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Welcome to Team Ireland

GAA Handball have welcomed three new players to Team Ireland today as the Senior Doubles Trials ended with two absorbing encounters in Kingscourt. 

The Men's Final saw ten time All-Ireland Doubles champions, and 2012 World finalists Paul Brady & Michael Finnegan take on current Irish #1 & #2 Robbie McCarthy & Diarmaid Nash. The Cavan men raced out of the blocks with leads of 8-2 & 10-3 with a series of kills. Slowly Nash & McCarthy edged into the game and pulled the scores back to 10-8. But Brady in particular, who at times today was at his imperious best, flat killing ball after ball, moved through the gears and helped stretch the lead 19-8.

McCarthy grew into the game a flattened a few balls from the back wall, and combined with Nash's paddle kills into the left corner, they suddenly pulled the game back to 19-15. The thoughts immediately flashed back two weeks when Brian Carroll & Tom Sheridan came from a similar situation in the All-Ireland final to steal the first game, and the crowd sensed this prospect. But held their nerve they did and eventually saw out the first 21-15.

Game two started much like the first, as Cavan raced 8-0 ahead. But again Nash & McCarthy refused to lye down and pulled the game back to 9-8. A series of quick points saw the younger duo take the lead at 14-11 as the momentum swung. But they couldn't capitalise as the Cavan men regained control to lead 17-14. Two sublime two wall passes from Brady helped force consecutive hand outs from Nash & McCarthy, and get to 20-16. Nash finished a long rally to prevent one match point as Brady was forced from the court with an injury, at match point. It didn't look good and one sensed that they had to take this next point or they would be in trouble. But Brady stepped up to the mark to kill from the back wall and seal their spot on Team Ireland 21-16.

The Ladies final saw current two time All-Ireland Doubles champions Catriona Casey & Aishling O'Keeffe face powerful duo Aisling Reilly & Martina McMahon. A strange first game ensued as Reilly & McMahon stormed ahead 8-0, before being pegged back at 8-8. Another burst of points saw them lead again at 14-8, before Casey & O'Keeffe fought back again to 14-13. But a combination of long range kills from both ladies saw the momentum switch again as the Antrim/Limerick duo sealed the first 21-13.

Game two was a much closer affair with sides swapping points to draw level at 6-6, 8-8 & 9-9. Casey aided the first break with some delightful corner kills as the Cork girls led 17-9, with a tiebreaker on the horizon. But incredibly they only scored one more ace as they then failed to score from four consecutive serves. Reilly capitalised and pounced on any half chance she got to control the front court, finishing rallies ruthlessly to seal victory 21-18.