The action starts to heat up as we enter the quarter final stages of the Mens and Ladies Senior Singles in the Myclubshop.ie 60x30 Championships this weekend.
In the Mens Senior Singles top seed Eoin Kennedy will take on Meath's Gary McConnell in a tough encounter for the nine time winner as McConnell definitely has shown enough in recent times to suggest he will be a handful for whoever he comes up against. Winner of the Intermediate title in 2014 McConnell accounted for last year's Intermediate champion Limerick's Paudi Quish in two straight games in the last round. Kennedy on the other hand accounted for Kilkenny's Brian Manogue in a straightforward victory and the St Brigid's man will be keen to make a statement of intent this weekend to signal his intent to collect title number 10 in the Singles championship. This has the makings of the game of the weekend.
Meanwhile number two seed and reigning champion Robbie McCarthy from Westmeath will be keen to get his championship up and running as he was given a bye in the previous round so this will be the Mullingar man's first taste of action in this year's championship. McCarthy is the favourite to take the title and only lies at number two seed as he missed the recent 60x30 Nationals tournament. If he can replicate the form he showed last year then he certainly will be hot favourite to claim a fifth title. On Saturday he will travel to Cashel to take on Kerry's Dominick Lynch and while Lynch will prove a stern test having overcame Kilkenny's Ciaran Neary in the earlier round McCarthy is odds on favourite to progress to the semi finals.
There will be an all Leinster affair in Talbot's Inch as Meath's Brian Carroll and Wexford's Gavin Buggy do battle for a place in the final four. Carroll accounted for Cavan's James Brady in a straighforward win the last day out while Buggy defeated Mayo's Vinnie Moran in two straight. Both players will fancy their chances here but Carroll may just have the edge and looks favourite to progress to another semi final.
In the final match up the returning Seamus O'Caroll (Limerick) back after a break from the game will take on Dublin's Carl Browne as part of a double header in Crinkle. This is another intriguing tie as O'Carroll on his day would rank among the top players and he showed glimpses of returning to that form while accounting for Tipperary's Ger Coonan in the Last 16. Browne has enjoyed a resurgence since moving to St Brigid's and has picked up All Ireland medals with partner Eoin Kennedy. he was victorious over Mayo's Joe McCann in three games in the Last 16 and will be quietly confident here again. Another that could go all the way.
In the Ladies Quarter Finals there is a triple header in Lahorna in Tipperary on Saturday. Reigning champion and favourite to collect a fourth title Cork's Catriona Casey kicks off the programme with her quarter final against Roscommon's Lauren O'Riordan. O'Riordan was given a walkover in the preliminary round and so enters this game with little game time under her belt. Casey is a four time champion and looked excellent in the 60x30 Nationals finals just a few weeks ago and so would appear to be hot favourite to advance to the semi finals.
Second on the programme in Lahorna is the meeting of Mayo's Gallagher and Kerry's Ashley Prendiville. Both girls are very good 60x30 players and both have All Ireland Doubles titles to their name with Prendiville also winning the singles in 2010. Gallagher missed the 60x30 Nationals in July where Prendiville showed some glimpses of what she is capable of in the final against Cork's Catriona Casey and so gets the nod here to advance in what could be a tight game.
The final game on the programme sees Cork's Aishling O'Keefe and Kilkenny's Ciara Mahon face off for a place in the last four. O'Keefe is an experienced 60x30 player with three Senior Doubles titles to her name while Mahon is one of the most improved players in Ladies Handball over the past number of years. The pair recently contested the third/fourth play off at the 60x30 Nationals where Mahon came out on top. O'Keefe will be looking to get one over on her this Saturday to avenge that defeat but Mahon by virtue of that recent victory will be quietly confident of making the last four.
In the last of the Quarter Finals Limerick's Martina McMahon faces Laois' Niamh Dunne in Cashel Tipperary on Saturday. McMahon is widely regarded as the closest challenger to Casey's Crown and performed very well in last year's final against the Ballydesmond ace. She has improved her game over the past couple of years and is known for her power in the court. Having lost the past two finals to Casey she will be quietly confident of going one better this year and capturing her first Senior title. First she will have to account for Dunne and this will be no pushover for the Limerick lady as Dunne has been one of the up and coming players on the Ladies circuit in recent years. She is a fiercely determined player and will give her all on the day but a lack of big game experience may count against her on Saturday as McMahon looks favourite to advance.
So eight fantastic games are in store as the battle continues to crown this year's All Ireland winner. During the week GAA Handball announced that the All Ireland finals would return to Croke Park this year where many classic 60x30 finals and great night's were had before. Every player on Saturday will be hoping they can experience the Croke park finals night this year so competition will be even more fierce than usual!. Let the battles commence!
Note: GAA Handball are encouraging all supporters to get out and #supportoursport and give our top athletes the support they deserve. There are several intriguing games in store this weekend so why not get out there and sample some of the top class action. You won't find better value entertainment anywhere in the country. For clubs wishing to advertise fixtures in your area a new promotional poster is available from the GAA Handball office and is being distributed to venues or you can download the poster below.
Myclubshop.ie 60x30 Championship Fixtures
Saturday 20th August
At Lahorna, Tipperary (OIC John O’Neill 087 6308440) At 12noon
- LSS A: Cork (Catriona Casey) v Roscommon (Lauren O’Riordan)
- LSS D: Mayo (Pauline Gallagher) v Kerry (Ashley Prendiville)
- LSS B: Cork (Aisling O’Keeffe) v Kilkenny (Ciara Mahon)
At Cashel, Tipperary (OIC John O’Donoghue 087 9173666) At 11.30am
- LSS C: Limerick (Martina McMahon) v Laois (Niamh Dunne)
- MSS L. Kerry (Dominick Lynch) v Westmeath (Robbie McCarthy)
At Talbot’s Inch, Kilkenny (OIC Martin Lawlor 086 8184598) At 1.00pm
- MSS J: Meath (Brian Carroll) v Wexford (Gavin Buggy)
At Crinkle, Offaly (OIC Joe Masterson 086 8157209) At 1.00pm
- MSS K: Limerick (Seamus O’Carroll) v Dublin (Carl Browne)
- MSS I: Dublin (Eoin Kennedy) v Meath (Gary McConnell)