The 2017 O'Neills Senior Doubles Quarter Finals are down for decision this weekend with some exciting ties in prospect across four venues.
By Sunday evening eight will become four as the semi finialists in this years O'Neills Senior Doubles All Ireland Championship will have been confirmed and the four victors will be a step closer to the second All Ireland Finals Festival weekend in Kingscourt with the Doubles set for the 21st - 23rd April.
The reigning champions from Dublin Eoin Kennedy and Carl Browne are first into action on Saturday in Crinkle as they take on the Funchion brothers from Kilkenny in what is a potential banana skin for the Dublin duo. The Funchions will cause plenty of problems for Kennedy and Browne who if they are not fully focused could find themselves under severe pressure from the Kells pair. Patrick had an extended run in this year's Singles Championship defeating Meath's Brian Carroll on the way and only falling at the Quarter Final stage in a close game against Cork's Brendan Fleming while Peter is a fine player in his own right and was 2016 US Intervarsities Champion representing Tralee IT. They both starred on the victorious Open club team who captured the last two club titles so are no strangers to mixing it with the best.
Kennedy and Browne bring a wealth of experience to the table and Kennedy is one of the most experienced players in the game. They have settled well as a pairing and in their short time together have collected Doubles titles in 40x20, 60x30 and Hardball. They will draw on this experience on Saturday as they go in search of a semi final place and take a step closer to retaining their title.
In Moycullen, Clare's Diarmaid Nash and Colin Crehan take on Mayo's Joe McCann and Vinnie Moran. Last year's semi finalists McCann and Moran will be determined to at least reach the last four again. McCann who won this title in 2009 with then partner Dessie Keegan partners Vinnie Moran this time and they will be eager to start well against the Claremen and use their experience to try and make the semi finals. Nash and Crehan are many people's dark horses for this year's title and they will hope that their growing partnership as a Doubles team will help them overcome the Mayo challenge on Saturday. Both are fine individual players and will be quietly confident of making the semi finals this Saturday evening.
An all Cork affair takes place in Cappagh in Limerick as Daniel Reilhan and Michael Hedigan take on Brendan Fleming and Tony Healy. On paper this looks like a win for the two more experienced players especially taking into account Fleming's form in getting to the Singles semi finals but the young pair of Hedigan and Relihan will have other ideas. The 2016 U21 Doubles Champions have a lot of experience playing together and will provide a stiff challenge for anybody that crosses their path. When you add in some friendly in house rivalry it adds to the spice of the occasion. A hesitant nod goes to the more experienced Fleming and Healy.
The final Quarter Final of the weekend see's the kingpins of the Doubles game Cavan's Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan take on the exciting young partnership of Martin and Diarmuid Mulkerrins in St Brigid's Curraghboy. Cavan who have 10 All Ireland Doubles titles are hoping to go one better than last year and reclaim the title they last won in 2014. They played Wexford's Gavin Buggy and Daniel Kavanagh in the last round and while the first game was relatively straighforward the second was a tighter affair. They will be hoping that they are saving their best form for the latter stages of the championship and will be eager to add an 11th title to their already impressive haul.
In the opposite corner will be the Mulkerrins brothers and this exciting young pairing will hold no fears of their more illustrious opponents. Martin's form over the last two year's in singles has marked him out as a top Senior player while Diarmuid has forged a successful underage career for himself. The two Moycullen lads go in as underdogs on Saturday but are under no pressure to perform and this will suit them. However with Brady's recent success in New York proving he is back on form and with his trusted partner Finnegan by his side the call goes to the Cavan men to progress.
So Handball fans are spoiled for choice as four excellent encounters take place this Saturday as the race for All Ireland glory on the Road to Kingscourt heats up.
40x20 Senior Championship Fixtures
Saturday 1st April
Crinkle, Offaly @ 1pm OIC Kevin Cooke 087 6423846
- QF1: Dublin (Eoin Kennedy/Carl Browne) v Kilkenny (Patrick Funchion/Peter Funchion)
Moycullen, Galway @ 5pm OIC Tony Audley 087 2267972 ***Note Change of Venue***
- QF2: Clare (Diarmuid Nash/Colin Crehan) v Mayo (Joe McCann/Vinnie Moran)
Cappagh, Limerick @ 2pm OIC Donal Hayes 087 2442604
- QF3: Cork (Daniel Reilhan/Michael Hedigan) v Cork (Brendan Fleming/Tony Healy)
St. Brigids, Curraghboy, Roscommon @ 2pm OIC Seamus McHugh 087 6307759
- QF4: Galway (Martin Mulkerrins/Diarmuid Mulkerrins) v Cavan (Paul Brady/Michael Finnegan)