It’s been a thrilling All-Ireland 40x20 Senior Doubles Championship, and this Saturday promises to bring the season to a close in style.
Cavan’s Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan are bidding for their seventh title as they take to the court against their Royal County opponents Tom Sheridan and Brian Carroll.
In 1987, 19-year-old Tom Sheridan collected his first All-Ireland Senior title when he partnered James McGovern to defeat Cavan’s Dominic and Greg Sheridan in the 40x20 final.
Now, 24 years on, Sheridan is back in action against Cavan men, as he looks to extend his 40x20 Senior Doubles title haul to the magic ten.
‘It doesn’t feel like that long ago, and a lot has changed in handball since then’ said Sheridan.
‘It’s great to be back in a final; Brian and I set out our goals at the beginning of the year and one of our goals was to make the final.
‘Now that we’re here, we’re going to give it our best shot.’
Brady and Finnegan have dominated this championship since 2003, with just Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy and Egin Jensen, and Mayo’s Joe McCann and Dessie Keegan claiming titles in addition to the Breffni men’s six.
Sheridan has nine 40x20 Senior Doubles titles to his name and has recently formed a dynamic new partnership with Carroll.
Sheridan is noted as being one of the best doubles players in the game of handball and, with Carroll, they have been a formidable team in recent years, collecting two 60x30 All-Ireland Senior Doubles crowns.
‘We had a really tough game against Tom and Brian in the semi-final last year, and it will definitely be harder to beat them in a final,’ said Brady.
‘Tom is one of the greatest doubles players out there, and Brian brings youth and enthusiasm to the mix; nothing is going to be easy in this final.’
Last year’s semi-final meeting between the sides produced a fantastic game of handball, with Brady and Finnegan eventually defeating the Meath aces, despite being level at 14-14 in the first and 15-15 in the second.
‘After last year, we know we are well capable of competing with Paul and Michael, and we have learned a lot from that game,’ said Tom.
‘We know what finals are about now too, and if we can weather the storm early, hopefully we’ll be there at the end.’
Brady suffered a broken finger in the run-up to the All-Ireland Senior Singles final last week and will undergo surgery after Saturday’s showdown. However, the setback didn’t prevent a masterclass exhibition last weekend as he denied Armagh’s Charly Shanks to collect an eighth title, setting a new record in Irish handball. Now, Brady and Finnegan are looking for doubles seventh heaven.
‘It would be great to win a seventh title; you always have to aim for benchmarks, but when we get into the court, the stats are irrelevant,’ said Brady.
‘It’s one team versus another and there are to choices – to win or lose; we want to win.’
Saturday 23 April, in Kingscourt, Cavan, Court 1, 2.00pm:
Ladies Minor Singles: Armagh (Fionnuala McKenna) v Cork (Catriona Casey)
Minor Doubles: Cork (Killian Carroll/Patrick Herlihy) v Monaghan(Christopher McKenna/Terry McElvaney)
Mens Senior Doubles: Cavan (Paul Brady/Michael Finnegan) v Meath (Tom Sheridan/Brian Carroll)
Saturday 23 April, in Cappagh, Limerick, 2.30pm:
Ladies Senior Singles: Kerry (Maria Daly) v Kerry (Ashley Prendiville)
