Cork sensation Killian Carroll affirmed his position as the next superstar of Irish handball after he surged to a hugely-impressive victory in the Irish Nationals in Kilkenny.
After what is already being talked about as arguably the greatest Irish Nationals in the 20-year history of the weekend shoot-out, 21-year-old Mallow right-hander Carroll was the last man standing.
Carroll, the reigning Canadian and Boston Open champion, sent out a warning shot with an emphatic win in the prestigious Golden Gloves in Belfast last month.
He then followed that form up with an incredible success this weekend, during which he saw off local player Peter Funchion, Galway star Martin Mulkerrins and reigning senior champ Robbie McCarthy, before ousting former Clare under age hurler Diarmaid Nash in an excellent final.
Just a couple of hours after toppling McCarthy in a nail biting 11-10 tiebreaker, Carroll returned to the court to see off lefty Nash, winning the final 21-18, 21-15 before a packed crowd.
Carroll's amazing reflexes and retrievals had the capacity crowd at the O'Loughlin's club on their feet but Nash, too, deserves huge credit for his performance.
With Carroll having taken the honours and beaten three of his biggest rivals in the process, he now leads the charge as the pretenders to the throne begin to sort themselves out in what promises to be one of the most exciting seasons in modern senior handball history.
Meanwhile, Cork's Catriona Casey made it a Rebel clean sweep when she confirmed her recent superiority over Antrim's world champion Aisling Reilly with a 21-5, 21-10 final win.
The powerful Reilly defeated Casey in the All-Ireland Senior Singles final earlier this year but the Ballydesmond girl has since turned the tables, defeating her rival in the US Nationals, US Open and now Irish Nationals deciders.
