Juveniles fly flag in Leinster 60 x 30 HANDBALL ROUND-UP
WEXFORD JUVENILES, off the back of a very busy local championship, did themselves proud at the recent GAA Handball 60 x 30 Leinster Juvenile championships at venues in Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford over the weekend of September 9-10.
The Under-12 and Under-13 championships only run to provincial level, while the older Juveniles advance to an All-Ireland series.
The game seems to be in serious decline in counties outside of Wexford and Kilkenny and, while a topic for another day, it is disconcerting to see straight finals in lots of grades without even an entry from the other counties in Leinster.
Wexford had a double in the Under-12 girls and boys through Jodie Keeling (St. Joseph’s) and Conor Horan (Coolgreany) respectively, with both coming through relatively unscathed.
Mylie Connors (Coolgreany), Tommy Connors (Coolgreany) and David Doyle (Castlebridge) all lost finals at Under-13, Under-14 and Under-15 boys to Kilkenny opposition.
Colm Parnell (Ballyhogue) looks on course for a realistic All-Ireland assault as he proved too strong for Robert Dowling (Kilkenny) in the Under-17 boys’ singles final.
Wexford has a particularly fine record at Under-17 All-Ireland level over the years, winning it on ten occasions since Brian Gilhooley won in 1989, the inaugural year of the championship, and famously winning it on six occasions in a row from 1997 until 2002. Keith Armstrong (Kilmyshall) was our last winner in 2014.
Cora Doyle (St. Joseph’s) is a strong challenger for All-Ireland honours also and she easily accounted for her Carlow opponent in the Under-17 girls’ singles final.
Danielle Kinsella (Ballymitty) and Ellie Murphy-O’Gorman (St. Joseph’s) lost finals at Under-14 and Under-15 girls respectively.
In doubles we nearly had a clean sweep of the age groups with the exception of Under-13 boys where Johnny Goggins and Killian Whelan (St. Joseph’s/ St. Mary’s) lost.
Apart from that we won all the other titles on offer, namely at Under-12 boys in the shape of Shane Kehoe and John Connors (St. Mary’s/Coolgreany); Under-14 boys, Mark Doyle and Ben Keeling (Taghmon/St. Joseph’s); Under-15 boys, Diarmuid Moore and Dean O’Neill (St. Joseph’s/Ballymitty); Under-16 boys, Cian Kehoe and Josh Kavanagh (St. Joseph’s); and Under-17 boys, Ciarán Power and Robert Cogley (Coolgreany/Ballymitty).
In girls’ doubles we had the opposite result with a bit of a wash-out, losing finals in each case to Kilkenny at Under-13 (Elizabeth Walsh and Alannah Wogan, St. Joseph’s), Under-14 (April Moran and Becky O’Neill, Ballymitty), and Under-16 (Cliodhna O’Connell and Leanne Boland, Coolgreany).
Clodagh White and Lucia Merrigan (St. Joseph’s/ Coolgreany) received a walkover in the Under-17 girls’ doubles.
Best of luck to the Juveniles who are going forward to represent us in All-Ireland semi-finals and finals over the coming weeks.