Number one seed Brady gunning to retain crown

Cavan handball superstar Paul Brady jetted out to Los Angeles last Friday for the US Nationals, the most prestigious event in the sport. Having been unbeaten in the tournament since Houston in 2005, Brady enters as number one seed in a strong field of 27 which includes all of the top players from the US, Ireland and Canada. 'I"ve put in a lot of work and I"m really hungry to retain the title,' Brady stated this week. The 29-year-old Mullahoran dual star - who plays handball out of the Kingscourt club - will become only the second player to win five Nationals titles in a row, should he emerge victorious at Los Cabelleros. However, he faces a tough test this time with Americans David Chapman, Sean Lenning, Luis Moreno, Emmet Peixoto and Allan Garner all gunning for the Cavan player. Brady will face either Canadian veteran Danny Bell or Tucson"s Abraham Montijo in the round of 16. Should he advance to the quarter-finals as expected, the Mullahoran man will more than likely meet local favourite Marcos Chavez, a slick Califonian who will be no pushover. Also on Brady"s side of the draw are Emmet Peixoto and Luis Moreno, the 20-year-old from Arizona who shocked the handball world by defeating Brady in an 11-10 tiebreaker at the US Open last October. One factor which has been stirring up huge interest stateside is the presence in the draw of eight-time champion David Chapman, the legend who Brady defeated in the modestly-titled Ultimate Handball Showdown for a purse of $50,000 back in 2004. Chapman, whose roots, interestingly, are in Kilnaleck, had been away from the game for almost four seasons, but came out of retirement last year and has posted some sensational results since, with wins over every American on the circuit. Should the 33-year-old advance on his side of the draw - which includes former finalist Sean Lenning of Seattle - there is the mouthwatering prospect of a Brady-Chapman final, which one American commentator has described as 'a possible epic'. Cavan will also be represented in both the A Singles and B Singles, with St Pat"s pair Patrick Clerkin and James Brady also having made the long trip to the west coast. The Cavan duo met in the Ulster Junior Singles final earlier this season and will be fancied to progress. Clerkin, who won the B Singles at last year"s tournament in Kansas, faces Pat Jarvis of Chicago in the first round of the A"s, while Brady, also seeded first in his division, pairs off against Jerry Puga of Pasadena, California. • The 55th US Nationals will be broadcast live over the internet. The coverage is free to download and features multi-camera angles and live commentary. To view the event, log on to www.extremehandball.org.