Cork pair Relihan and Hedigan target back-to-back handball glory

Having lost their maiden oneills.com All-Ireland 4-Wall Senior Doubles final to Clare’s Diarmaid Nash and Colin Crehan in 2023, the Liscarroll clubmen returned to the final last year and this time lowered the Banner.

Fri, 14 Mar, 2025 - 07:23

Paul Fitzpatrick

Cork’s Daniel Relihan and Michael Hedigan will take to the court at the National Handball Centre, Croke Park on Saturday aiming to affirm their position as the leading doubles pair in elite men’s handball.

Cork’s dramatic 11-10 tiebreaker win, the closest possible result, crowned an epic match which became an instant classic.

The north Cork duo secured their place in a third successive final with a straight-games victory over Westmeath in the semi-final and, said Relihan, they are in a different position to 12 months ago.

“Last year there wasn't too much pressure, we were probably going in as underdogs to the championship,” he said.

“This year is a small bit different, we are going in seeded one, a bit of a target on our backs. We're going to do our own thing, we're going to focus on ourselves over the next week.

“I'd be confident that if we do our own thing, we'll hopefully perform well on the day. Take it as it comes then.”

The Rebels showed a little bit of ring rust last time out but their experience helped them navigate a stormy second game against All-Ireland Singles champion Robbie McCarthy and his doubles partner Colm Jordan, incidentally a native of Fermoy.

“In the first game, I thought everything went our way, I thought we played fierce well in the first game, any set-ups we got were killed and our serves were going well,” explained Hedigan.

“In the second game, nothing worked at the start of the game. I think we were down 7-2 and then we were down 17-12 towards the end of the second game. I think we took a time-out and that was the difference, our serves started to work and we killed well.”

Cork will take on first-time finalists, Kilkenny brothers Peter and Patrick Funchion, who were in brilliant form in dismissing Meath’s Gary McConnell and Brian Carroll emphatically in their semi-final.

Prior to Relihan and Hedigan’s breakthrough success last year, Cork last won the Men’s Senior Doubles in 2001 (Tony Healy and Stephen Palmer) while, surprisingly, 27 years have passed since the late Michael ‘Ducksy’ Walsh and DJ Carey took the title back to Noreside.

Senior action serves off at Croke Park at 2pm with Galway’s Ciana Ní Churraoin and Niamh Heffernan meeting Tyrone’s Eilise McCrory and Aoife Kelly in the oneills.com Ladies Senior Doubles decider, with the Men’s final next on court thereafter.

Both matches will be streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.