Ireland will be well represented at the Open grades in next weeks World Handball Championships in Calgary, with the Irish 40x20 contingent looking pretty strong as we preview some of the key Irish contenders in the Mens & Ladies Open.
Among the 34 man field in the Men’s 40x20 Open Singles grade, reigning four time champion Paul Brady starts as favourite, and will be confident having won 2015 Pro-Stops in Houston, San Francisco & New York, whilst also sealing his 10th US Nationals title in California in June.
At 35, Brady’s age does not appear to be affecting his performance at all, with his supreme physical conditioning a key factor in his dominance in the game presently.
Team Ireland Captain Robbie McCarthy is a match for pretty much anyone in the game on his day. The Mullingar man showed incredible nerves of steel in April All-Ireland Senior Singles Final to come from 20-16 down in the third against Armagh’s Charly Shanks to somehow turn the games momentum on it’s head to record a memorable 21-20 win. In what was his last outing pre Worlds, McCarthy showed that when faced with adversity he is up for any challenge, and if his serving game is on point he will be a huge threat to anyone in the draw.
As mentioned, Charly Shanks came within one point from being the Team Ireland Captain, and therefore should not be forgotten about. Shanks’ attacking serve and shot style of Handball has proved to be a real force across the Atlantic before, as he reached the US #1 ranking whilst on a work sabbatical a few years back. His last outing was a QF appearance in June’s US Nationals in California.
Clare’s Diarmaid Nash is currently Ireland’s officially #2 ranked player due to his consistency over the last two years where he has been knocking around at the business end of every tournament he competes in. A finalist in the last Irish Nationals, and John Gaffney Memorial saw him enter the Championship in confident mood. It was at the SF stage where his run eventually ended with a two game defeat to the in-form Charlie Shanks. Nash has not competed in any of the WPH Pro Tour events in 2015, but he is a great tournament style player and could cause an upset.
Cork sensation Killian Carroll has fell under the radar in 2015 after a blistering run of form saw him claim his maiden Irish Nationals crown back last November. He followed that up with a repeat win over Diarmaid Nash at the Gaffney Memorial in January to move up to #3 in the Irish rankings. However the Mallow man has not played competitively since due to consistent injury problems that ruled him out of the 2015 All-Ireland Championship. Carroll has entered the Worlds, but it remains to be seen what sort of form he will bring to Calgary.
Galway’s Martin Mulkerrins is the current Irish #6, and in reaching the 2014 US Nationals Final he showed what he is capable of, falling only to Paul Brady in the final. Mulkerrins is an extremely athletic player with great power of both hands. He is a dangerous player to face especially given the warmer courts and faster ball being used at the Worlds.
Mayo’s Joe McCann & Cavan’s Michael Finnegan may be more commonly known for being two of the best right sided doubles players in the game. But don’t let that fool you with their singles credentials. Both are quality players who are used to competing on the big day and will be tricky competitors for anyone in Calgary.
In the Ladies Open grade Ireland are clearly leading the pack. Antrim’s Aisling Reilly & Cork’s Catriona Casey are dominating the international game presently, making the final of every tournament they play. Reilly is of course the reigning World Champion, but she only broke a run of three consecutive final defeats to Casey with April’s All-Ireland Final win where she powered to an impressive two game win.
Since then, Casey has exacted revenge with two tiebreak wins over her big rival, firstly in the WPH Players Championship, and then again in the US Nationals Final in June. Casey appears to have the edge of Reilly whilst stateside, however the close nature of their last two meetings whets the appetite for a potential showdown in Calgary.
Kerry’s Maria Daly is one of the most natural lady handballers in the game and is very elegant around the court. A former three time All-Ireland champion, the Ballymacelligot woman has an offensive game to match anyone and with a run of a few good performances will make her a dangerous opponent around the latter stages.
Galway’s Ciana Ni Churraoin has made one final and one SF in her last two outings in the US, reaching the New York Pro-Stop Final, and then the US Nationals SF’s. Ni Churraoin fell narrowly to Daly in the All-Ireland QF’s but is growing in stature in her maiden year as a senior handballer. The hardhitting Micheal Breathnach woman is a very confident player and will fear no one in the draw.
Limerick’s Martina McMahon has as sweet a left hand as you would want. A powerful player who can execute long-range kills for fun, McMahon is growing in stature as an Open player and is improving with every tournament. Whilst still relatively inexperienced at this level, she will take some beating on her day.