All Ireland Handball Finals
Gavin Buggy put in a vintage display to regain the over 35 60 x 30 handball title as he beat his old rival Paul Mullins from Tipperary in a fantastic handball match played on Saturday afternoon in Dungarvan. This pair has met in the final for the past three years and it was advantage Gavin once again this time after last year’s game where Gavin received by accident a handball in the eye from hard hitting Paul Mullins.
This time Gavin got about work in impressive fashion and took a thrilling opening set 21-17. The second set saw Gavin race into a 9-1 lead and he looked to be cruising but Mullins upped the pace and went into a 18-10 lead and a third looked on the cards but Gavin’s superior fitness and never say die attitude saw him turn the tide in his favour once again and he claimed a deserved win on a 21-19 score line.
The second game of the programme in Dungarvan saw Gavin’s club mate Paul Lambert go into action in the junior singles final against Cork man Brendan Fleming. This was another pulsating handball final. Lambert charged from behind in the opening set to win 21-13 and took an early 8-0 lead in the second set but lost his way a little as the game was all about powerful over head shots and long rallies that saw Fleming claim the win on 21-12 score line.
The third set saw Fleming continue to improve and his better ability to hit kill shots eventually saw him win this two hour marathon 21-11 in the third, as he was able to match Lambert in the over head battles but to be fair to Lambert his efforts were of the top drawer order and he was unlucky not to see out the season .
