Kennedy is singles king

DUBLIN’S Eoin Kennedy was crowned Coca-Cola All-Ireland Senior Singles 60 x 30 Handball champion on Saturday night when he defeated Wexford’s Barry Goff 21-17, 21-16 in front of a capacity crowd at the Croke Park Handball Centre.

In what was a tense affair, the first game saw both men tie on points three times at 3, 11 and 17 after Goff took the first point of the evening.

After Goff went 3-1 up, the lead swapping started in earnest with each player holding the advantage on three occasions in the closely-fought race to 21 points.

It was Kennedy, however, who came back from 16-17 down to eventually claim the first game.

The Dubliner then raced to a 9-3 lead over former Wexford hurler Goff, before he staged two major comebacks. With the scoreline reading 12-5 to Kennedy, Goff brought the margin back to 10-12 before losing serve to Kennedy, who slammed off the side wall to deliver a perfectly executed kill shot to the left hand corner of the court.

Goff fought back again to tie the game at 15 all. Sadly for the Castlebridge man he was to only score once more at match point to make it 16-20 before Kennedy, serving twice, eventually claimed the title he won for the first time in 2002 and lost a year later.

In the intermediate doubles, GAA President Sean Kelly congratulated Mayo’s Joe McCann and Campbell Brennan after their comprehensive defeat of Tyrone men Niall Kerr and former Tyrone footballer Ciaran Meenagh by 21-5, 21-15.

The minor singles final saw Westmeath’s Robert McCarthy lift his first 60 x 30 minor title after beating Waterford’s Patrick Hurney 21-2, 21-5.

The Westmeath player, who earlier this year was awarded Young Player of the Year, Male, at the FBD Irish Handball Awards, will be back in action in the minor doubles final in two weeks’ time with partner John O’Shaughnessy.

The remaining Coca-Cola 2004 All-Ireland 60 x 30 finals (minor doubles, intermediate singles and senior doubles) will be played at Croke Park on Saturday September 25 with Kilkenny’s legendary Duxie Walsh back in action in the senior doubles final.