By Paul Fitzpatrick
Christmas of 1981 was a very special one for Irish handball. That week, Michael ‘Ducksy’ Walsh made history when he became the first Irish player ever to win a title at the USHA Junior Nationals.
Walsh had already marked himself out as a prodigy with a succession of provincial and All-Ireland championships to his name but his victory in the 15 and Under Singles in Tucson, Arizona was the springboard as he went on to attain legendary status and break almost every record in the game in Ireland.
The Irish squad consisted of Walsh, his cousin Billy Bourke and Clare duo Ger Coughlan and John Duggan along with team manager Tommy O’Brien. Having trained hard in Ennis CBS and Croke Park, they departed prior to Christmas and spent a number of days in a freezing cold Chicago, where O’Brien had arranged numerous challenge games against top local players at the La Grange YMCA in order for the Irishmen to acclimatise to the American courts.
Action began in a much sunnier Tucson on Monday, December 28th. Incredibly seeded just 12th in a field of 27, Walsh disposed of Phoenix’s Tress Tinkler in just 12 minutes (21-1, 21-0) in his first round and saw off Miguel Valdez from California (7, 10) to set up a quarter-final against Canadian champion Martin Simard.
The Quebec native, “who possessed little English and got his first commands in French”, proved the young Kilkenny man’s toughest foe, with Ducksy winning 17-21, 21-15, 11-4 in the morning before beating Texan Sam Edgell 21-2, 21-7 later that day in the semi-final.
“The young Kilkenny stylist rose to the occasion in magnificent style,” reported the Irish Independent.
“Today he meets Billy Lopez (Tucson) in the final and he is reckoned to have a 50-50 chance of victory.”
The final took place on Wednesday, December 30th. Left-hander Lopez, coached by Fred Lewis and Tucson resident Pat Kirby, was fancied to take the title and was roared on by a large home crowd.
However, he had no answer to Walsh’s brilliance. So enamoured were the organisers with the Irishman’s display in winning 21-4, 21-10 that they arranged for him to be interviewed by a local TV crew, with the segment airing twice that evening.
“Walsh stamped American handball with an Irish imprint when he won the U15 section of the USHA Championships. Walsh won with such conviction that it could well be argued that his full potential was not exploited,” reported the Independent, suggesting presciently that there was more to come from the Talbot’s Inch lad.
“Walsh put his opponent on the defensive from the opening toss and thereafter contrived to produce all the techniques and skills applicable to the 40x20 game.
“Victory for the Kilkenny youngster puts the cream on a highly successful trip. Billy Bourke and John Duggan did extremely well and are returning home with third place prizes too.”
The Cork Examiner also carried a report on the team’s return home to Shannon airport.
“The Irish party received marvellous hospitality, from nobody more than the great Clare handballer Pat Kirby, who has been living Tuscon for the last 18 months,” it read.
Meanwhile, the Kilkenny People were lavish in their praise for the young Cat.
“The final was Michael Walsh’s finest hour. His ceiling play was fabulous; his variety of serves his had Tucson opponent completely at sea. His skill shots with the right hand had the spectators gasping and he finished the game on 20 as a real champion should, rolling the ball flat out in the corner. What a player!”
Ducksy, of course, went on to even bigger and better things. By March, he had won Leinster titles in U16 and Minor Singles (defeating Egin Jensen in the Leinster final) and even U21 Doubles.
He added the U16 Singles All-Ireland title, beating Eamon O’Neill (Limerick) in the semi-final and Kenny McAuley, the first Antrim player to reach a juvenile final, in the decider.
And that was just the start…