By Mark McGowan
In many ways, Brian Carroll and Tom Sheridan were polar opposites. Sheridan, a lefty, is an extrovert in the court. He loved the showmanship, the discourse with the crowd, the arguments with the referee, the arguments with the opponents, and the exuberance of celebration.
Carroll, a righty, is more introverted. A silent assassin type, he went about his business with a ruthlessness that belied the calm and pleasant exterior. What they both loved, however, was winning.
First teaming up in 2008, Carroll stepped into the void left by the departing Walter O’Connor and proved to be the perfect antidote to Sheridan’s venom.
“We probably had the opposite effect on each other,” Carroll said, “I probably became a bit more aggressive and he probably became a bit more loose and relaxed. We worked very well in tandem with each other.”
As a result, Sheridan and Carroll combined to win seven Senior Softball Doubles titles – only Michael “Ducksy” Walsh and Eugene Downey have won more – and would face five different sets of opponents throughout their tenure.
This year, however, Carroll is eyeing an eighth Senior Doubles title, but with one significant difference. Gone is Tom Sheridan, and in his place is fellow Kells man Gary McConnell.
“We’re still finding ourselves, I guess” Carroll admits, “it takes a bit of time getting used to a different set-up, especially when you’ve been used to playing with a left-hander for so long, but there’s no doubt that Gary is a great player and well capable of stepping up.”
Playing alongside a much more experienced competitor, Carroll knew he could always rely on Sheridan for a little moral support when either himself or the pairing were struggling.
“I guess now I’m the older one in the partnership, it’s a different dynamic. When I was playing with Tom, and things were going bad, I’d look to him for inspiration, but now it’s probably up to me to try to provide that inspiration if things aren’t going our way.”
As misfortune would have it, Carroll picked up a hamstring injury that not only forced him out of the Singles Championship, but also curtailed the ability for McConnell and himself to work on their still developing understanding inside the court.
“We had been training quite hard together, but then I had to ease off it for a six or seven-week period, so unfortunately we missed those weeks that can sometimes be crucial for your games to click together, but in saying that, with a couple of competitive games behind us now, we’re a lot closer to that understanding than we were.”
McConnell and Carroll enter the All-Ireland final in the unique scenario of having both played inter-county doubles alongside one of the opposition. Carl Browne’s transfer from Kells Handball Club to Blanchardstown’s St. Brigid’s obviously adds a degree of spice to the encounter, but Carroll is keen to play down additional incentives beyond an All-Ireland medal.
“There is no real difference between playing Dublin, Mayo or Kilkenny really. You have to approach the game the same, and whoever we come up against in the final were always going to get the same treatment. I suppose the first final we played against Eoin and Carl there seemed to be a little more tension in the air, but we tried to treat all finals the same.”
Now 32, married, and with a baby on the way, Carroll – like many other top players – has had to adjust to life, work and handball demands.
“In earlier years, I used to plan my life around handball, but now it’s very much home and family first. Finding time for the gym, and training games and all that becomes much harder to manage. But still, when you step through that door, the competitive instincts kick in and it is as important as it ever was.”
An eighth title would elevate Carroll into sole possession of fourth place in terms of Senior Softball Doubles titles, with only Sheridan, Ducksy Walsh, and Eugene Downey ahead of him, and would join an equally elite group who have won doubles titles with multiple playing partners.
Added incentive - not that he needs it.
FIXTURES
Saturday 27th October, Croke Park HC, Dublin, 2pm
Boys Minor Doubles - Final
- Cork (Conor Walsh/Cian O’Driscoll) v Kilkenny (Billy O’Neill/Ciaran Cooney)
Men’s Intermediate Singles - Final
- Waterford (Philip Butler) v Kilkenny (Brian Mahon)
Men’s Senior Doubles - Final
- Dublin (Eoin Kennedy/Carl Browne) v Meath (Brian Carroll/Gary McConnell)