By Paul Fitzpatrick
When you’re a handball player who doesn’t play handball, it begs a few questions. When the sport found itself shelved for the best part of two years due to Covid-related restrictions, a state of Limbo reigned.
Players, coaches and officials, so used to preparing, travelling and competing, now found themselves with time, and not gloves, on their hands. And while there was a novelty element at first, it soon wore off as the months ticked by and alleys lay idle.
To call it an existential crisis may sound dramatic but it was a worrying time for handballers across the country, from top seniors to recreational players.
Colin Crehan had only been in Dublin for six months, having just finished a Masters in Actuarial Science, when the pandemic struck. He soon moved home to Clare, threw himself back into hurling with the local O’Callaghan’s Mills club – a journey which ended up in the senior county final – but missing out on handball still gnawed at him.
“It was very annoying that we couldn’t get back playing handball. I probably did lose a bit of identity, you identify as a handballer and when you go 18 months without playing, you kind of question what you’re up to,” Crehan recalled this week.
“But once we came back for the Golden Gloves last October it was clear there was still a buzz there. It was kind of worrying that the sting may have been gone out of it but Jesus, no, I went back to that first tournament and everyone was delighted to be back playing. No-one really cared who was winning or losing.
“Now we’re three or four tournaments deep, the competitiveness is definitely back and I think everybody is really looking forward to this championship and having a right cut off it.”
Crehan makes no secret of his goal. He wants to win the All-Ireland Senior Singles and there was never a suggestion that he would step away, despite the enforced hiatus of 2020 and 2021.
“I was always going to come back. To be honest, I didn’t play throughout the 18 months or so but handball has always been my preference, I was always going to come back. I have a goal there to win a senior title, that desire never quenched. I was always hungry to get back.
“It wouldn’t bother me if only one other player came back and it was a straight final to win an All-Ireland! I still want to win one and I never lost that desire at any stage.”
Since returning, the two-time Senior Doubles champion has elevated his game, claiming his first elite singles title when he won the Irish Nationals Open Singles in Belfast at the end of January.
“I really enjoyed it, it was a big win for me. I was delighted to get over the line, I’d won underage titles and everything but it was nice to get that senior win. I know it’s the Nationals, not the championship, but it was still a good stepping stone going into the championship.
“Of all the tournaments to win in the calendar, it’s the closest one to the championship so hopefully I can keep up that form and maybe improve it a small bit in the championship this weekend.”
Standing in his way is four-time winner Robbie McCarthy, who has not been active on the tournament circuit of late due to overseas work commitments but was in exceptional form in the round of 16 against Antrim’s Owen McKenna.
Crehan got the ball rolling with a 21-14, 21-9 win over Tipperary’s Ger Coonan.
“The first game I was a bit jittery. It took a while to actually settle but I got into more of a groove in the second game, serving better, killing better and not giving up as many hand errors.
“In saying that, Ger did come out of the traps quicker, played really well and served really well in the first game and had me under pressure but once I kicked on in the second game I was happy enough. Good to get that game under my belt, the first game can always be a tricky one.
“Robbie is the most decorated handballer in the competition. I saw a brief glimpse of his game last weekend, I know he hasn’t played many tournaments but he looks as fit as ever and he’s hitting the ball as well as ever.
“I’m not buying into this that he has been away from the game, I know he’s going to come all guns blazing and I just know that I’m going to have to play like I played in the Nationals and even better than that I think.
“I’m going to have to give it a lash. So much for winning the Nationals and getting the seeding up and getting a more favourable draw, it doesn’t really work out like that!”
