Success for handballers

Kingscourt's Michael Finnegan has qualified for the last four of the All Ireland 60x30 Senior Singles after a thrilling quarter-final win over Limerick young gun Seamus O'Carroll last Saturday in Mullingar. Experienced Finnegan entered the match as favourite but was made to dig deep by the 19-year-old Treaty man, who battled back from a 9-21 first game deficit to take the second 21-18. In front of a large crowd of supporters from Kingscourt, Finnegan turned in a heroic performance in the third set to oust the Limerick player 21-18. In a match which took over two hours, Finnegan's relentless power and accuracy in killing the ball from all angles made the difference, and the test will do him good as he faces a tough challenge against six-time champion Eoin Kennedy of Dublin in the semi-final at Croke Park. 40x20 champion Paul Brady, currently in training for the World Championships in October, described the match as "a fantastic spectacle". "It was a great match and Michael played some unbelievable stuff," he said. "O'Carroll is very athletic and Michael had to be at his best to come through." In other action, Cavan pair Ben Corr and well-known football referee MG Brady turned in a sensational performance to win the All Ireland Golden Masters B Doubles title last Saturday in Williamstown, Co Galway. The Lacken/Mullahoran pair defeated Mike Shaughnessy and Willie Corcoran 21-12 in the opening game but went down 4-21 in the second to set up a third and deciding set. Playing powerful handball and killing the ball, the Breffni team clinched the title on a nailbiting 21-20 scoreline to take Cavan's first 60x30 All Ireland title of the year. The win was fitting testament to the experienced duo, who have put in a huge effort in training this season at the recently-revamped Mullahoran 60x30 court. Meanwhile, there was further success for Cavan players at the annual Abbeylara One Wall tournament on Sunday. James Brady and Paul Fitzpatrick teamed up to take the B Doubles, defeating reigning All Ireland minor champions Stephen Cooney and Ian McLoughlin 15-9, 15-5 with a solid final performance. The St Pat's pair had earlier defeated Kildare/Galway combination Niall O'Connor and Martin Mulkerrins. Another St Pat's clubman, Eddie Halligan, took silver in the C Doubles along with local player Fintan Creamer at what was, as always, well-run event. Cavan senior footballer Michael Hannon, a newcomer to handball, also made his competitive debut at the event, teaming up with Longford's Sinead Sheridan. The Drumgoon/Abbeylara pair went down to defeat but turned in an impressive performance.

Action from the Open Doubles semi-final at Abbeylara.