in front, before McCann hit the next five aces to close to 13-7.
Gavin then moved 16-7 in front and looked to be home in the second set. Amazingly though, McCann rallied and tied the set at 17-17.
One feared that Buggy would fall here, but he responded and closed out the second set 21-18. The effort to seal that second set seemed to flatten Buggy though as he struggled to push on again in the third set, and McCann was crowned champion on a 21-8 scoreline.
Cora Doyle was also on the losing side in the ladies’ Minor singles final as the St. Joseph’s starlet, who was hoping to end a long wait for a title in this grade for the county, was undone by talented Armagh player Megan McCann.
The opening set was tied at 5-5 and 10-10 before the girl from Ulster upped the pace and took it 21-11. The second set was also tied at 5-5, but the Armagh girl was finding more winners and drove on to take it and the match 21-10. WEXFORD SUFFERED their second narrow Leinster ladies’ football Minor championship loss in succession, this time against Louth in St. Fechin’s G.A.A. club on Saturday.
The Slaneysiders lost a tough battle with Longford in the preliminary round but were hoping to bounce back and book a place in the ‘ B’ shield final. However, already leading by 3-5 to 1-7 at the break, the hosts scored six unanswered points early in the second-half to put the game beyond Wexford.
The visitors started off on the front foot with Niamh Dunne and Kate Hendrick getting on the scoresheet in the opening quarter. However, danger woman Caragh Brady netted her first of an impressive treble in response.
Sarah Figgis soon floated a long-range shot to the net and Ann Marie Bennett added a point to give Wexford a 1-3 to 1-0 lead. Brady responded with a second major but two Hendrick points ensured that the visitors led early in the second quarter.
When Brady netted her third from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute, adding to a couple of Aoife Russell points, Wexford were suddenly behind.
They stayed behind up to halftime (3-5 to 1-7), despite a pair of points from Teghan Furlong and Hendrick.
Six minors in a row, including a pair from Bronagh McArdle and Russell, extended the Louth lead to ten.
To their credit, Wexford continued to fight and hit back when Kate Hendrick fired home the rebound from a missed penalty.
The Slaneysiders added further scores from Cáilín Fitzpatrick and Hendrick as the final quarter wore on, but the purple and gold could get no closer than six, meaning Louth advance to the ‘B’ shield final.
Wexford now go into what, in reality, is an eleventh/twelfth place play-off, otherwise known as the ‘C’ shield final, against a Kilkenny side which gave Wicklow a walkover last weekend.