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2019 Hardball Singles Finals Preview

This weekend see’s the Singles Finals in the GAA HARDBALL All Ireland Championships take place in Thurles, Tipperary on Saturday 1st June. In the Senior decider, Limerick’s CJ Fitzpatrick is hoping to win his 3rd All Ireland Senior Singles Hardball title when he meets the 2011 winner Robbie McCarthy of Westmeath who is going for his own hat-trick of Senior Singles titles in the past NINE months to add to his Softball and 4-Wall Singles wins. An epic battle awaits.

First up on Saturday is the Intermediate final in Thurles which is between Kilkenny and Mayo. Shane Dunne overcame his fellow clubman Daniel Love in the first semi-final, while Mayo’s Patrick Murphy also had a conformable win over Martin Mullins Carlow 21-12, 21-10. The action begins at 3pm.

This is followed by the Minor final were Meath’s Daniel Farrelly plays Kilkenny’s Billy O’Neill in an intriguing final which is hard to call. Farrelly received a walk over in the semi-finals due to an injury sustained by Kilkenny’s Jack Doyle. Meanwhile, O’Neill knocked out Mayo’s Lorcan Conlon in the other semi-final with a score line of 21-15, 21-2.

The action finishes with the blue ribbon Senior final with Limerick’s CJ Fitzpatrick up against Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy. Limerick’s CJ Fitzpatrick is in a funny situation this year as he has not played a competitive singles game this year as he received two walkovers in the previous rounds. But he will be confident that he can take his third title after wins in 2016 and 2017.

Standing in Fitzpatrick way is the 2011 winner Robbie McCarthy of Westmeath who has not played in this event since that win in 2011. McCarthy is going for his own hat-trick of titles to add to his Softball Singles win last September and his 4-Wall win back in March. If he was to win on Saturday evening, this would cap off a wonderful nine months for the Westmeath maestro. In the semi-finals, McCarthy advanced after overcoming Kilkenny’s Ciaran Neary over two games 21-20, 21-4. This promises to be an epic battle, so if you are a Hardball enthusiast why not drop into Thurles this Saturday afternoon to see the best Ireland can offer, kick off is 3pm.

GAA Handball All Ireland Hardball Singles Finals

Saturday 1st June

At Thurles, Tipperary At 3pm

  • IS: Kilkenny (Shane Dunne) v Mayo (Patrick Murphy)
  • MS: Meath (Daniel Farrelly) v Kilkenny (Billy O’Neill)
  • SS: Limerick (CJ Fitzpatrick) v Westmeath (Robbie McCarthy)