The quarter-finals of the GAA Handball All Ireland Men’s Open Senior Singles Championships went ahead at Abbeylara on Saturday and saw victories for the number two, three and four seeds in the competition.
Cavan's Paul Brady also booked his semi final slot but there was disappointment for the large crowd in St. Coman's as the late withdrawal through illness of Kerry's Dominick Lynch meant a walkover for the seven in-a-row chasing champion.
With Brady into the last four, it was left to Westmeath's Robbie McCarthy and Cavan's Michael Finnegan to battle it out to see who would face the champion.
On this occasion the Mullingar clubman was in imperious form and certainly looked as though he will put down a very serious challenge to Brady.
Brilliant low power-serving and finishing saw McCarthy secure his showdown with Brady on a commanding 21-10, 21-4 scoreline.
Armagh's Charly Shanks, who made it to the final for the first time in 2010, maintained his impressive 2011 form with a 21-13, 21-13 victory over Wexford's Gavin Buggy.
The last of the quarter-finals, billed as the tie-of-the-round, lived up to expectations too as Dublin's Eoin Kennedy finally denied Antrim's Ricky McCann in the third game.
Kennedy won the opener and lost a thrilling second by 21-11 but regained the initiative to power his way into the semi-finals with a 21-4 win in the third.
The semi-finals are certain to attract a large audience at the Abbeylara venue on, Sunday, with action underway at 3pm.
Charly Shanks and Eoin Kennedy will be first on court and are followed by the Brady v McCarthy clash directly afterwards.
