Fresh from a terrific run in which she qualified for the oneills.com All-Ireland 4-Wall Senior Singles final for the first time, Roscommon’s Fiona Tully is now looking forward to changing handball codes.
While she has been playing in the 60x30 court, Tully proved last year when winning the Irish Wallball Nationals that she is a force to be reckoned with in the wallball game and with the World Championships coming up at the University of Limerick in August, she hopes to enjoy success there, too.
“I suppose winning the title last year was a great feeling and with the Worlds coming up this year, I hope to have a good shot at it,” Fiona said.
Having played all codes of handball, the St Coman’s right-hander really enjoys the atmosphere around wallball and loves how it is very accessible. All that’s needed is a ball and a wall and that brings a fun and novelty factor to it, as well as providing another competitive outlet for everyone, be they elite, junior and intermediate, juvenile, Masters or recreational players.
“When you’re going to train for wallball, it’s more the social aspect of it. With the 40x20 and 60x30, you’re always going and organising your own training games. In the 40x20 especially, we play with a different ball than the lads so it’s hard to get games.
“In the 60x30, it’s a little bit easier but you’re still organising your own games. Whereas with wallball, there are facilities like the Convent (school) in Roscommon or in Kilglass, which is where I trained last year, there are multiple courts and a load of people there training so it’s great.
“The social side of things, there are lots of different people playing, you’re not playing the same people all the time so I think the social aspect of it and the training side of things is a big advantage. It can literally be played anywhere.”
Tully is really looking forward to the World Wallball Championships, an event she feels has the potential to help propel handball on to the next level.
“100pc, I think this will really push handball on. The wallball Worlds in UL looks like it’s going to be a really great event, especially with the accommodation all around the venue, it’s pretty cool.
“It reminds me of the 2012 Worlds in CityWest, everyone still talks about them to this day so hopefully they’ll still be talking about the UL one in the years to come.
“I definitely do think it will have a big positive impact on the sport. You can play wallball anywhere, it’s in a lot of schools these days and just needs to be probably pushed a little bit more.
“Just for people going down to watch, I think they will really love the sport.”
It has been all-go for the talented dual player of late, as she gets back into the swing of things in the ‘big alley’ as well as keeping her eye in for the upcoming wallball season.
“I suppose I haven’t really taken a break as such,” she said.
“I took a few days off, I have gone in to try and play some wallball but it has been very difficult to get games because it’s not really One-Wall season, everyone is back in the 60x30 so I’ve kind of being going between the two, just trying to get games wherever I can.”
View our dedicated World Wallball Championships page, including entry portal, here.
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