Hardball Championship action for handballers
week, following the success of Liscarroll player Daniel Relihan in Intermediate Singles last year he had to move up to Senior grade this year with Mallow’s Tadgh Carroll partnering him in Senior Doubles. They got a pretty tough draw in facing Dubliners Eoin Kennedy and Carl Browne, and despite putting up a very good display they lost out 21-13, 21-19 to Dublin.
In Senior Singles Daniel Relihan was handed another difficult assignment with a meeting with Limerick’s C J Fitzpatrick which produced a lively contest but the more experienced Limerick man came out on top Relihan won the first 21-15, but Fitzpatrick fought back to win the second 21-4 and the third 21-11.
In Junior Singles Fermoy player Jamie O’Donnell made a good start to his campaign defeating Mayo’s George Miller 21-11, 21-2, following that win he faced Meath’s Peter Reilly in a quarter final at Offaly venue Crinkle last night Wednesday.
Moving on to next weekend and on Saturday, at a venue to be confirmed, in Intermediate Doubles last year’s Junior Doubles champions Michael Hedigan, Liscarroll, and Donnacha O’Dea, Ballydesmond, make their debut in Intermediate grade as they face Kilkenny pair Eoghan Hennessy/ Shane Dunne. While it will be a difficult task in the Cork players repeat their form of last year they will be hard to beat.
On Sunday in Minor Doubles again venue to be decided Mallow pair David Walsh and Conor Walsh face Mayo’s Patrick Murphy and Lorcan Conlon. David and Conor enjoyed a good run in this championship last year and will have learned from it, Mayo are a strong pair but with a bit of improvement the Cork pair could advance.
The curtain came down on the 40x20 Inter-County Championship and Nationals last weekend with 40x20 Junior Nationals decided at Galway venues. The finals were played at Moycullen venue on Sunday in which Cork boys and girls contested five finals, three in boys and two in girls, winning two of the five. Aoife Hurley, Conna, won Girls 17 & Under B Singles title defeating K Curran, Galway, while Colin Healy, Liscarroll, won Boys 15 & Under B title defeating Liam Hession, Galway. In Boys 17 & Under Cian O’Driscoll narrowly lost his final to Eoin Brennan, Kilkenny. In Girls 15 & Under Mallow’s Sarah O’Malley had to settle for runner-up spot to L McGinnity, Monaghan. In Boys 13 & Under Kealen Murphy, Ballydesmond, narrowly lost the final to J Doheny, Kilkenny.
On Sunday last in Mallow the 2017 county 40x20 championship was completed with the last final of the programme Novice A Doubles in which Oisin Hickey, Kilworth, partnered by Eoghan Sheehan, Mallow, defeated Liscarroll pair Tadgh Jones and Dwayne Sheehan 21-19, 21-3 to be crowned county champions.