Dublin's Eoin Kennedy & Carl Browne have claimed the MyClubShop.ie All-Ireland 60x30 Doubles title after a three game thriller in Abbeylara, much to the enjoyment of the packed gallery.
The Dubs were widely regarded as favourites for this final, but their Kilkenny opponents Ciaran Neary & Ducksy Walsh proved right from the off that they were not here to simply make up the numbers! Walsh has gathered a vast array of big match experience through the years and so was expected to be as calm and crafty as ever....and he was. Neary was playing in his maiden final and there was queries on whether he could settle into the game quickly....and he did!
In truth the Kilkenny lads recorded a quite comfortable first game, very consistent, aggressive, and made very few hand errors. Ducksy was clinical killing around the front right corner, whilst Neary fly killed regularly from the left. The Dubs were very conservative and couldn't seem to get a hold in the game at all, going down 21-11.
The second game was easily the best game of the three. A tense opening period saw scores level at 5-5. Dublin then upped the gears; Kennedy shooting long straight kills into the left, and Browne finding joy with his soft kills into both corners as they stormed into a 17-8 lead. But fantastic heart was shown by the kilkenny lads and within five minutes the scores were level at 19-19.
A mammoth rally ended with Ducksy shooting a kill into the left, with Kennedy somehow managing to scrape the ball up and rekill. It was a great pick and it proved to be decisive as another kill from Kennedy and a lovely soft fly kill from Browne sealed the second 21-19.
At 13-10 to Dublin in the third, the game was nicely balanced approaching the home straight, but it was Dublin who had the extra mile left in the tank and they surged ahead to win 8 of the final 9 points to take the title 21-11. That made it 5 Doubles titles for Kennedy, with Browne claiming his first.
In the Intermediate Singles Final, it was Limerick's Padraig Quish who stormed into the senior ranks by ousting Cavan's James Brady 21-3, 21-3. A series of long energy sapping rallies at the start of the match was gruelling for both players, with neither putting the ball away as much as they would have liked. But as the game progressed, Quish's speed around the front court saw him gain some joy by cutting off a lot of ball on the fly, making use of the full court. The scoreline suggests a very different match to what actually happened, as there was a lot of long exchanges throughout, but in the end Quish took more of his opportunities and with them the title.
In the Minor Doubles Final, Wexford's Keith Armstrong & Daniel Kavanagh added the 60x30 title to the 40x20 crown they won back in April with a dominant 21-4, 21-16 win over Mayo's Niall Joyce & Patrick Murphy. The Wexford lads put in a very assured, error free performance in the first, recording a quick 21-4 win. The second followed suit as they led 17-7, but that was before the westerners gave their everything for one last push, before falling short at 21-16.
- Dublin (Eoin Kennedy/Carl Browne) dft Kilkenny (Michael D. Walsh/Ciaran Neary) 11-21, 21-19, 21-12
- IS: Limerick (Paudi Quish) dft Cavan (James Brady) 21-3, 21-3
- MD: Wexford (Keith Armstrong/Daniel Kavanagh) dft Mayo (Niall Joyce/Patrick Murphy) 21-4, 21-16