By Paul Fitzpatrick
Kilkenny handball followers are in for a treat tonight (Wednesday) in O’Loughlin’s as Talbot’s Inch left-hander Ciaran Neary meets Clogh’s William Love in an eagerly-awaited Leinster Intermediate Singles semi-final.
Neary has been in fine form over the last 18 months, winning the intermediate hardball All-Ireland singles title last year and following up with a run to the senior softball doubles All-Ireland final in tandem with the evergreen Michael ‘Ducksy’ Walsh.
Neary has been training hard in the ‘small alley’ since before Christmas and enters tonight’s semi-final on the back of two solid wins over Keith Kavanagh from Wicklow (21-2, 21-8) and Dublin’s Ian Griffin (21-9, 18-21, 21-14).
While Neary and Walsh were ultimately beaten by Dublin in that softball final, the experience of playing on one of the biggest occasions on the handball calendar is spurring the 27-year-old on.
“It was definitely the highlight of my career so far anyway, the atmosphere and the crowd on the day would make you train twice as hard to go back and try to get there again this year,” Neary told The Kilkenny People.
“The Kilkenny championships themselves are strong and are good preparation. There’s a serious standard in the 40x20 because you have William and Daniel Love from Clogh and Patrick and Peter Funchion from Kells who are making their names in senior ranks nationally now.
“Then you have Brendan and Diarmuid Burke, Ducksy... There’s no easy round in the county championship.”
Neary recently reached the Kilkenny county final in the big court, losing a third game to Walsh, and won the corresponding doubles with clubmate Canice Quigley. Regardless of how tonight’s clash goes, Neary, an employee of State Street Bank in the city, has the doubles (with Brendan Burke against the Loves) to look forward to ahead of a potentially busy season.
“I won the intermediate hardball last year and I’ll be up to senior this year. I’d like to try to win one round in that and maybe text myself then against the likes of [Eoin] Kennedy or CJ [Fitzpatrick] and see how I get on against them.
“Myself and Ducksy are hoping to play the hardball doubles so it would be a good experience to get in against the top boys like Brian Carroll and Tom Sheridan and Dessie Keegan and Joe McCann.
“After the 40x20 I’ll go for the hardball and I’m hoping to go to one of the US events as well, maybe the Canadian Nationals.”
Sparring with the most decorated player in the sport’s history is, of course, an advantage, too.
“I’ve been training with Ducksy since I was 18. He gives me great advice on shot selection, positioning, even what sort of conditioning work I should be doing. He’s a big help that way and it’s always encouragement, he’d never give out if you miss a shot.
“He plays in training as if it’s an All-Ireland final so you have to work hard for any ace you get off him. It sets you up well for the championship then.”