Cavan’s Paul Brady and Armagh’s Charly Shanks will meet in the GAA Handball 40x20 All-Ireland Senior Singles Final, following their semi-final victories on Saturday evening at Kingscourt.
Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy put in a strong performance against the reigning champion, Brady, and in the first game produced some of his best handball to date.
Both players exchanged aces in early in the game before leveling up at 16-16, when the Breffni handball ace kicked into top gear to seal a 21-16 win in the first.
In the second game, Brady continued to pile on the pressure and eventually sealed his final place with a 21-11 win, and will now bid for his seventh consecutive senior singles crown next month.
His final opponent, Shanks, had a more comprehensive victory over Wicklow’s Michael Gregan in their semi-final meeting and the pairing served up some competitive action at the Ulster venue.
In the first game, Shanks laid down his intentions and powered to a 21-12 win. The Wicklow man battled in the second game, but came up short against an in-form Shanks, who finished strongly to book his spot in the final with a 21-9 victory.
Meanwhile, former World and All-Ireland champion, Meath's Walter O'Connor, will be the next president of GAA Handball, following a 53-41 vote victory over Clare's Willie Roche at the Annual Congress in Thurles on Sunday.
The Royal County man will succeed Roscommon's Tony Hannon as Uachtarán in 12 months time, and will have the privilege of leading Irish Handball during the country's hosting of the World Championships in 2012.
