The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
IT T student Quirke wins Inter-Collegiate Handball Championship title in Wexford
A STUDENT from the Institute of Technology in Tralee was top of the class at the weekend following his phenomenal success at the Inter-Collegiate Handball championships in Wexford.
Attracting players from all the major third level institutions in Ireland, Glenbeigh teenager Tommy Quirke came home with the prestigious All-Ireland Inter-Collegiate 60x30 Handball Grade C title after a hectic day in the court which saw him defeat some of the best handballers in Ireland.
No stranger to success, the Mid Kerry native is the holder of a Munster Senior Inter Club medal when he partnered with fellow Glenbeigh players Jack O’Shea, Dominick Lynch, John Joe Quirke and Rory O’Connor to victory in the Provincial 40x20 final, which took place in Mallow.
“It was a busy weekend in Wexford with the preliminary games played in the morning to decided if we were to contest the A, B or C categories. In the opening game I played Aena Woods from NUI Galway and was delighted to win on a 15-4 and 15-7 scoreline.
“This saw me progress in the competition and take on Darragh McKerins also from Galway. I lost this one 15-7 and 15-13 which ensured a place in the C competition,” said Tommy, a pre-Garda and Legal Studies student.
Having secured a win in the A, B and C competition, Tommy automatically qualified for the C quarter final where he played Alan Hewhan from Dublin City University.
Playing some superb handball, Quirke ran out a convincing winner 15-2 and 15-4. This set him up for a semi-final with Aena Woods from NUI Galway where he recorded another superb victory, 15-7 and 15-5.
“The final was against Conrad Kewal from IT Dundalk and was played at a frantic pace. In fairness the final scoreline of 15-7 and 15-5 is not a true reflection on the intensity of the game. I was thrilled to win and delighted to bring an All Ireland title to IT Tralee.
“We also won three other titles in Wexford with Shane Murphy from Limerick winning the A title and Gearoid O’Connell (Cork) teaming up with Shane Dunne (Kilkenny) to win the Open Doubles title. Shane Dunne also won the Open Senior final for the third year in-a-row.”
Last year Quirke and his brother Sean won the Senior Munster Colleges 40x20 Handball title representing Presentation Secondary School in Milltown.
An all round sportsman, Tommy Quirke plays Gaelic football with Glenbeigh/Glencar helping them to win the Kerry Central Division 2 title this year. He is also an accomplished basketball player with the Glenbeigh Falcons.