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Hardball Singles Finals this Weekend

This weekend see’s the Singles Finals in the GAA Hardball All Ireland Championships takes place at Cashel, Tipperary and St. Coman’s, Roscommon on Friday and Sunday respectively.

In the Senior decider Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy is hoping to win his 8th All Ireland Senior Singles Hardball title when he meets Mayo’s Joe McCann who is going for his first. This is a repeat of last year’s semi final where the St Brigid's man was a comfortable winner but this year McCann will hope to avenge that defeat and take his maiden title at Senior Singles Hardball. Can he do it? – only time will tell.

In the semi finals, Kennedy defeated CJ Fitzpatrick of Limerick. CJ started the brightest with some good serving and built up bit of a lead before the very experienced Kennedy clawed his way back. It was nip and tuck between both players with little to separate them but young gun Fitzpatrick just edged the first game 21-19. The second game was another tight game with little between both players with only a couple of aces separating them, but in the end Kennedy went ahead at the crucial stage and closed out the game 21-14. This setup a very exciting tie-break with again very little between both hardballers. But once again the seven time champion Kennedy edged ahead and even though Fitzpatrick put up a great fight the Dubliner finished stronger and took the tie-break 21-13.

In the other semi final Joe McCann played Vinny Moran both Ballaghaderreen club men in the newly opened Moycullen 60x30 court. The first game was very tight with little between both players and at 19 all it was anybody’s game but Vinny took the initiative and closed it out 21-19. The second game was very similar to the first but this time McCann showed the composure and took the second game 21-18 to set up a tiebreak. The tiebreak was also very tight but the superior fitness of McCann proved the difference and he took the third and the match on a scoreline of 21-15.

In the Minor final, Kilkenny’s Shane Dunne play’s Mayo’s Niall Joyce in an intriguing final which is hard to call. Dunne is the 2014 60x30 U16 All Ireland Singles Champion while Joyce is this year’s 40x20 Minor Singles champ. Who will be crowned Minor Hardball champion on Sunday?

The weekend’s Hardball action begins on Friday evening at 7.30pm in Cashel, Tipperary with the Junior and Intermediate finals. In the Junior Final Wicklow’s Jerome Willoughby plays Kilkenny’s Brendan Burke and this is followed by the Intermediate Final between Kerry’s Dominic Lynch who takes on Kilkenny’s Ciaran Neary in what promises to be a great night of our traditional hardball game.

GAA Handball All Ireland Hardball Singles Finals

Sunday 24th May 2015

At St. Comans, Roscommon @ 2pm OIC Mary Tully 087 7826719

Minor Singles

Kilkenny (Shane Dunne) v Mayo (Niall Joyce)

Senior Singles

Dublin (Eoin Kennedy) v Mayo (Joe McCann)

Friday 22nd May 2015

At Cashel, Tipperary @ 7.30pm OIC David Maloney 086 6050807

Junior Singles

Wicklow (Jerome Willoughby) v Kilkenny (Brendan Burke)

Intermediate Singles

Kerry (Dominic Lynch) v Kilkenny (Ciaran Neary)