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Nash: Feile memories & a busy summer ahead

By John Harrington, GAA.ie

Saturday’s John West Feile na nGael Handball Finals in Galway will bring back happy memories for recently crowned All-Ireland 40x20 Senior Doubles champion Diarmuid Nash.

The Clare-man has had many highs over the course of his career, but the experience of playing in the Feile remains a personal highlight.

“Feile was the coolest tournament ever because you got to go away and staying with host families, in our case in Kells in Meath,” Nash told GAA.ie.

“You were being driven around the place and there was just a really homely feel to the competition.

“We would never have gone away before and our club Tuamgraney would never had a jersey before, you would have just played in whatever t-shirt you had whereas we were given proper jerseys for the Feile.

“We didn't win it but it was a brilliant experience and some of those guys are still bouncing about the handball world.”

Nash might not have tasted victory at that Feile, but he’s lifted plenty of silverware since then.

He won the World U-23 singles title in 2012, the Men’s Open Doubles World Championship with Robbie McCarthy in 2015, and this year he and Colin Crehan defeated legendary 11-time champions Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan in the All-Ireland 40x20 Senior Doubles Final.

“That was their 16th final in a row and they'd won 11 of the previous 15,” said Nash.

“We had lost the previous final to them but we felt we didn't play at all well last year. We went up there this year determined to give it a right lash.

“It made it doubly sweet to win it up in Cavan in their home court.

“In the third set Colin just took over completely. It was one of those days where he just couldn't miss. Everything he hit just rolled out, so my job was mainly to get out of the way in the third set.

“Up to the first two it was a right slog. The boys are obviously very good. The third game was probably the best we've ever played together.”

Nash and Robbie McCarthy will defend their Men’s Open Doubles title at the World Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota in August where Nash is also hopeful he can challenge hard for the Men’s Singles title.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Especially this year they're combining the US Nationals with the World Championships so it's all the one tournament. So if you win the Worlds you're also the US National Champion.

“In terms of handball, the Holy Trinity would be your All-Ireland singles, your US National title and the World Championship.

“For example, Paul Brady has ten US Nationals, ten All-Irelands, and five Worlds. Given that the Worlds only comes around every three years, that's pretty crazy.

“But, yeah, it's a huge carrot on offer this year and I really, really want to win it. I'm going to go out there and try to give myself the best chance I can.

“Realistically, between us all in the top eight who'll be in the Worlds this year, there'll be nothing in it.

“It'll probably be a more open World Championships than you'd have had in the past, so, yeah, going out there to give it my all and see how I'll do.”