"I waited 12 bloody years for this!"
Clare's Diarmaid Nash withstood the pressure in a gripping tiebreak to win his first All-Ireland 4-Wall Senior Singles title last night against four time champion Robbie McCarthy (Westmeath).
Having faced off in two previous finals, with McCarthy winning both, it was the Mullingar man who started as favourite. But Nash has evidently risen his game over the past few months, and started brightly with a dominant 21-8 opening game win. But McCarthy duly responded in the second 21-17 to force a tiebreak in front of a full house at Kingscourt HC, Cavan.
Killing a lot more ball this year, Nash raced into a 6-0 lead in the tiebreak to 11. But cool as ever, McCarthy remained in the game and fought back to 6-4 and put the pressure on Nash. But the Banner man was not to be stopped this year, and a 11-8 win sealed huge relief and joy, and with it brought a first title for Senior Singles title for Clare since the great Pat Kirby in 1980.
In the Senior Ladies Final, Catriona Casey & Martina McMahon faced off yet again in a major final. McMahon was hampered by a back injury throughout the Championship series, but it didn't show much signs of affecting her as both players went toe to toe in the first. With scores tied at 18-18, it was defending champ Casey who made the first move and took the opener 21-18. The second game played out in much similar fashion, neck and neck until the closing stages when it was Casey again who won the vital closing points to seal her 6th title 21-15.
In the earlier Minor Finals, Tyrone's Clodagh Munroe defeated Kilkenny's Amy Brennan 16-21, 21-18, 11-7, whilst the Boys Minor also proved to be a dramatic affair as Sligo's Cormac Finn also bounced back from a first game loss to defeat Kilkenny's Kyle Jordan 15-21, 21-19, 11-8. This is the first time Sligo has won the All-Ireland 4-Wall title.
