Leinster 60 x 30 Handball Championships
For the second week in a row Wexford collected four Leinster 60 x 30 handball championships over the past seven days.
In an all Wexford clash in the junior doubles final Peter McGrath and David Kenny tore up the script and romped to glory over Peter Hughes and Paul Lambert in Ballymitty on Wednesday night last. It was expected to be a very close game but hard hitting Kenny and McGrath demonstrated the advantage of power in the big court over two players more accustomed to the small alley in winning 21-5, 21-10.
The women’s junior doubles title was also collected by the model county last week with Tanya O’Toole and Una Byrne playing some fantastic handball in a 21-9, 7-21, 21-19 win over Denise Doyle and Demi Donovan from Kilkenny.
The golden masters B doubles Leinster final saw win number three for Wexford as Castlebridge brothers Brendan and Stephen Murphy won a very good final against Kildare opponents Paul Ruane and Niall Leavy. The Wexford pairing won on a 21-10, 21-16 score line and now enters the All Ireland series in confident mood of success.
Corey Murphy and Dean Power had an easier than expected win in the under 21 doubles final as injury denied Eoin Hennessy and Padraig Maher from Kilkenny an opportunity to contest the final.
JR Finn and Alan O’Neill saw their quest for glory in the Junior B doubles championships come un stuck at the semi final stage as they lost out 9-21, 21-14, 21-19 to Peter Whelan and Andrew Dowling from Laois.
However the semi final stage proved far more fruitful for Ballymitty duo Miley Byrne and Aidan Sinnott who won the Emerald Masters B doubles crown by defeating Ger Maher and Billy Love from Kilkenny on a 21-3, 21-8 score line.
This week there is two Leinster finals of notes for Wexford players as Tony Breen and Johnny Brennan from Kilkenny meet in the Emerald masters A singles final, while the Emerald masters B doubles final sees Aidan Sinnott and Miley Byrne from Wexford up against a Louth pairing in the final.
All Ireland Open Singles and Doubles Championships
Gavin Buggy advanced to the quarter finals of the open singles in the GAA Handball All Ireland senior championships with a fine win during the week as he cast aside Nicky Anthony from Kilkenny with composure and ease by 21-2, 21-10. However it was the end of the road for Barry Goff as he went down to Mayo’s Joe McCann in a very close encounter. The mayo man won the opening set 21-20, however Barry Goff showed real fighting quality to take the second set 21-8. The momentum seemed to have swung in his favour however there was a sting in the tail from McCann and he went on to win the third set 21-18. Gavin Buggy’s reward for his win is a quarter final clash this coming weekend against Dessie Keegan.
Gavin Buggy indeed has a very busy week ahead when he and former club mate Tommy Hynes put their titles credentials on the line in the open doubles senior championships in the biggest test of all against the current champions Tom Sheridan and Brian Carroll from Meath and this is a clash that takes place on Wexford door steps in Garryhill on Wednesday night at 7.30 pm.
