The stage is set for the last eight of the M Donnelly All-Ireland 60x30 Senior Singles championship in both male and female codes, writes Paul Fitzpatrick.
The action serves off this evening (Friday) at 7.30pm in Ballymore Eustace when Meath's Gary McConnell takes on Wexford's Gavin Buggy in a really intriguing contest.
While there were no doubts about Buggy's match fitness following an excellent tournament at the World Championships, whatever question marks there were about the state of his 'big alley' game were quashed emphatically when he defeated Dublin's Carl Browne in the round of 16.
After dropping the first game 14-21, the rangy Buggy ran out an impressive 21-16, 21-9 winner against the skilful Browne, a former Intermediate Singles and Senior Doubles winner. The talented McConnell, meanwhile, has been threatening to gatecrash the party at the elite end of the 60x30 Singles grade in recent seasons and is sure to provide stern opposition to the Wexford man, who is a decade his senior, although McConnell's preparations won't have been helped by picking up a walkover last time out. This game could be too close to call, with a third set likely to be needed to split this duo.
Tomorrow, meanwhile, sees Dublin's Eoin Kennedy and Tipp's Ger Coonan face off at 1pm in the first match of a double-header which also includes champion Robbie McCarthy's tussle with Martin Mulkerrins.
Kennedy was in awesome form last time out in dismissing Galway's Pat Conway in two games, with wily St Brigid's man putting on an exhibition of fly-killing to run out an easy winner. The powerful Coonan, a former semi-finalist who has been keeping sharp by playing club hurling in Dublin during the summer, certainly has the potential to trouble the Dubliner on his day but will need a huge performance if he is to advance.
In the second game on that card, McCarthy will certainly start as favourite. The Mullingar clubman is extremely fit at present and turned some heads with his performances at the Worlds. A natural 60x30 player, he will re-adjust to the big court quickly and his round of 16 win over lefty Vinny Moran (21-7, 21-8) will have helped fine-tune his preparations.
While the super-fit Mulkerrins will definitely be no pushover, the popular Moycullen native is regarded as more of a small court specialist and were he to topple the holder, it would be regarded as a seismic upset.
Elsewhere, Offaly's David Hope takes on Paudi Quish in Talbot's Inch, Kilkenny (1pm) as both men vie for a place in their first Senior Singles semi-final. Quish, a former Minor Singles champion, will be buoyed by his success at the Worlds, where he proved the best of a four-man field in the 23&U Wallball singles. He will hope to get back into a groove quickly in the traditional code and he will need to - Hope, having retired from a successful club football career with Offaly giants Rhode, has been in tremendous form in local doubles tournaments over the summer and cruised past the not insignificant challenge of Cavan's James Brady last weekend.
The feeling is that Hope will take all the beating, although a close match is expected and a victory for the Hospital man, who has enjoyed tremendous 60x30 success in his career to date, would be far from a surprise.
In the ladies Senior Singles, Catriona Casey of Cork meets up and coming young Kildare player Leah Doyle on Saturday in Lahorna at 2pm, with Martina McMahon - conqueror of the Cork lady in the Worlds final - taking on Kilkenny's Aoife Holden.
Another Kilkenny player, Ciara Mahon, will be in action against experienced Kerrywoman Ashley Prendiville in what is possibly the tie of the round, with Mayo's Pauline Gallagher meeting Cork's Aishling O'Keeffe in the remaining tie.
Friday 7th September
Ballymore Eustace, Kildare OIC Gavin Grace (087 4153720) At 7.30pm
- QF J: Meath (Gary McConnell) v Wexford (Gavin Buggy)
Saturday 8th September
Talbot’s Inch, Kilkenny OIC Seamus Reade (086 8341172) At 2pm
- QF K: Limerick (Paudi Quish) v Offaly (David Hope)
Crinkle, Offaly OIC Kevin Cooke (087 6423846) At 1pm
- QF I: Dublin (Eoin Kennedy) v Tipperary (Ger Coonan)
- QF L: Galway (Martin Mulkerrins) v Westmeath (Robbie McCarthy)
Lahorna, Tipperary OIC Martin Spain (087 2599771) At 2pm
- QF A. Cork (Catriona Casey) v Kildare (Leah Doyle)
Thurles, Tipperary OIC Joe O’Halloran (086 2439746) At 2pm
- QF D. Kilkenny (Aoife Holden) v Limerick (Martina McMahon)
- QF C. Kilkenny (Ciara Mahon) v Kerry (Ashley Prendiville)
Na Fianna, Dublin OIC Frank Daly (087 2247379) At 5pm
- QF B. Mayo (Pauline Gallagher) v Cork (Aishling O’Keeffe)