Had Martin Mulkerrins got over the line in last month’s All-Ireland Senior Softball Singles final, it would have ranked as one of the most notable achievements in the sport in many years, writes Paul Fitzpatrick.
The Moycullen clubman was barely off the plane from Minnesota, where he won the US Nationals/World Invitational, when he found himself back in the 60x30 court. Normally, the different dimensions and ball means a period of adjustment is required but Mulkerrins adapted instantly and found himself in the All-Ireland final.
While defeat was ultimately his lot against Robbie McCarthy, Martin feels he has improved in the intervening period.
“I have settled into the big court a lot better over the last few weeks,” he told GAAHandball.ie.
“As I said at the time, I’ve always supported and really enjoyed the game. I hadn’t huge expectations for it having not played since the All-Ireland final in 2020, I was away in America for last year’s championship and there was no championship in 2021.
“I was only home six days and I think 10 days when I had to play the quarter-final and semi-final and there was another five or six days then to the final so I think I had just over two weeks’ turnaround from the US Nationals and World Championships to prepare. Realistically there is just not enough time there obviously to see it it out and win the championship and on the day, Robbie played very well.
“That was three or four weeks ago now and I have got a lot more court time and game time, which gives you a lot more confidence in the court.”
Confidence is the operative word; having made the singles final when not at full tilt, Mulkerrins came into the doubles brimming with optimism.
“I definitely got confidence form the singles, I got to play three super players in a very short period of time which helped me get back into the swing of things in the big court quicker than you normally would, you just can’t replicate that type of intensity in training.
“It was great to get those matches, of course it didn’t go the way I wanted in the final but I think all considered, even to get to the final with the limited time frame I had to prepare was good going. Since then I’ve got a lot more time in the court and feel a lot sharper.
“Hopefully that carries through now. This is where we set out to get to at the beginning of the doubles. The objective is to win the All-Ireland title and that’s what we aim to do, I know we’ll have to play as well as we can to do that but I think we’re in a good place.”
There is a long history of brothers competing together in doubles competitions in the sport and it’s always extra special when they enjoy success. Martin and brother Diarmuid hope to become the first set of brothers to win a Senior Softball Doubles since the famous Quishes from Limerick, who won the titles three times between 1983 and 1986.
“I’ve been playing with Diarmuid now for a few years. He’s a great player, I’m not sure exactly what the words are to use but there is definitely something more special about it, to share the court with your brother and compete at the highest level. We really enjoy that and they’re great memories for us to have.
“The semi-final went well for us obviously, we were expecting a very tough challenge with Gavin being on the winning side last year and Mark, I saw him all this year out in America and I’ve been very impressed with how he’s been playing.
“Myself and Diarmuid had got to enter the championships in the big court in Senior and Intermediate Singles and I’m not sure if Mark got to do that so maybe we had a little bit more court time that way. But the experience that Gavin was going to bring to it, we knew it could go either way.
“I thought we played well on the day, we clicked fairly well, our shots seemed pretty sharp and thankfully we got the result.”
The Moycullen men know, however, the challenge that awaits against Brian Carroll and Gary McConnell.
“We have played the Meath pairing, Gary and Brian, once in each court including last year’s All-Ireland 40x20 final which we lost in a tiebreaker. Look, they’re a fantastic side, I know Brian for a long, long time from my days in UCD, I got a lot of games against him over the years. Great player and his successes on the court are very impressive in both alleys.
“So there is a lot of experience there in both singles and doubles and of course Brian and Gary have won twice together in the big court as well.
“They’re very good players, they’re top class and that’s why they’re there again in the final and we’re going to have to play as well as we can to beat them.
“We’re under no illusions, there’s a huge challenge ahead of us but we’re really looking forward to it. These are the days that you train for, these are the days that you dream about so, look, we’re just going to give it our best and leave it all in there.”
Fixture
Saturday, July 15th
Croke Park. OIC: GAA Handball (085-8719537) Time: 12pm
LSD: Cork (Catriona Casey/Aishling O’Keefe) V Kilkenny (Ciara Mahon/Amy Brennan)
MSD: Meath (Brian Carroll/Gary McConnell) V Galway (Martin Mulkerrins/Diarmuid Mulkerrins)