After being deprived of competitions for over a year due to Covid, Handball in Tyrone finally got back on its feet again at the weekend with an Outdoor Doubles tournament at the fantastic new court at St Colmcille’s PS, Carrickmore, as part of GAA Handball’s national “Summer Series” Initiative.
After a bleak week on the weather front, the sun shone gloriously all day to make perfect playing conditions for what was a Social Handball Tournament, as players of all abilities mixed together in Doubles pairings.
Carrickmore provided the majority of players, both current and former, with neighbouring players from Breacach and Killyclogher Handball Clubs, and a few visitors from as far away as Dungiven (Derry) and Dromintee (Armagh) completing the field.
Every player played a minimum of four matches in the group stages before we even got to the knockout rounds, meaning there will likely be lots of stiff bodies heading into work this week after playing their first tournament in over a year, some hitting their first ball in 18+ years, and some even playing their first ever tournament.
What was clear from the day was that there is certainly an appetite for recreational Handball as a means to attract new players to the game.
Positively, plans are in place to host a few more Social Handball tournaments within the county in Killyclogher, Loughmacrory, Greencastle and Carrickmore in the coming weeks, so if anyone is interested in trying out Handball in a relaxed environment, keep a look out for these respective Clubs social media pages, or email secretary.tyrone.handball@gaa.ie.
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Knockout Round Results:
- SF 1: Conor Fearon (Dromintee) & Darragh Daly (Carrickmore) dft Barry Daly (Carrickmore) & Gerard Munroe (Carrickmore)
- SF 2: Caolan Daly (Carrickmore) & Eilise McCrory (Breacach) dft Brian McAleer (Killyclogher) & Ciaran Mullin (Carrickmore)
- Final: Conor Fearon & Darragh Daly dft Caolan Daly & Eilise McCrory
