Brady back in action in handball this weekend

Following a three-month break from the game, Cavan’s Paul Brady returns to competitive handball action this weekend where he takes on Antrim’s Owen McKenna in the DALKIA Senior Singles quarter-final.

Brady, the current World and US champion, also featured for the Breffni County in last year’s football campaign but has ruled himself out of the fold this season to concentrate on his handball exploits.

Brady defeated Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy in last year’s Senior Singles final, but this year’s championship looks one of the most open in recent years. Limerick’s rising star, Seamus O’Carroll has already made his mark on the 2008 senior championship, having scalped Wicklow’s Michael Gregan in his first outing.

The young Cappagh player is one of a large number of juvenile handballers waiting to stamp their name on the senior circuit. Underage prodigy, Robbie McCarthy (Westmeath) is certainly one to watch over the coming years and having dominated the underage circuit, the 21-year-old is set to take down one of the big names in handball very soon.

He faces Antrim’s Seamus O’Tuama in what should be an entertaining affair at Kingscourt on Saturday.

The Cavan venue also hosts some other top names in the game as Antrim’s Sean Devine renews rivalries with Charly Shanks (Armagh), and fellow Belfast man, Ricky McCann takes on Mayo’s Vinny Moran.

The current Irish number one seed, Tony Healy is also in action this weekend and faces a tough outing against Moran’s Ballaghaderreen clubmate, Joe McCann. Both players eased through their DALKIA Senior Singles first round games and this meeting looks set be a close encounter.

Meanwhile, 65 Irish handballers return from Springfield, Missouri today with National Collegiate Ladies Open champion, UCD’s Eimear Fallon (Kildare) and Men’s Open Runner-Up, DIT’s Brian Carroll (Meath) among the group. Irish students competed in an incredible 12 National Collegiate finals, returning to Ireland with seven titles.