Our Ladies Handball journey began with the Ladies Minor Singles 2018 O’Neills All-Ireland Final contest between young stars, Kildare’s Leah Doyle and Clare’s Catríona Millane. In the first game, both athletes blew on to the court with sheer tenacity and strength of conviction.
Their talents were evenly match in game one as they gained point for point off the other, levelling 3 times, the 3rd of which was at 12-12. From here, the Lexslip native, Leah Doyle, really found her stride and stepped it up a gear. She wowed the crowd with an array of dazzling shots and incredible retrieval skills, not allowing Millane to find a foothold in the rest of the game by finishing the first 21-12.
The second game started with the Clare lady on a mission, it seemed that Doyle had no answer for the new level that Millane had found and it appeared that we might have been destined for a 3rd game. However, at a 10-1 deficit, the incredible happened. After winning her way back in to service, Doyle took a well calculated time out – a quick word with her coach and a calming breath saw the young athlete attempt a feat that even the most experienced sportsperson would find difficult. Doyle stepped up and rattled off a string of Aces with one of the best low power serves to be seen at any minor level of the small alley code.
Suddenly, the game was neck in neck at 15-15, Doyle continued to put the pressure on for the remainder of the match only allowing Milane one more point for the duration of the game. She continued to blitz with her serves and took the second on a score of 21-16.
GAA Handball spoke to the new Ladies Minor Champion after the game and asked how she felt after such a remarkable win. She noted that “Relived is the wrong word, but that’s how I’m feeling. I put in so much hard work and to see that hard work payoff is a relief. I always knew that I could do it, and now I have and it feels amazing.”
Coming back from a 10-1 deficit in the second game of an All-Ireland final is a tremendous feat and one that takes incredible psychological strength. On this fact Doyle noted that;
I fell asleep in the second, but I came back – and that’s what counts!
The difference in these two athletes was definitely Doyle’s incredible serve, when asked about how she achieves such an impressive skill, the Kildare Lady was humble in her response. “I actually put in the least amount of work on my serve, it’s mainly only training games that I use it and when it comes to a match – I just hope that it works out on the day, and today it did.” When asked how she prepares for a big occasion such as an All-Ireland final, Doyle has a glimmer of some unknown secret in her eye and laughs as she says, “I hang around with the McCarthys”.
On closing what was a very insightful interview with the up and coming star, Doyle attributed her success and offered her thanks to her family and to the McCarthy Family. She also thanked every person who gave her a training game in the lead-up to today’s final and simply stated; “you know who you are.”
To relive the All-Ireland final between these two ladies head over to GAA Handball’s Facebook for full coverage of the game.
Well done to both contenders on what was an incredible game of Handball and a very fitting curtain raiser to the Ladies Senior Singles Final that took place immediately after.