It's a rivalry that dominated the landscape in Leinster GAA for years and this year it will be the talk of GAA Handball as the Myclubshop.ie 60x30 Senior Doubles Final will see rivals Meath and Dublin square off following their respective semi final victories on Saturday.
In the first semi final on Saturday reigning champions Dublin's Eoin Kennedy and Carl Browne took on Westmeath's Robbie McCarthy and David Mullaniff. Few would have given the Westmeath men the nod going into this game but they did posess the current Singles champion and number one in the game in Robbie McCarthy. In the first he was sublime carrying on from where he left off just weeks ago when he captured the singles title. The Mullingar man controlled the court with effortless ease and with Mullaniff performing steadily on the right they raced into an 18-5 lead as their opponents struggled to get to grips with the game. Though they did briefly rally to narow the gap to 18-10 the damage had been done and the Westmeath men secured the first 21-10 as they sensed a shock could be on the cards.
However the break in play gave the Dublin pairing a chance to refocus and it seemed to work as despite Westmeath briefly leading 3-0 it was the they who seized control and opened a 15-3 lead as a third game looked to be on the horizon. Try as the Westmeath pairing might they could not get close enough to the Dublin duo and they closed out the second 21-8 to take the game to a third.
The third started off with little between the teams as they battled to 5-5 before a Dublin break away saw them extend to 10-5. Kennedy was growing in confidence at this stage and he stretched the lead to 12-5 as the reigning champs looked to secure their passage to the final. This lead was stretched to 19-11 as Westmeath managed to rally briefly though it wasn't enough as Dublin secured the win taking the third 21-11 and the game 10-21, 21-8, 21-11.
Next up was the battle between five time champions Meath's Tom Sheridan and Brian Carroll and Mayo's Dessie Keegan and Joe McCann. The pairing had met in three finals between 2012 and 2014 with Meath holding a 3-0 record in those encounters. They started off in determined mood to extend that record and despite an even first few minutes the Royal County men took a 12-5 lead as they seized control of the game. This was soon extended to 16-8 as the Meath men dominated all aspects of the court and despite a brief Mayo rally they secured the first 21-9.
The second started much like the first ended with the Meath men in control as they opened up a 9-0 lead. Mayo eventually got their game going and registered on the scoreboard as Meath led 12-4. This was stretched to 14-6 as the Meath men looked extremely comfortable and hot favourites to advance. They extended this to 19-6 with some great play from both Sheridan and Carroll and Mayo never really threatened to make a comeback as the Meath pairing took the game with a 21-6 second game victory and booked their place in the decider in two weeks time.
So the scene is set for the 8th October for what promises to be another cracking finals occasion in Croke Park. Will Tom Sheridan win a remarkable fourteenth Doubles title and sixth with Brian Carroll or will Dublin retain their title in what will be a sixth Doubles title for Eoin Kennedy and second for Browne? Ticket details will be released shortly by GAA Handball and supporters are advised to get their tickets early to avoid disappointment.