Competition heats up in Calgary
Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy marked his World Handball Championships intent today, with an emphatic 21-2, 21-9 over Cavan’s Michael Finnegan. Prior to his departure to Calgary, Canada, the Irish team captain was vocal in his ambitions to take down the defending champion, Cavan’s Paul Brady and his Round of 16 defeat of Finnegan showed the Mullingar handballer is determined to let nothing stand in his way.
“I did what I had to do,” said McCarthy. “Michael never really got going and I preserved to the end, so I’m happy with the win.”
McCarthy will now face another title contender, Washington’s Sean Lenning in his quarter-final clash, which many people will one of the tightest battles of the tournament. Meanwhile, defending champion, Brady easily dispatched of Kildare’s Niall O’Connor on a scoreline of 21-2, 21-4. Brady, who is bidding for an incredible fifth consecutive title, now faces Armagh’s Charly Shanks in his quarter-final battle.
“Charly is going to be a tough opponent,” said Brady. “He’s a big game player and we know each other well. We’ve met in two All-Ireland Finals and I know it’s going to be a tight game.”
Also through the quarter-final stages of the Men’s Open are Clare’s Diarmaid Nash and Cork’s Killian Carroll. Tuscon’s Luis Moreno, the 2012 World Men’s Open finalist, was also in devastating form and defeated Clare’s Colin Crehan to seal his quarter-final spot. Moreno faces Carroll in what is certain to be a classic; both players will fight to the bitter end for every ace.
The Ladies Open also got underway, with Antrim’s Aisling Reilly and Cork’s Catriona Casey setting the courts alight. Reilly defeated New York’s Shirley Chen 21-2, 21-2, while Casey took no prisoners in her 21-0, 21-0 victory over Missouri’s Suzanne Koehler. Both ladies remain on course to meet in the Ladies Open final, with Reilly facing American, Tracey Davis in her quarter-final meeting and Casey set to take on Canadian Jessica Gawley. Action continues in the Universtiy of Calgary, with finals in all grades set to take place on Friday.
Men's Open Round of 16 Results - Tuesday 17th:
- Paul Brady (Cavan) df Niall O’Connor (Kildare) 21-2, 21-4
- Charlie Shanks (Armagh) df Jon Iglesias (Costa Rica)21-13, 21-14
- Sean Lenning (WN, USA) df Rikki O'Gara (Roscommon) 21-9, 21-3
- Robert McCarthy (Westmeath) df Michael Finnegan (Cavan) 21-2, 21-9
- Emmet Peixoto (CA, USA) df Daragh Daly (Tyrone) 21-6, 21-4
- Diarmaid Nash (Clare) df Joseph McCann (Mayo) 21-12, 21-5
- Killian Carroll (Cork) df Martin Mulkerrins (Galway) 21-19, 21-13
- Luis Moreno (AZ, USA) df Colin Crehan (Clare) 21-9, 21-11
Ladies Open Round of 16 Results - Tuesday 17th:
- Aisling Reilly (Antrim) df Shirley Chen (NY, USA) 21-2, 21-2
- Maria Daly (Kerry) df Jean Kastner (OR, USA) 21-4, 21-4
- Martina McMahon (Limerick) df Sandy Ng (NY, USA) 21-1, 21-9
- Catriona Casey (Cork) df Suzanne Koehler (MO, USA) 21-0, 21-0
- Ciana Ni Churraoin (Galway) df Samantha England (AB, Canada) 21-10, 21-6
Team Ireland Juvenile Results - Tuesday 17th:
- G15&U: Caitriona Millane (Team Ireland) dft Aoife Hurley (Cork)
- B15&U: Tiarnan Agnew (Team Ireland) dft Conor Walsh (Cork) 21-0, 21-2
- G17&U: Eilise McCrory (Team Ireland) dft Clodagh Nash (Clare) 21-4, 21-11
- B17&U: Daniel Kavanagh (Team Ireland) dft Alam Burgos (Fort Erie, ON) 21-14, 21-8
Key Fixtures - Wednesday 18th:
- Mens Open QF: Paul Brady v Charly Shanks @ 1pm
- Mens Open QF: Robbie McCarthy v Sean Lenning @ 9am
- Mens Open QF: Diarmaid Nash v Emmet Peixoto @ 10am
- Mens Open QF: Killian Carroll v Luis Moreno @ 11am
- Ladies Open QF: Aisling Reilly v Tracey Davis @ 12pm
- Ladies Open QF: Ciana Ni Churraoin v Dannielle Daskalakis @ 1pm
- Ladies Open QF: Martina McMahon v Maria Daly @ 2pm
- Ladies Open QF: Catriona Casey v Jessica Gawley @ 3pm
- B17&U QF: Daniel Kavanagh (Team Ireland) v Gavin Coyle (Monaghan) @ 10am
- B19&U QF: Colin Corbett (Team Ireland) v Michael Gaulton (Canada) @ 12pm
- G15&U QF: Eilise McCrory (Team Ireland) v Fiona Tully (Roscommon) @ 1pm
- Mens Open Doubles QF: Brady/Finnegan (Team Ireland) v Mulkerrins/O'Connor @ 6pm