Nothing sells sport like rivalries and the meeting of Cormac Finn and Kyle Jordan in the Minor Softball Singles final this Saturday is sure to generate a lot of interest in the handball community.
Sligo’s Finn comes into Saturday’s decider as the reigning 4-wall Minor Singles champion, having seen off the Kilkenny lad in that clash in Kingscourt. There should be very little between them again this time round.
Finn, who defeated Roscommon’s Rory Carthy in the Connacht final, has trained hard of late for this test.
“I’m expecting a tough game, he’s Kyle Jordan, he’s won most things in the sport so far. But I’m more confident going into the big court than I was going into the final in the small court anyway, I’ll say that,” Cormac told GAAHandball.ie.
“The big court would be my strongest, I won the 15s and 16s All-Irelands in it and in the small court I won nothing before this year. I prefer it as well, my home court is a big court as well.”
Cormac has been playing handball for a decade, having started when Ballymote HC ran an open day.
“I was seven or eight, there was an open day run by Francis McCann and my Dad just asked if I wanted to head into it. I kept playing from there,” he explained.
“I did play soccer and Gaelic but I stopped, I didn’t like them as much and I wanted to focus on handball.”
Cormac has just finished his Leaving Certificate in Coláiste Mhuire in Ballymote and will receive his results this Friday. His studies took precedence during the year but he has focused on handball in recent weeks.
“Last year, I played most days. This year I had the Leaving Cert so I wasn’t training as much. For the last month and a bit I have been in the court four or five days a week, by myself half the time. I get a game maybe once or twice a week, I play Paul Hedderman, Kevin Diggins and Joe McCann a lot, they’re the main three I play.”
Winning the ‘small court’ final has given him confidence, he says, as he attempts to be the first player to bring the Minor Softball Singles title back to Sligo since Marcus Henry in 1964.
“It wasn’t just winning that title, it was the fact that it was against Kyle himself because I had never beaten him before. To beat him, that was the big thing,” said Cormac, who believes his familiarity with the St Coman’s court will not be a major advantage.
“I have played there a few times in the last two or three weeks but I don’t think the court matters that much at the end of the day,” he said.
To improve the sport, Cormac feels there should be All-Ireland quarter-finals for the juvenile grades, “as it would make the All-Ireland series more competitive”.
By Paul Fitzpatrick
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Softball Singles Finals - Saturday 3rd Sept 2022
At St Coman's HC, Roscommon, from 12pm
- Girls Minor: Leah Maguire (Clare) v Carragh Kennedy (Ros)
- Boys Minor: Kyle Jordan (KK) v Cormac Finn (Sligo)
- Mens Senior: Robbie McCarthy (Westmeath) v Gary McConnell (Meath)
- Ladies Senior: Martina McMahon v Catriona Casey (Cork)
