Two exciting All-Ireland Senior Softball Doubles finals are set for Saturday afternoon at the National Handball Centre, Croke Park, featuring neighbouring counties Meath and Westmeath in the men's final, and Galway against Limerick in the ladies' decider.
In last weekend’s semi-finals, Meath duo Gary McConnell and Brian Carroll edged past Galway’s Martin and Diarmuid Mulkerrins in a gripping clash on a 21-8, 20-21, 11-2 scoreline.
Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy and Colm Jordan were dominant in a 21-12, 21-12 straight-games victory over Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy and Carl Browne.
The Meath men entered their semi-final in strong form, following a comprehensive 21-8, 21-7 quarter-final win over Wexford’s Gavin Buggy and Mark Doyle. McConnell was commanding on the left side as Meath surged to leads of 12-3 and 19-4 before closing out the first game.
Galway adjusted and fought back in the second, eventually snatching it 21-20 with a clever lob serve from Diarmuid Mulkerrins. But in the tiebreaker, the Royals regained control to win comfortably.
Westmeath, for their part, delivered a clinical performance in their semi-final. McCarthy, playing left side, was in top form, dictating play with his movement and precision, while Jordan anchored the right and served solidly. After a close opening spell, Westmeath pushed ahead from 12-10 to win game one. In the second, they recovered from 4-9 down to level at 12 and pulled clear again.
McConnell and Carroll are chasing a fifth senior doubles title together, with Carroll having previously won seven in total alongside Tom Sheridan.
McCarthy, the 11-time senior singles champion, is aiming to add a first senior doubles medal to his collection. For Jordan, a seasoned competitor and former intermediate singles champion, this would be a maiden senior title.
Meath will enter as favourites, but Westmeath’s form and pedigree promise a close and high-quality contest.
The Ladies Senior Doubles final also brings a fresh look, with Galway’s Ciana Ní Churraoin and Niamh Heffernan set to meet Limerick’s Martina McMahon and Aisling Shanahan.
Galway booked their spot with a dominant semi-final win over Jodie Keeling of Westmeath and Wexford's Aoife McCarthy, taking the first game 21-0 before closing out the second 21-10. Ní Churraoin and Heffernan, both accomplished in four-wall and wallball, are relatively new at this level in the 60x30 code but have shown impressive adaptation so far.
They’ll face a formidable challenge in Limerick’s McMahon and Shanahan. The Treaty pairing eased past Kilkenny’s Amy Brennan and Aoife Holden, 21-10, 21-5.
McMahon, a multiple-time champion across various codes and a recent winner at the Irish Nationals, showed all her class with a dominant performance. Shanahan, an All-Ireland U17 singles champion in 2018, is looking to land her first senior title.
Both finals promise high-calibre handball and a changing of the guard in the women’s game, with a new name guaranteed on the trophy.
The action will be streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.
