Spotlight switches to juvenile
ANOTHER busy week in Handball featuring 40x20 Adult championship quarter finals in Senior and semi-finals in all other grades on Saturday. On Sunday the spotlight switches to Juvenile championship semi-finals in Boys and Girls U-14 to U-17 Singles & Doubles at Kilkenny and Carlow venues, with the spotlight switching back to 40x20 provincial adult championship from Tuesday evening on.
On Saturday in Ladies Senior Singles at St Brigids Club, Dublin Ballydesmond club mates Catriona Casey and Aishling O’Keeffe clash in a quarter-final. In a second quarter-final at St Brigids Antrim Aishling Reilly take on Tipperary Sinead Meagher. Also on Saturday Cork players are involved in two semi-finals. At Ballymore Eustace 1pm start in Emerald Masters A semi-final John Herlihy, Conna will play Mick Dowling, Kildare.
Cork’s second semi-final is at Kilkenny venue Clogh also 1pm start with Pat Morris, Liscarroll playing John Rossiter, Carlow in Ruby Masters Singles.
On Sunday the spotlight switches to the juvenile semi-finals at O’Loughlins venue Kilkenny and Carlow venue Tinryland both venues have an 11am start. At O’Loughlins play commences with Boys U-14 Singles in which Fermoy player Hayden Supple plays Kilkenny Joseph Prendergast.
Next up for Cork is Boys U14 Doubles in which Fermoy player Ben Sullivan teams up with Darragh Murphy Ballydesmond to also face Kilkenny Michael Brennan and his partner. In the third game on the programme Girls U-16 Singles, Muireann O’Brien, Kilworth, plays Amy Brennan from Kilkenny.
In Boys U-17 Doubles Darragh Ducey, Boherbue, teams up with Donal Jones they play the winner of the Leinster Final in which Kilkenny’s Eoin O’Brien and Ciaran O’Neill take on Wexford’s Joe Devereux and David Doyle. If Kilkenny win the game goes ahead in O’Loughlins if Wexfprd are successful it will be played in Tinryland.
Cork players will be involved in two other semi-finals at Tinryland.
In Girls U14 Singles Carmel Kelleher, Boherbue, plays Jodie Keeling, Wexford and in Girls U-17 Singles Sarah O’Malley, Mallow, faces Katie Barrett, Carlow.
Also this Saturday Munster Inter-county Team Championship is down for decision at Cork venues U-12 and 13 at Boherbue, U-14 and 15 at Conna and U-16 and 17 at Liscarroll all three venues commence at 11am.
Cork teams sponsored by Mallow Credit Union will be hoping to do well in all three age groups but they will face stiff opposition in particular from Clare, Tipperary and Waterford who also have strong well balanced teams.
In Munster 40x20 championship on Tuesday evening at Conna 7.30pm start in Over 35B Doubles semi-final Hugh Carolan, Conna teams up with Patrick Buckley, Glenville to face Waterford Gary McCarthy and Philip Butler.
On Wednesday at Galbally at 7.30 in Diamond Masters A Doubles Final, Gerry Guiney, Ballydesmond teams up with Chris Hurley, Conna, to play Clare Pat Donnellan and Mike Kelly. On Thursday evening at Mallow also 7.30 in Golden Masters B Doubles Final Conna pair Pat Clancy and Kieran Noonan play Limerick’s John Ryan and Denis McCarthy.
At Kingscourt on Saturday last Cumann Na mBunscoil National Handball Day was held with Cork schools representing Munster in five of the eight competitions and came out on top in four of the five, with Amy Brosnan, Ballydesmond NS taking Girls U-11 Singles, Carmel Kelleher, Boherbue NS took Girls U-13 Singles, Cameron O’Sullivan, Bartlemy NS was successful in Boys U13 Singles. In Boys U-13 Doubles Cian Dunning and Ciaran Pietropaolo, St Catherines NS, Ballynoe were successful.
In Boys U-11 Doubles Ballydesmond NS pair Jack Murphy and Eoghan O’Riordan, despite some good performances were narrowly pipped.
It also proved a good weekend for David and Sarah Walsh both received an Award at Mallow and District Sports & Leisure Awards function at Springfort Hall, David received his award in Adult Sport Category with Sarah receiving her award in Youth Section.