Many of the country’s top handballers jet off to Fountain Valley, California, today ahead of this weekend’s US Open of Handball tournament.
The Men’s Open Doubles has drawn an incredible list of talented players, with Kilkenny’s Michael Ducksy Walsh and Meath’s Tom Sheridan pairing up once more, having collected the US Nationals title in June.
Sheridan and Walsh fended off some stiff opposition on that occasion, but the US Open will see an even tougher batch of opponents.
‘It’s one of the best draws I have seen at a handball tournament in years, and rich with all of the top handballers in the world,’ said Walsh.
‘Tom picked up an injury last weekend, so things are against us at the moment, but we’ll give it a go and I think, either way, the title is coming back to Ireland.’
Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy will partner Dessie Keegan from Mayo and the duo are seeded third in the draw with a bye to the quarter-finals, where they are likely to face California’s Armando Ortiz and Eddie Morales.
On the other half of the draw, Wicklow’s Michael Gregan and Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy will take on Arizona’s Vern and Christopher Roberts in their opening game. Should they win this encounter, they will take on fourth seeds, Bill Mehilos and Dane Szatkowski from Illinois at the quarter-final stage.
Ireland will have three representatives in the Men’s Open Singles grade, with Armagh’s Charly Shanks one of the players to watch over the tournament, while Tipperary’s Fergal Collins and Tyrone’s Ruairí Kelly will also compete in the event.
Shanks has been in top form this year and made the All-Ireland Senior Singles final this year, where he lost out to Cavan’s Paul Brady. Incidentally, Brady will not travel to the event due to college commitments in London.
In the Ladies Open Singles event, Antrim’s Aisling Reilly has been granted the number one seed, and is hot favourite to claim the title and the $4,000 purse at the Los Caballeros venue. Reilly faces some tough opposition in California’s Courtney Peixoto and Illinois’ Megan Mehilos, but is hungry for more success, following her US Nationals victory in June.
