The cream of Irelands 60x30 Juveniles converged on Ulster venues over the weekend to battle it out for the 2016 Myclubshop.ie All Ireland finals in the softball code. Thirteen counties in all competed with Wexford topping the medals table with 4 titles. Kilkenny and Tyrone each took home 2 titles a piece with Cork, Galway, Kildare, Tipperary and Waterford all taking one title back to their respective counties to complete a very successful weekend of Handball.
Loughmacrory hosted seven games with local family the Fox’s capturing two out of four elite singles grades. First up was Mairead Fox in the Girls U14 Singles who was hoping to add to her 40x20 Singles title earlier in the year and she was this time up against the talented Kilkenny player Roisin O’Keeffe. After the first two games it was one a piece with the large crowd in attendance on the edge of their seats as it went 12 all in the tie-break. The match could have went either way at this important point but local girl Mairead got the most important last three ace’s to capture the title 15-3, 7-15, 15-12 to a rapturous applause. This was followed by her brother Antoin in the U16 singles final as he played the Munster and Kerry champion Daire Keane, the Tyrone player powered his way to take the title on a scoreline of 21-6, 21-6.
On Friday night the action began with the Boys U14 Singles final in St. Macartan’s College, Monaghan were local lad Eoghan McGinnity played Wexford’s Josh Kavanagh. This was a very tight match with some long rallies and great skills on show by both players. But in the end, Josh the more experience 60x30 player proved too strong and he won the match 15-7, 15-11.
Also in Loughmacrory the Girls U16 Singles final took place with Galway’s Niamh Heffernan with some commanding serving defeated Kilkenny’s Dearbhail O’Keeffe 21-9, 21-6. In the Girls U14 Doubles Tipperary’s Siobhán Prentice and Isabel Farnan took on Kilkenny’s Noelle Dowling and Kellyann Ryan, this proved to be one of the games of the day with Kilkenny taking the first before Tipperary re-grouping and taking the next two to win the title on a scoreline of 11-15, 15-5, 15-7.
In the Boys U14 Doubles Kilkenny’s Padhraic Foley and Jack Doyle proved too strong for Galway’s Enda Collins and James Cummins and they won 15-3, 15-3, Next up was the Girls U16 Doubles Final with the experience Kildare pairing of Mollie Dagg and Leah Doyle up against local favourites Ciara Mullan and Elizabeth McGarvey. The Tyrone girls put up a good fight and pushed Kildare all the way but the Leinster girls came out on top 21-8, 21-10. The final game of the day in Loughmacrory was the Boys U16 Doubles final with the experience Cork duo of Conor Walsh and Cian O’Driscoll who defeated Galway’s Paul Conneely and Fiachra Mulkerrins 21-4, 21-2.
Kingscourt in Cavan was the other venue used yesterday with five games down for decision. It certainly proved a good day for Wexford handball as they took another three titles back to the model county. First up was the Boys U15 Doubles final with Wexford’s Cian Kehoe and Josh McMahon proving too strong for the local lads namely Diego De Folco and Niall McMahon of Cavan. In the end the Wexford players won the match 15-3, 15-4.
This was followed by the Girls U15 Singles final between Cliodhna O’Connell of Wexford against Claire Reynolds of Mayo, there was some good rallies in this game but the Wexford lass came out on top 15-5, 15-4. In the Girls U15 Doubles final Wexford’s Ciara Parnell and Leanne Boland played Mayo’s Heather Burke and Cuileann Bourke, this proved a very tight match that at one stage looked like going to a third before Wexford clinched the final two ace’s to win 15-11, 15-13.
In the Boys U17 Singles final Waterford’s Kavan O’Keeffe proved too strong for Roscommon’s Khalid Yakhyaev. While the Boys U17 Doubles final proved to be the tightest game of the day in Kingscourt with Kilkenny’s Aidan and Cathal Barry played Roscommon’s Fionn and Oisin Cusack, The first game went the way of the Kilkenny’s lads and the second looked the same before a spirited fightback by Roscommon took the game to a third. There was some great handball played by all four players but in the end the Kilkenny lads took the tie-break and the match 21-8, 10-21, 11-2
Congratulations to all the players, parents, coaches, referees and sincere thanks to Monaghan Harps, Loughmacrory and Kingscourt Handball Clubs for their hospitality over the weekend.
GAA Handball 60x30 All Ireland Juvenile Finals - Results
Friday 14th October 2016
At St. Macartan’s, Monaghan
- BU14S Wexford (Josh Kavanagh) dft Monaghan (Eoghan McGinnity) 15-7, 15-11
Sunday 16th October 2016
At Loughmacrory, Tyrone
- GU14S Tyrone (Mairead Fox) dft Kilkenny (Rosin O'Keeffe) 15-3, 7-15, 15-12
- GU16S Galway (Niamh Heffernan) dft Kilkenny (Dearbhail O'Keeffe) 21-9, 21-6
- GU14D Tipperary (Siobhán Prentice/Isabel Farnan) dft Kilkenny (Noelle Dowling/Kellyann Ryan) 11-15, 15-5, 15-7
- BU14D Kilkenny (Padhraic Foley/Jack Doyle) dft Galway (Enda Collins/James Cummins) 15-3, 15-3
- GU16D Kildare (Mollie Dagg/Leah Doyle) dft Tyrone (Ciara Mullan/Elizabeth McGarvey) 21-8, 21-10
- BU16S Tyrone (Antoin Fox) dft Kerry (Daire Keane) 21-6, 21-6
- BU16D Cork (Conor Walsh/Cian O’Driscoll) dft Galway (Paul Conneely/Fiachra Mulkerrins) 21-4, 21-2
At Kingscourt, Cavan
- BU15D Wexford (Cian Kehoe/Josh McMahon) dft Cavan (Diego De Folco/Niall McMahon) 15-3, 15-4
- GU15S Wexford (Cliodhna O’Connell) dft Mayo (Claire Reynolds) 15-5, 15-4
- GU15D Wexford (Ciara Parnell/Leanne Boland) dft Mayo (Heather Burke/Cuileann Bourke) 15-11, 15-13
- BU17S Waterford (Kavan O’Keeffe) dft Roscommon (Khalid Yakhyaev) 21-1, 21-0
- BU17D Kilkenny (Aidan Barry/Cathal Barry) dft Roscommon (Fionn Cusack/Oisin Cusack) 21-8, 10-21, 11-2