Limerick's CJ Fitzpatrick is the 2016 Senior Singles All Ireland Hardball Champion after overcoming Dublin's Eoin Kennedy on a 17-21, 21-17, 21-16 scoreline in a cracking encounter in Thurles on Saturday last. Both players performed fantastically over the course of the game in what will go down as one of the best Hardball finals in recent times.
Kennedy has dominated the Big Alley scene for the last decade in both Softball and Hardball codes and was searching for a ninth Hardball Singles title on Saturday while Fitzpatrick was going for his first title and was eager to make up for missing out with partner Pat Murphy to Kennedy and his partner Carl Browne in the previous weeks Doubles Final. Kennedy and Fitzpatrick were the standout performers on that day so it was no surprise to see the pair contest the singles final and the enthusiastic crowd sensed that a tight final could be in store.
Indeed the first game only added to that notion as the players were level at least six times throughout before Kennedy's experience saw him raise his game when it mattered most to close out the game 21-17. A cracking second game saw CJ take a seemingly unassailable 20-6 lead with some beautiful long range kills mixed with soft corner kills as the Limerick man looked to force a third. However Kennedy clawed his way back to 17-20 using his experience to change his serve and to press home the advantage once Fitzpatrick made any error. It looked as though Kennedy could not be stopped as momentum was clearly on his side at this stage and when a wonderful diving kill from CJ looked to have put him in the driving seat a missed chance in the corner let Kennedy back in. However Fitzpatrick showed great heart to regain composure and close out the second 21-17 to force a third game much to the delight of the crowd.
The third game saw Kennedy race into a 12-2 lead and appeared to be heading for the title before Fitzpatrick showed tremendous character to dig in and claw back Kennedy's lead shot by shot and draw level at 14-14. A number of outstanding rallies ensued with both men leaving their all on the court and at 16-16 the result was still in the melting pot. Fitzpatrick moved to 20-16 and despite Kennedy regaining serve a couple more times he couldn't pick off the points he needed to really put the pressure on the Limerick man. Despite a couple of missed chances as nerves began to show Fitzpatrick ensured there would be no more chances for Kennedy as he closed the game out to seal his first senior title to the delight of the Limerick following.
Earlier in the day in Thurles, Kilkenny's Shane Dunne completed the double as he added the Singles title to the Doubles title he won the previous week with victory over Mayo's Patrick Murphy. The pair had met the week previously in the Doubles final where Dunne and his partner Eoin Brennan overcame Murphy and Martin Mulhern. The first game on Saturday was a tight affair with Dunne showing the greater composure to take it on a 21-15 scoreline. In the second he dominated from start to finish as Murphy never got going to seal the title with a 21-15, 21-1 victory. The Kilkenny youngster is a bright prospect for the future and his form on Saturday suggests this won't be the last title for the Clogh youngster.
In the Intermediate final at the same venue, Cork's Daniel Relihan gained a measure of revenge for the previous week's doubles defeat when he defeated Tipperary's David Moloney on a 21-10, 21-13 scoreline while in Mullingar Wicklow's Jerome Willoughby defeated Meath's Peter Reilly 21-17, 21-12 to take the Junior title.
GAA Handball would like to thank Thurles and Mullingar for hosting the finals and to all who refereed and helped out at the games. To all the venues who hosted games throughout the championships, to the referees and to all who supported the games we say a huge thank you.
2016 All Ireland Hardball Singles Finals Results
Senior Singles: Limerick (CJ Fitzpatrick) dft Dublin (Eoin Kennedy) 17-21, 21-17, 21-16
Minor Singles: Kilkenny (Shane Dunne) dft Mayo (Patrick Murphy) 21-15, 21-1
Intermediate Singles: Cork (Daniel Relihan) dft Tipperary (David Moloney) 21-10, 21-13
Junior Singles: Wicklow (Jerome Willoughby) dft Meath (Peter Reilly) 21-17, 21-12
