Doubles delight for Cavan aces Brady and Finnegan

Cavan’s Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan won their eighth O’Neill’s All Ireland 40x20 Senior Doubles title on Saturday in Cappagh, Co Limerick.

Meath pair Tom Sheridan and Brian Caroll led 15-1 in the first and closed it out 21-9 before Cavan took the second 21-11.

Meath, with Carroll playing the game of his life, played the better handball for much of the deciding set and led 20-14. They served twice at game-ball but with Brady, who subsequently revealed he had pulled a muscle in his back during the warm-up, coming to life, Cavan closed out a momentous final 21-20. In the Ladies Senior Singles final, world champion Fiona Shannon of Antrim won her ninth title against defending champion Maria Daly.

The Ballymacelligott right-hander rallied well at the end of game two, having been 16-6 down, but Shannon’s experience saw her through. At Ballydesmond, rising teenage star Catriona Casey (Mallow) secured her passage to senior ranks with a 21-9, 21-3 Intermediate Singles final win over Mayo’s Pauline Gallagher.