This weekend the Softball All-Ireland Juvenile Finals take place this Sunday 6th October in Moycullen and St Comans venues with 42 players from all corners of the isle competing for 14 All-Ireland titles, with 11 counties represented.
There have been many fantastic encounters already en route to their All-Ireland finals day, and spectators can expect a number of exciting tussles from the talent on show.
The Blue-Ribbon Boys U16 Single Finals on paper, look like a cracking contest. Galmoy’s Billy Drennan will be hoping to do the double by adding to his Under 16 Singles 4-Wall title back in March when he play’s Abbeyknockmoy’s Mikey Kelly. This is a repeat of the final from March were the Kilkenny player just edged it, so on Sunday afternoon the battle will resume. While the Boys Under 14 Singles Final is between Wexford’s Conor Creane and Roscommon’s Rory Carthy, this is certain to be a close match.
The Girls U14 and U16 Singles throws up two more intriguing tussles between some very astute young handballers. In the Under 16 Singles Final Kilkenny’s and Clogh’s Amy Brennan will fancy her chances to do the double in the Under 16 Singles as she faces the experience Sadhbh Ní Fhlaithearta from the Micheál Breathnach club. This should also be a cracking final and could go to a third game. Finally, the Girls Under 14 Singles Final is between Galway’s Emma Kinane from the Abbeyknockmoy club who hopes to add to her Under 14 4-Wall Singles title as she faces the same opposition from that final in Wexford’s Jodie Keeling.
GAA Handball would like to wish all the competitors the best of luck and congratulate all the players and their coaches on an already very successful campaign.
One final has already been played last weekend in the Girls U14 Doubles with Tipperary’s Hannah Grace and Leanne Gould overcoming Kilkenny’s Aishling Cooney and Emer Barron after three tight games on a score line 3-15, 15-5, 15-4.
GAA Handball Softball All Ireland Juvenile Finals 2019 – Fixtures
Sunday 6th October
Moycullen, Galway OIC Tony Audley (087 2267972) At 11am
- BU16D Cork (Gearoid Healy/Kealan Murphy) v Tyrone (Jack Darcy/Ciaran McNally)
- BU15D Cork (Eoghan Daly/John Cronin) v Tyrone (Thomas Duff/Conor Fox)
- BU14D Wexford (Bobby Doyle/Conor Horan) v Tyrone (Eoin McElholm/Ruairi McCullagh)
- GU14S Wexford (Jodie Keeling) v Galway (Emma Kinane)
- GU15D Clare (Eimear Murphy/Leah Minogue) v Kilkenny (Lauren Power/Nathania Jackson)
- GU16S Kilkenny (Amy Brennan) v Galway (Sadhbh Ni Fhlaithearta)
- BU16S Kilkenny (Billy Drennan) v Galway (Mikey Kelly)
St Comans, Roscommon OIC Aengus Cunningham (086 3050328) At 11am
- GU16D Cork (Sarah Walsh/Cliona Dunning) v Wexford (Emily & April Moran)
- GU17D Cork (Celine Kelleher/Muireann O’Brien) v Kilkenny (Emily Kenny/Lauren Grace)
- BU15S Kilkenny (Conor Holden) v Sligo (Cormac Finn)
- BU14S Wexford (Conor Creane) v Roscommon (Rory Carthy)
- GU15S Laois (Una Brophy) v Roscommon (Carragh Kennedy)
- BU17S Tipperary (Patrick Delaney) v Tyrone (Brian McAleer)
- BU17D Wexford (Joe Devereux/David Doyle) v Cavan (Niall McMahon/Jack O'Reilly)