Football

Handball stars Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan in surprise defeat

IT MAY not be the shock of the season but nevertheless the defeat of Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan in the men's All-Ireland Doubles 40x20 Championship finals, in Kilkenny, was unexpected despite the fact that they were playing Eoin Kennedy and Karl Browne.

The Cavan pair was aiming for an all-time Irish Doubles record of 11 titles but, after a two-and-a-half hour marathon it was the Dubliners who emerged with the crown and achieve a double double. They are also the reigning 60x30 doubles champions and the only pair to hold both titles at the same time.

For Kennedy it is a return to former glory as away back in 2005 he partnered Egin Jensen to win on the 40x20 court.

Kennedy and Browne gave a glimpse of what was to come by winning the first game 21-16 but Brady and Finnegan, in typical fashion, hit back to level the argument with a 21-12 result second time on court.

The tie-breaker provided more edge-of-the-seat excitement for the packed gallery as the Dubliners swept to victory 21-13 and be the first winners of the new Tommy O'Brien Cup, which has been presented in memory of the legendary figure in Kilkenny handball.

Incidentally, it was a family double for the Kennedys as Eoin's father Eugene and Vinny Farrelly won the Ruby Masters grade.

As Brady and Finnegan remain on 10 titles, alongside Tom Sheridan, it proves that handball in Ireland is well ahead of the pro game in the US where Brady is well nigh unbeatable.

Two dozen All-Ireland titles were decided at the O'Loughlin GAA Centre, over three days, with DJ Carey storming back on to the national stage, alongside his former partner Ducksy Walsh to win the Men's A Doubles with a two-game defeat of Belfast's Sean Devine and Seamus Ó Tuama.

The losers contested well but the experience of their Kilkenny opponents, who won the Senior Doubles in 1994, 1995 and 1998, well before the Brady-Finnegan era began.

Walsh also won with Michael Reade twice in the 80s.

In all, it was a disappointing weekend for Ulster players as only three of the 24 championship titles on offer travelled north. Two went to Tyrone as Johnny Woods and Conor McElduff won the Intermediate grade while Mark McCartan and Tony McElduff won the Silver Men's B Doubles.

Armagh girls Niamh Coleman and Megan McCann collected the Ladies' Minor crown with defeat of the Clare duo Doireann Murphy and Clodagh Nash.

All-Ireland Handball Doubles finals in Kilkenny

Senior: Dublin (Eoin Kennedy/C Browne) dft Cavan (P Brady/M Finnegan) 21-16, 12-21, 21-13.

Minor: Cork (T O’ Neill/D Walsh) dft Tyrone (S Kerr/T Clarke) 21-14, 21-5.

U21: Cork (D & M Hedigan) dft Tyrone (G McCrystall/P Clarke) 21-3, 13-21, 21-16.

JB: Dublin (C O’ Dálaigh/M Carrie) dft Monaghan (G Coyle/G McElroy) 21-17, 21-13.

Junior: Carlow (O Ryan/D Fenlon) dft Tyrone (B Devlin/R Daly) 12-21, 21-14, 21-14.

Intermediate: Tyrone (J Woods/C McElduff) dft Kilkenny (C Neary/B Burke) 21-11, 21-19.

O35A: Kerry (D Lynch/JJ Quirke) dft Mayo (V Moran/C Brennan) 21-7, 21-12.

O35B: Tipperary (K Dempsey/P Mullins) dft Mayo (M Ginley/P Judge) 21-17, 21-17.

MA: Kilkenny (M Walsh/DJ Carey) dft Antrim (S Devine/S Ó Tuama) 21-12, 21-11.

MB: Dublin (C McCallan/C Donnelly) dft Tyrone (S McCrory/R Grogan) 15-21, 21-10, 21-3.

SMA: Meath(T Sheridan/M Sheridan) dft Antrim (P Crothers/J McGarry) 21-16, 16-21, 21-16.

SMB: Tyrone (M McCartan/T McElduff) dft Wexford (R Barron/P Coleman) 21-14, 21-18.

GMA: Tipperary (P McGrath/J O’Donoghue) dft Antrim (J McAllister/P Duffy) 21-3, 21-7.

GMB: Wexford (M Armstrong/M Carty) dft Galway (B McNeela/D Phelan) 10-21, 21-16, 21-2.

EMA: Kilkenny (J Brennan/J Hennessy) dft Antrim (T Maguire/A Caddell) 21-19, 21-15.

EMB: Galway (J Connaughton/M Ward) dft Westmeath(A Mulligan/B Menton) 21-8, 21-18.

DMA: Carlow (S Ryan/J Rossiter) dft Mayo (K Geraghty/P Hopkins) 21-14, 21-14.

DMB: Mayo (C Holleran/J Sheridan) dft Kilkenny (G Murphy/J Anthony) 21-9, 6-21, 21-14.

RM: Dublin (Eugene Kennedy/V Farrelly) dft Galway (M Darcy/J Keleghan) 21-11, 2-0 ret. Inj.

O70: Dublin(N Flynn/J Molloy) dft Antrim (S Graham/R Murphy) 21-14, 21-8.

Ladies' Minor: Armagh (N Coleman/M McCann) dft Clare (D Murphy/C Nash) 21-14, 21-18.

LJB: Dublin (M Ní Dhálaigh/L McKenna) dft Roscommon (S Tully/L Connolly) 9-21, 21-19, 21-14.

LJ: Laois (N Dunne/C Dowling) dft Clare (E Donnellan/N Coughlan) 20-21, 21-14, 21-19.

LI: Galway (S Ní Ainlí/C Ni Churraoin) dft Clare (L Hayes/A Fitzgerald) 21-2, 21-2.