Talbot’s Inch clubman Ciaran Neary grew up idolising Kilkenny’s Ducksy Walsh & Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy, travelling up each September to watch them compete in All-Ireland Finals for as far back as he remembers.
But this Saturday he gets the chance to stand tall alongside both men on court in the All-Ireland 60x30 Senior Doubles Final in Abbeylara, Longford, in what is the 27 year olds maiden Senior Final.
“I’m looking forward to Saturday…growing up I would have looked up to the likes of Ducksy and Eoin, and it’s definitely the highlight of my 60x30 career so far just making the final.”
Neary will partner Walsh, who himself is bidding for an incredible 11th Doubles title, but his first since 1997. The duo have been playing together four years, since Neary won his way up to the senior ranks by teaming up with Timmy Clifford to win the Intermediate Doubles title back in 2012. Neary admitted he was clearly delighted when Ducksy asked him to play Senior Doubles with him, having been training with him since his late teens.
“He makes me feel at ease on the court, never gives out at me for missing a shot or anything like that. He just always makes sure I am right for the next shot and regularly gives me a bit of advice. It is very easy to play Ducksy and I am enjoying it.”
Whilst he has one legend in his own corner, in the opposite corner stands another. Eoin Kennedy took over Ducksy’s mantle as Softball King in 2002 when he defeated the Kilkenny man for his first All-Ireland, and has went on to win 8 further titles, and Neary has nothing but kinds words for his opponent.
“He is a fantastic player and a great ambassador for the game. For the last 15 years he has really brought on 60x30 to a new level. Without him even the likes of Robbie (McCarthy) wouldn’t have got to the standard he is playing at today because Eoin a standard for him to reach.”
“I have saw Eoin play in pretty much all of his Singles finals, so to get on court with him will be a great experience on All-Ireland Final Day.”
Kennedy will be joining forces with Carl Browne on Saturday, and Neary acknowledges the duo are a very strong pairing and form an excellent doubles partnership.
“Carl will be very hungry for it. Himself and Eoin complement each other fierce well, and they showed in the last game they were under pressure and they dug it out well. He is very steady on the right and will always give 100% right to the end. If it turned into a dogfight he would be well able to fight it out.”
There has only been one previous meeting between Saturday’s finalists, and that was back in the 2014 60x30 Nationals SF’s when the Dubliners came out victorious 31-19 before eventually winning the tournament outright. More recently the Kilkenny lads only lost out in a tiebreaker to an Eoin Kennedy (Dublin) & Brian Carroll (Meath) pairing in the Kells Invitational 60x30 Open at the start of the summer. And while Neary knows them performances gives him confidence, he is realistic to know that they will have no affect on Saturday’s match with a lot of Handball played since then.
In their run to the final, Neary & Walsh have taken out Tipperary’s Ger Coonan/David Moloney 21-12, 21-8 in the QF’s, before seeing off Limerick’s CJ Fitzpatrick/Evan Murphy 21-19, 21-15 in the SF.
“We played Tipperary in the QF’s and we played fierce well, we were attacking the ball and putting the ball away. But the last day we were under real pressure as the Limerick pair was almost an unknown quantity. I hadn’t seen Evan play before, and a lot people were expecting us to win.“
“It was great to get a close game though, coming from behind in the first game before closing out the match in the second, but we definitely have to improve a huge amount if we are to get over the line on Saturday.
Speaking tactics for Saturday Ciaran states;
“We just need to make sure that if we get a chance to go for it 100% and don’t be holding back, make sure our serving on the day is up to standard, because if we are going to serve out soft aces then we aren’t really giving ourselves a chance. We have to be consistent and make sure we take our chances.”
This will be the third year that Neary and Walsh have been a partnership, and each year they have went one round better than the previous. The first year they got to the QF’s, then last year Brian (Carroll) & Tom (Sheridan) beat them in the SF.
“We didn’t perform on the day and were hoping to give a better account of ourselves this year and give the lads a good crack in the SF’s, but unfortunately the lads had to withdraw through injury.“
“You always want to beat the best, so it would have been nice to play the lads, but at the same time we are delighted to be in the final. “
Last Saturday’s Singles Finals saw big crowds descend on Abbeylara to support the 60x30 game, and GAA Handball again expect large attendences for Saturday’s Doubles showpiece. Neary however is not bothered by the anticipated large crowd and is simply relishing the opportunity of being part of the big day!
“To be part of the occasion is going to be fairly special, so hopefully we can come out with the right result.”
Saturday 17th October in Abbeylara, Longford
- 12noon MD Final: Mayo (Niall Joyce/Patrick Murphy) v Wexford (Keith Armstrong/Daniel Kavanagh)
- 1.00pm IS Final: Limerick (Paudi Quish) v Cavan (James Brady)
- 2.00pm MSD Final: Kilkenny (Michael Ducksy Walsh/Ciaran Neary) v Dublin (Eoin Kennedy/Carl Browne)
Tickets available from the GAA Handball Office – Phone 01 8192385
Adult - €20
Students/Juveniles/OAP - €10