2015…..it has been quite a year!
As we come to the end of 2015, GAA Handball reflects on what has been a hectic, yet exciting and indeed enthralling year! Yet again there has been a mammoth amount of Handball in 2015, too much for one article, so we have highlighted some of the key events of the year gone by. Note, web links are provided fir the full reports on each of these key events.
40x20 All-Ireland Championships:
In recent years the All-Ireland 40x20 Championship Final Days have become the showpiece occasion in Irish Handball. Every player dreams of being involved in these big days, but only a rare few get to experience them, never mind win them.
Going back 17 years in the Senior Men’s grade, there have only been 4 unique winners; Robbie McCarthy, Paul Brady, Eoin Kennedy & Tony Healy. The Senior Ladies however has become a bit more open, with 4 unique winners in the last 5 years, although there have only been 4 winners in the last 13 years.
Desire to win one is never an issue, or does it need to be incentivized. Although for 2015 it was, with the Men’s & Ladies Singles winners claiming their spot as Team Ireland captains for August’s World Championships. We were treated to some memorable encounters that will live long in the memory of any spectator lucky enough to be present.
In the Ladies Final, the now expected pairing of Catriona Casey & Aisling Reilly met for the second year running. Despite being reigning champion, Reilly was not the favorite. Cork’s Casey was on a dominant run of form, not only over her rival but also all competitors world wide, and form suggested she would take her second Celtic Cross. But Belfast woman Reilly has developed an incredible knack of peaking at the perfect time, and for the second year running in the All-Ireland Final, dominated Casey with her power and aggression to win out 21-17, 21-13 to cue emphatic celebrations!
Next up was the Men’s Singles Final between Robbie McCarthy and Charly Shanks. Reigning champ McCarthy had recorded a comfortable SF win over Brain Carroll, whilst Shanks shocked Diarmaid Nash with a relatively comfortable SF win himself. McCarthy was favorite, but Shanks didn’t care as he stormed to a 21-13 opening game win. The champ responded with a 21-5 second game win to force a third game. Shanks swung the momentum back in his favour in the third, and always looked the player most likely to win out the match, and holding a 20-16 lead that looked almost certain. But he ruefully didn’t take his chance and McCarthy showed incredible nerve to reel the Armagh man in to take the title 21-20 with a right corner kill ending a mammoth rally at 20-20. This truly was more than anyone could have asked for in terms of skill, commitment and drama, and will easily go down as one of the best All-Ireland Finals of all time.
Three weeks later it was the turn of the Doubles Finals. For the 4th consecutive year it was Cork (Catriona Casey/Ashling O’Keefe) v Kerry (Maria Daly/Ashley Prendiville). After a tense opening period, the Cork girls, who were ruthless throughout the Championship, broke free from the shackles and recorded a 21-16, 21-11 win to retain their crown, their 2nd All-Ireland Doubles title.
The Men’s Doubles Final saw another fierce rivalry renew acquaintances, with Cavan (Paul Brady/Michael Finnegan) and Meath (Brian Carroll/Tom Sheridan) meet for the 4th final in 5 years. The Cavan lads had won all 4 previous meetings, but they were pushed to the limits a few times. Everyone expected a cracker, and a cracker is what they got!
Brady in particular started like a machine, his athleticism, power and accuracy a joy to watch. At 20-16 it appeared only a matter of time until the first game was in the bag for the Cavan men. But lying down is not in their nature and the Meath men snatched a first game win from the jaws of defeat, 21-20. Game on!
Spurred on by their opening game win, Meath led 11-7, before falling behind 14-11. Twenty odd minutes later and Meath had two serves at 19-20. Two points away from their maiden 40x20 title together. But they failed to capitalize and lost out 21-19. A third game! This was too much tension for the hearts of most spectators! And no one could have predicted what happened next.
Trailing 2-1, Brady goes down with a leg injury, an injury that a 15 minute injury timeout couldn’t fix. So that was it, Meath won on default. It was not the ending they wanted, it was not the ending the game deserved, but regardless Carroll & Sheridan took home the title!
World Open Doubles Trials:
Kingscourt played host to a quality field in the World Doubles Trials with spots on the official team Ireland up for grabs for both winning pairs.
Left standing in the Men’s Open Final was ten time All-Ireland Doubles champions, and 2012 World finalists Paul Brady & Michael Finnegan, versus current Irish #1 & #2 Robbie McCarthy & Diarmaid Nash. A real quality match saw the Cavan lads just have enough in the tank to see off their younger challengers 21-15, 21-16 in a gripping encounter that show glimpses of utter class from all players.
The Ladies final saw current two time All-Ireland Doubles champions Catriona Casey & Aishling O'Keeffe face powerful duo Aisling Reilly & Martina McMahon. A strange first game ensued as Reilly & McMahon stormed ahead 8-0, before being pegged back at 8-8. Another burst of points saw them lead again at 14-8, before Casey & O'Keeffe fought back again to 14-13. But a combination of long range kills from both ladies saw the momentum switch again as the Antrim/Limerick duo sealed the first 21-13. Game two was a much closer affair with the Cork girls leading 17-9 before Reilly & McMahon stormed back to seal victory 21-18.
Feile na Gael:
Belfast was the venue for the annual Feile na Gael competition, with the new double court comple at Colaiste Feirste hosting an excellent day of finals.
Tuamgraney & Leixlip were the winners of the Division 1 Boys & Girls events, whilst national titles went to 6 counties across the various grades over the weekend, including Lahorna who completed a club double by winning the Boys 60x30 and the Boys 40x20 Division 4.
A major weekend saw all of the group stage games played off on Saturday in St Pauls, Gort na Mona, Colaiste Feirste and Kingscourt, before all of Sunday's action descended on Colaiste Feirste. Some gripping encounters were played out over the weekend, as life long memories were made by all the players, coaches and supporters.
The final match of the weekend proved a fitting finale to a great tournament with Tuamgraney (Clare) overcoming a two-point group stage defeat to bounce back and defeat reigning champions Carrickmore by one ace in a sensational encounter in the Boys Division 1 Final.
Once again, the standard on show was exceptional, and credit must go to all the players, coaches and parents for their timeless effort.
Hardball:
Eight players entered the Senior Hardball Championship in 2015, and eight was the magic number for Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy who claimed his 8th All Ireland Senior Singles GAA Handball All Ireland Hardball Championship title. The St Brigid’s clubman defeated Mayo Joe McCann 21-12, 21-8in the final at St. Coman’s, Roscommon.
McCann also reached the Doubles decider with long term partner Dessie Keegan, but the Mayo men could not overcome Meath’s Brian Carroll & Tom Sheridan from claiming a three in a row, and their 4th in all. The Kells clubman are a partnership of the highest quality, and prevailed with a tough 21-20, 21-9 victory. After this win, the Meath lads now held the All-Ireland Senior 40x20, 60x30 & Hardball titles all at once!
One-Wall Nationals:
This weekend tournament has grown to be the biggest annual event, certainly in Ireland if not in international Handball. With the World Championships less than a six weeks away, this was the last chance for players to win their way onto Team Ireland.
The decision of GAA Handball to move the Men's & Ladies Open Finals from their traditional Sunday evening spot to the Saturday evening spot proved a major success with the largest ever Open Final spectator numbers adding to an electric atmosphere.
Catriona Casey had a very successful underage career at the One-Wall Nationals, but was playing in her maiden Ladies Open grade in Breaffy. Casey faced One-Wall specialist, and three time champion Lorraine Havern.
Havern opened the brightest and the Saval club woman vowed the crowds with perfectly executed angled kill shots off both hands to take a 14-9 lead. Despite the odds being stacked against her, Casey held her nerve to fight back and take the first 15-14.
In what was a brilliant exhibition for ladies handball, both girls provided the crowd with exceptional handball before the ever reliable and impressively consistent Casey built on her confidence boosting first game win to seal the match 15-9 in one of the most entertaining and high quality finals.
In winning this title, Casey created history by becoming he first senior player, male or female, to win every major title, singles and doubles, in Irish Handball across all codes. A remarkable achievement which highlights just how good and adaptable a player the Ballydesmond native is.
The Men's proved to be a fitting finale as well, with Tyrone’s Conor McElduff retaining his title with a thrilling tiebreak win over Galway's Martin Mulkerrins. The Moycullen man, in his maiden Open decider produced some exquisite, powerful handball in the opener, as he stole an advance in the match taking the first 15-9. McElduff upped his play in the second, cutting ball off early and using the angles well to take the second 15-11, before taking the title 11-3 in the tiebreak and earning his spot on Team Ireland.
60x30 All-Ireland Championships:
Westmeath's Robbie McCarthy ensured the 60x30 Senior Singles Cup will reside in the Lake County once more for the next 12 months as he produced a performance of sheer class in front of a packed gallery in Abbeylara, Longford back in September.
McCarthy stole the show with an imperious display in the final against Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy. Kennedy of course dramatically defeated McCarthy in last years final against all odds, but there was to be no shock this time round as the Mullingar man blitzed his older opponent 21-7, 21-3.
"Eoin is a fantastic player and I knew I would have to be at my best today, I am delighted with how I played. I am fitter this year and also mentally stronger and am delighted it came off for me on the day"
exclaimed a delighted McCarthy who credited his new found mental toughness and fitness to his training with the Irish Naval Service.
The win was Robbie’s 4th 60x30 Singles crown, and given the nature of his win this year, it is hard to look past him winning a few more in the coming years.
Whilst the Men’s Final didn’t live up to it’s billing, the Ladies 60x30 Final certainly did! Cork’s Catriona Casey's title credentials were truly tested today but the Ballydesmond woman showed her fighting characteristics to seal her 4th consecutive All-Ireland Ladies 60x30 Singles title with a 21-18, 21-12 win over Martina McMahon, stating 'I had to fight for it, and it means a lot to win!'
In an absorbing contest of real quality, Casey raced to a 9-0 lead before being pulled back to 9-9. McMahon's long-range killing was a joy to watch, and she held an 18-16 lead. But the ever-clinical Casey fought back to seal the first 21-18, despite being down 18-16 and under severe pressure. Casey proceeded to win the second 21-12 in a gruelling encounter, which has whetted the appetite for an intriguing rivalry between the two ladies for the foreseeable future.
In the Men's 60x30 Doubles, Eoin Kennedy made up for his Singles defeat by taking home the title with partner Carl Browne, his 5th in all, but 1st with Browne. In the final they faced Kilkenny’s Ciaran Neary & Ducksy Walsh, and despite starting as favourites, they quickly realised they had a battle on their hands as they fell to a 21-11 first game loss. At 19-19 in the second, the Kilkenny lads could almost touch the finish line, but Kennedy stepped up and pulled the Dubliners over the line 21-19, from which they proceeded to win the third 21-12 and take home the title.
The Ladies Doubles title made its way back to Ballydesmond for the 3rd consecutive year as Catriona Casey & Ashling O’Keeffe were very dominant in their 21-2, 21-10 final win over Limerick’s Martina McMahon & Cathy Foley.
World Championships:
A 15 strong Team Ireland squad headed to Calgary, Canada to compete in August’s World Championships having all won their way onto the team via a mix of All-Ireland, Nationals and World Trial wins.
The team was joint captained by Robbie McCarthy & Aisling Reilly, the 2015 All-Ireland Senior Champions, and comprised players from 11 counties.
Men’s Open: Robbie McCarthy (Westmeath) – Captain Ladies Open: Aisling Reilly (Antrim) – Captain Men’s Open: Paul Brady (Cavan) Men’s Open: Michael Finnegan (Cavan) Ladies Open: Martina McMahon (Limerick) Boys 19&U: Colin Corbett (Clare) Boys 17&U: Daniel Kavanagh (Wexford) Boys 15&U: Tiarnan Agnew (Clare) Girls 19&U: Ciana Ni Churraoin (Galway) Girls 17&U: Eilise McCrory (Tyrone) Girls 15&U: Caitriona Millane (Limerick) Men’s One-Wall: Conor McElduff (Tyrone) Ladies One-Wall: Catriona Casey (Cork) B19&U One-Wall: Darren Doherty (Monaghan) G19&U One-Wall: Maeve McElduff (Tyrone)
A full review of the team’s performance can be found here, but to summarize, an impressive 20 medals were claimed across 40x20 & One-Wall in Singles & Doubles events.
Paul Brady’s incredible 5th consecutive World Open Singles title is the obvious highlight from the championships. The weight of the world was on Paul’s shoulders, with pretty much everyone in Handball expecting him to win. But at times his level of performance was as good as we have ever seen, notably in the final against Cork’s sensational Killian Carroll, who had no answer to Brady’s power. At 36 years of age, and an unbroken winning run at World Championships spanning 12 years, one can only admire the Mullahoran mans achievements.
“It feels incredible to be going back home as the World champion,” said Brady. “The pressure is off me now……I’ve had to handle pressure for the past twelve years – you get used to it; it becomes your companion.”
Antrim’s Aisling Reilly retained her Ladies Open Singles title won in 2012, by ousting rival Catriona Casey in an absorbing final. Both players emptied the tank on the court, and the tension was almost unbearable at times during a brilliant final. Casey started the brightest and took the opener 21-10, before Reilly responded 21-16 to force a tiebreak, which she proceeded to win 11-6.
Reilly followed up her stunning singles win by then teaming up with Limerick's Martina McMahon to take the Ladies Open Doubles title. Reilly/McMahon defeated Catriona Casey/Aishling O Keefe 21-15, 21-13 to take the title less than an hour after the singles final, which was tough on both players.
The last game of the championships saw Team Ireland captain Robbie McCarthy and Clare’s Diarmaid Nash take a Men’s Open Doubles title with a two game victory over Mayo’s Joe McCann and Roscommon’s Rikki O’Gara. The first game was evenly contested, with the Clare\Westmeath combination edging to a 21-18 first game win. In the second game, Nash and McCarthy stormed to an early lead, which the men from the West were unable to claw back, eventually going down 21-6.
In the One-Wall tournament there were admirable performance by Ireland’s Open players, against the typically dominant US players. Conor McElduff rose to the challenge of US #1, and eventual champion Timbo Gonzalez in the QF’s. Holding a 13-6 lead, McElduff was heading for the shock of the tournament. But a late fightback from Timbo saw him close out the first 21-16, before sealing the second 21-8. Conor was well in the game throughout with plenty of long rallies, but in the end it was Timbo’s big game experience that stood to him.
In the Ladies Singles, Cork's Catriona Casey & Down's Lorraine Havern can be proud off their efforts as they saw off all comers before falling to the World #1 & #2 Dannielle Dakalakis & Sandy Ng of the USA in the Ladies Open grade.
Both girls never hit the heights they are capable of but showed that they have the game to mix with the worlds best particularly in the QF’s as Team Ireland rep Casey saw off Maria Rivera 21-20, 21-16 in a gutsy battle, whilst Havern prevailed in a tough 21-15 opener before comfortably taking the second 21-4 against New York's Karen McConney.
Havern also made the One-Wall Open Doubles Final with her partner Karen McConney, and put in a brave performance before falling 21-14, 21-16 to Dannielle Dakalakis & Sandy Ng (USA).
In the juvenile grades, there was great success for Team Ireland, but also to Irish Handballers in general with a clear gap between the best Irish players to those of any other competing countries, which is credit to the clubs and coaches across the emerald isle. Team Ireland’s Tiarnan Agnew put in some classy performances and he stormed to 3 gold medals in the 15&U grade, whilst Johnny Woods, who lost out in the team trials at the SF stage, showed his mettle to respond by winning 3 gold medals in the 19&U grade. Wexford’s Daniel Kavanagh (17&U) was one of only three member of Team Ireland, alongside Aisling Reilly & Agnew, to take home the Singles & Doubles Slam in their respective grades. Galway’s Niamh Heffernan claimed 4 gold’s from 4 events in the G13&U Four-Wall & One-Wall,
Irish Juveniles:
The standard and indeed the depth of quality coming through the Irish juvenile ranks is frightening at present, and if we bring these young players through into the senior ranks in the coming years then exciting times lye ahead for Irish Handball.
40x20 All-Ireland Juvenile Finals:
Nine counties came home from Kingscourt with All-Ireland Juvenile titles after another gripping weekend of Handball.
Titles by County: Tyrone (3), Armagh (2), Kildare (2), Tipperary (2), Limerick (2), Mayo (2), Galway (1), Clare (1), Cork (1)
In the Boys events, the Blue Ribband U14 & U16 Singles titles went the way of Lorcan McBride 9Tyrone) & Peter Donohue (Galway) respectively. McBride overcame a tough opener 15-11 to prevail comfortably in the second 15-2against Cork’s Cian O’Driscoll, whilst Donohue overcame McBride’s club mate Cormac Munroe 21-10, 21-6 with the Inis Mor mans power proving extremely effective.
The Girls showpiece finals went the way of Armagh & Tipperary, as Dearbhla Coleman ousted a gutsy Niamh Heffernan in a cracking U14 Singles final, prevailing 15-11 in the tiebreak. Sinead Meagher then produced a clinical performace to see off Coleman’s club mate Megan McCann 21-13, 21-14 in the G16&U Singles decider.
40x20 Junior Nationals:
"The level of juvenile talent is frightening!"
Just one of the throw away comments made during the weekend as six young players earned their spots on Team Ireland during what has to be considered as one of the best Irish Junior Nationals ever. Ciana Ni Churraoin took the G19&U title with victory over Maebh McElduff, whilst Eilise McCrory produced an exhibition of serving to defeat Niamh Coleman in the Girls 17&U final.
Caitriona Millane took the G15&U title with an 11-2 tiebreak win over Megan McCann, whilst in the B15&U Tiarnan Agnew produced a classy performance to seal an eye-catching 21-13, 21-5 win over Galway's Peter Donohue and is certainly a name to watch in the coming years.
Wexford’s Daniel Kavanagh claimed the 17&U title with victory over Fergal Coughlan, whilst there were also wins impressive wins for Lorcan McBride (B13&U), Niamh Heffernan (G13&U), Sadhbh Ni Fhlaithearta/Chloe Philpott (G11&UD) & Billy Drennan/Daniel Hanrahan (B11&UD).
The climax of a long weekend however produced an exhilarating match, arguably the match of the weekend, as Clare's Colin Corbett came from a game down, and 18-12 down in the second to snatch victory from Darren Doherty's grasp with a 19-21, 21-19, 11-9 win in the B19&U final.
60x30 All-Ireland Juvenile Finals:
The cream of Irelands 60x30 Juveniles converged on Ballymoe & St Comans in Roscommon to battle it out for the 2015 Myclubshop.ie All Ireland finals in the softball code. Fourteen counties in all competed with Tipperary topping the medals table with 6 titles, closely followed by Kilkenny with 4 titles. Kildare took home 2 titles with Limerick, Tyrone and Wexford all taking 1 title back to their respective counties.
The showpiece Boys titles went to Kilkenny’s Jack Holden (B14&U Singles) & Tipperary’s Jerome Cahill (B16&U Singles) with both lads prevailing in two straight games. Holden defeated Roscommon’s Dylan Hanley 15-7, 15-12, whilst Cahill ousted Louth’s Ben Devlin 21-18, 21-13.
In the Girls, it was Kildare’s Leah Doyle who got the better of Galway’s Niamh Heffernan in a U14 Singles tiebreak, 15-6. Tipperary’s Sinead Meagher then completed the U16 Singles slam for 2015 by winning her final against Kildare’s Mollie Dagg 21-2, 21-8 with a dominant display.
She’s Ace:
January’s She’s Ace Festival Weekend saw 150+ females descend on Breaffy House Resort for another hectic yet fun weekend. In the 40x20 Finals, Catriona Casey took out Aisling Reilly in the Ladies Open Final, whilst Niamh Dunne (Laois) & Linda Seoige (Galway) claimed the Ladies B & Ladies Challenger events. At juvenile level, Mayo’s Hazel Finn won the 11&U, Clare’s Bridin Dinane won the 14&U, and another Clare win followed through Doireann Murphy in the 17&U.
Sunday’s One-Wall Fun events were yet again hugely popular, with the Mother & Daughter Doubles event proving to be the highlight with over 30 pairings taking place, the majority of mothers having never hit a ball competitively before. In the end it was Galways Aine & Emer Ni Bhiadhi who beat Tyrone’s Cathy & Ciara Mullan in the final.
Inter-Club Championships:
Kells (Meath) & Ballaghaderreen (Mayo) have completely dominated the inter-club championships since 2002, with both the 40x20 & 60x30 finals generally being a shootout between the two big hitters year on year.
2015 however witnessed what was probably the most dramatic final between both clubs ever in the 60x30 decider. Having trailed by 15 points going into the second game of the final singles, Kells’ Gary McConnell really pulled it out of the bag by defeating Vinny Moran 21-6 to record a 98-97 overall win, completing a 4 in a row.
Kells where again represented in the 40x20 Interclub final, but this time it was Kells (Kilkenny) against Glenbeigh (Kerry) in a novel pairing. Both Kells (Meath) & Ballaghaderreen never fielded a team and thus there was to be a new winner for the first time since 2003. But the 2015 title went to Kells on a score line of 104-84, with both teams receiving byes in their SF’s.
Third Level – ICHA:
40x20:
There was a familiar feel to the Open grades at the 2015 Irish 40x20 Intervarsities as Martin Mulkerrins (UCD) & Catriona Casey (UL) claimed their 4th consecutive Singles crowns in February’s tournament in Kingscourt, defeating Darren Doherty & Martina McMahon respectively.
Mulkerrins teamed up with Galen Riordan for the 40x20 Doubles event, but they couldn’t overcome IT Tralee’s Peter Funchion & Shane Hedigan in the final. The UL pairing of freshers Ciana Ni Churraoin & Niamh Dunne defeated DCU’s Ashling O’Keefe & Niamh Farrell in the Ladies Doubles final.
60x30:
Martin Mulkerrins also took home the 60x30 crown for UCD when ousting college teammate Brian Mahon of Kilkenny in the final. Galway’s Ciana Ni Churraoin (UL) took the Ladies 60x30 title in her maiden year as she defeated Ciara Mahon (TCD) in November’s Final.
One-Wall:
Mulkerrins was bidding for the clean sweep of Irish Intervarsity titles but was felled at the final hurdle by UUJ’s Conal McCavitt in the Men’s Open final. Ciara Mahon got her hands on her first Intervarsity title by seeing off the challenge of Ashling O’Keefe to win the Ladies Open final.
US Collegiates:
At the US Collegiates in Portland, Oregan, the Irish again put in an impressive showing. Martin Mulkerrins was defeated by long-term foe Daniel Cordova in the Men’s Open Singles Final, with Cordova preventing Mulkerrins claiming a 4 in a row. But where Mulkerrins fell, Cork’s Catriona Casey prevailed, with the Ballydesmond woman defeating doubles partner Ciana Ni Churraoin to win her 4th consecutive US Collegiate crown.
Club Tournaments:
Yet again there were some fantastic club tournaments held across the country, and GAA Handball commend all clubs for their continued efforts in promoting the game as they are the real lifeblood of our association. There are too many to mention them all but below are highlight from some key events.
Cork’s Killian Carroll made it three ranking wins on the trot at the Gaffney Memorial in Ballaghadereen in January with victory over Diarmaid Nash in the final. Killian had just months earlier won the 2014 Golden Gloves & 2014 Irish Nationals, announcing himself as a huge contender in the 40x20 senior scene.
Mallow HC ran it’s first One-Wall Open attracting 160+ players as Conor McElduff & Catriona Casey took the Open titles, whilst the same duo won at the Lough Showdown in Loughmacrory HC, where over 200+ players competed over the course of the weekend. In November’s Golden Gloves in Belfast, Armagh’s Charly Shanks moved up to #4 in the Irish rankings win a final win over first time finalist Peter Funchion in the Men’s Open category, whilst Aisling Reilly defeated Down’s Lorraine Havern in the Ladies Final to claim her 5th Golden Gloves.
International Events:
At the big international events in America, Paul Brady, Catriona Casey & Aisling Reilly were the only Irish players to taste success.
Brady had a pretty much impeccable year at WPH & USHA run events, failing to win only once, at the WPH Players Championships in Salt Lake City, where he had to withdraw mid game due to injury. Other than that though he was ruthless, winning WPH Pro-Stops in New York, Houston, San Fran & Arizona.
He also blitzed the fields at the he US Nationals in June (dft E Peixoto 21-8, 21-6) to win his 10th title, and the US Open in October (dft L Moreno 21-15, 21-4), further enhancing his legacy as the all time best player ever.
Catriona Casey was equally ruthless on the WPH circuit, winning Pro-Stops in New York, San Fran & Salt Lake City as she remains undefeated in her WPH event career. She responded to losing the All-Ireland Final to rival Aisling Reilly by defeating Reilly in the Players Championship Final (dft Reilly 15-2, 12-15, 15-9) in April and followed that up with victory again at the US Nationals in June (dft Reilly 21-11, 8-21, 11-4).
Reilly exacted revenge though by following up her Worlds win with a US Open Final win over Casey, coming from 6-0 down in the tiebreak to win 6-21, 21-11, 11-9. This rivalry is easily the most exciting and unpredictable in World Handball at present and is helping bring Ladies Handball in Ireland to unprecedented heights.
In Europe, a new Wall Ball Tour has been established, with stops in London, Belgium, France, Valencia, Italy and Holland. There has already been one Irish victory on the tour, with Tyrone’s Conor McElduff defeating USA’s Danny Torres in the Dutch Open Final in November to claim his maiden European win. This is an exciting venture and GAA Handball are in advance discussions to host a Tour-Stop in Ireland in 2016.