The attention of Irish senior handballers has now turned to the traditional game of hardball, with 12 top players competing for honours in the GAA Handball Senior Hardball Championship.
Defending champion, Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy is seeded number one and awaits tonight’s winner in the clash of Limerick’s CJ Fitzpatrick and Galway’s Pat Conway, with the Dubliner in action on Saturday afternoon.
Fitzpatrick’s fellow Treaty County handballer Seamus O’Carroll is also in action tonight and will take on Campbell Brennan (Mayo) in what is certain to be a hard-hitting affair in Ballina (Tipperary).
On the opposite side of the draw, 2008 Senior Hardball champion, Mayo’s Dessie Keegan will take on the winner of tonight’s meeting of Cork’s Colm Jordon and Kildare’s Dara Ward with the quarter-final fixture set for Saturday.
Dublin’s Ian Griffin and Limerick’s Paul Herr will also go to battle tonight, the winner of which will face Mayo hard-hitter Vinny Moran.
It is a busy time in Irish handball at present, with three codes of handball in operation. Last weekend saw the inaugural Williamstown One-Wall Tournament, with Tyrone’s Ruairí Kelly taking victory in the Men’s Open event where he defeated Moran in the final.
At the Danny O’Sullivan Memorial Tournament, ace Wexford duo, Colin Keeling and Barry Goff, claimed the Men's Senior Doubles title when they defeated Dublin star, Eoin Kennedy and Tipperary ace, David Maloney, in a hard-fought final over two games at Hospital, Co Limerick.
On the international front, Cavan’s Paul Brady is preparing for his departure to Austin, Texas in two weeks, where he will compete in the US Nationals.
Brady is bidding for his sixth title in succession and having won the Irish Nationals and Senior Championship in recent months, the signs are good for the defence of his title.
