St Pat's tournament a huge success

St Patrick's Handball Club held their inaugural One Wall Rumble In The Drumlins tournament last weekend in the new three-court complex at Corlurgan. In all, there were 100 entries to the event, with international stars Conall McCavitt (Armagh) and Lorraine Havern (Down) winning the blue riband Men's and Ladies Open titles. The B Singles title went to Tyrone's Patrick McRory, who held off Nevan McCartan of Leitrim in the final. McRory had beaten local player James Brady in a hard-fought semi-final, with McCartan holding off Havern, who also entered the B grade and caused a shock when beating Irish Nationals C Singles champion Cathal Sheridan in the quarter-final by a single point. In the C Singles, Abbeylara's Colm Devine came through two very tough matches to take the crown. Devine held off 2010 Irish Nationals Challenger winner Marcus Sheridan by a point in the semi-final before beating on-form 15-year-old Cian McManus from Ballyconnell in an 11-6 tiebreaker in the final. McManus had earlier beaten Armagh's Brian McAnenly 21-13 in a thrilling match. In the Challenger grade, 14-year-old Thomas Edward Donohoe held off Shane Corrigan from Drumlane 17-16 in the semi-final before beating Kingscourt's Garret Gunne in the final. The Masters final was won by Down's Sean McNally, who held off Clare's Fergal Coughlan in a super decider. McNally played some terrific handball to overcome a strong field in which Brian Havern and Tony McElduff also impressed. The best final of the weekend was the Boys U16 - Clare's Fergal Coughlan Jnr defeated McAnenly 15-11, 15-14 in a fantastic spectacle between two excellent young players. The U14 Singles - which attracted over 20 entries from as far away as Galway and Limerick - went to Cavan and Crosserlough when Stephen Smith defeated Leixlip lad Sean Muddiman in the decider. The Boys U12 title was won by Cormac Munroe, who held off his Tyrone team-mate Lorcan McBride. The ladies C final saw Aine O'Keeffe defeat Kate Dagg in a tiebreaker, while Mollie Dagg won the girls U12 final. The tournament was a fantastic success, with free food all weekend for players and St Pat's officials refereeing all matches. Hopes are high that the tournament, which attracted players from 13 counties, will now become an annual event. • The club wishes to thank all those who attended and helped out and especially the sponsors for their generosity. A huge thanks to Anthony Brady (Brady's Bar, Ballyhaise), Bernard McManus (McManus Construction, Ballyconnell), Donal Keogan (The Imperial Bar, Cavan), Noel Halligan (Halligan Painting and Decorating, Cavan), Colette McGahern (Glan Bar, Mullahoran), Fred Lewis (World Pro Handball, Tucson, Arizona) and Adrian Fitzpatrick (Erne Tiles) for their sponsorship.