Tyrone club Carrickmore will have the honour of representing Ireland at this year's Italian One-Wall Open Championships, which take place at the Pino Marino Sports Palace, Nizza Monferrato, Bergamo this weekend.
This is only the second year of the championships and the Irish will be hoping for a repeat of last year's success when Dublin's Eoin Kennedy (St. Brigid's, Blanchardstown) and Mayo's Dessie Keegan (Ballaghaderreen) lifted the inaugural Italian Cup.
The Carrickmore contingent consists of four top-class One-Wall handballers: Gary McCrory and Pauric McGlinchey will form one pairing while Darragh Daly and Niall Flynn (who is a member of the Abbeylara club but is traveling with Carrickmore) will form the second pairing.
McGlinchey was a beaten finalist in the Men's ‘B’ Singles event in this year's St. Paul's Golden Gloves (40X20) Tournament in Belfast last month.
Daly won the Men's ‘B’ Singles event at this year's All-Ireland One-Wall Championships in Sligo in July when he defeated Flynn. All four players have numerous provincial titles at different levels to their credit.
Meanwhile, there will also be a separate contingent representing Dublin traveling to the tournament. Frank Semple (Brian Boru) and Gary McNulty (Na Fianna) will form one pairing, while Michael McGee (Brian Boru) and Darren Flynn (DIT), brother of Niall, will form the second pairing.
Semple is a national Masters One-Wall champion and just last month he captured the All-Ireland Softball (60X30) Silver Masters Doubles crown (with Seamus O'Mahony, Portobello). McNulty recently returned from the US where he reached the semi-finals of the Men's ‘C’ Singles in the US Open Of Handball.
Darren Flynn reached the final of the Men's ‘C’ Singles in the National One-Wall Championships, two years ago while McGee reached the Men's ‘C’ Singles semi-finals of the same championships, this year.
The US are sending their strongest One-Wall combination, with William Polanco and Tony Roberts, who are the World No. 1 One-Wall Men's Open Doubles champions.
Joey Caplan, who is one half of the USHA One-Wall Men's Open Doubles champions over the last two years, will also be taking part.
And the Basque country will be represented by two of their top players with Ander Martin and Aitor Erauzkin (who was a finalist in last year's World One-Wall Men's Open Doubles) making the trip.
