Ireland’s top handballers will jet off to the courts of Los Angeles this weekend to take part in the Simple Green US Open of Handball.
The tournament, run by the American World Pro Handball organization, has been billed as one of the biggest US handball events in recent years.
The event runs for four days from the 23 October, with the finals taking place on Sunday 26 October.
Breffni football star, Paul Brady is seeded number one in the tournament but must overcome some of America’s finest handballers if he is to walk away as champion.
Brady has won the last two finals, but last year’s meeting with Seattle's Sean Lenning has been described as one of the most exciting games of handball ever seen.
Brady was pushed to a tiebreaker win but was down 7-4 and 9-7 during the decider. Having won 11-10, the current world champion knows what to expect in LA next week.
'It’s great to play in these events with the best handballers in the world, and I suppose we all know each other pretty well as this stage so it’s all about who has prepared the best and who peaks during the tournament,' said Brady.
Cork’s Tony Healy will also be in action, and this year’s Irish and Canadian Nationals winner will be hoping to get that much sought after win over Brady. Healy and Brady fought out an 11-10 tiebreaker finish at the US Nationals in June, and with the Ballydesmond star ranked number fourth in the competition, another semi-final meeting with Brady could be on the cards.
In the Men’s Open Doubles competition, Mayo’s Dessie Keegan and Joe McCann will provide a tough opposition for any pairing. Both Ballaghaderreen players will be involved in this weekend’s Mayo County Senior Football Final and will fly out to LA on Monday morning, ahead of the massive handball event.
