Sport

Irish players set to dominate at US Handball championships

18/11/2018 Clares   Con Collins    Picture Seamus Loughran
18/11/2018 Clares Con Collins Picture Seamus Loughran 18/11/2018 Clares Con Collins Picture Seamus Loughran

Irish players are, once again, set to dominate in the 67th USHA Championships which will be played out at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley, California.

The number one seeds in the men's and women's Open Championships are, of course, Cork pair Killian Carroll and Catriona Casey, both household names in the States.

However, lurking among the other entrants are Paul Brady and Ciana Ní Churraoin, both very capable of upsetting the odds and taking a few unsuspecting scalps on the way to the winner's rostrum.

Brady, in fact, upset the odds two years ago when he defeated Carroll in the final of this prestigious competition, despite the fact that the Cavan man was not then a regular on the US Tour. He was, of course, the dominate figure in world handball for ten-plus years but had, by 2017, eased up on his appearances across the Atlantic.

Corkonion Carroll has taken over the Irish banner from the Breffni battler but Brady fired a timely reminder that he was still a force to be reckoned with and, as second seed, flew back home as champion, once again, after beating Carroll in the all-Irish final at 12 and 5.

After a glittering time since then, during which Carroll collected the World Championship title last August, the Leesider is top seed again but Brady, now concentrating more on his Cavan teaching job and only making the occasional trip to America, must start his bid to retain the US Nationals crown in the Round of 32 (first round) against Justin Bauer from Colorado – a strange situation for Brady who used to always have a bye in the opening round.

Carroll is, of course, as top seed, is already through to the Round of 16 where he will meet either New York-based Kildare man Niall O'Connor or Sam Esser from Kansas. Carroll is in the top half and Brady in the bottom half of the draw so a clash in the final is very possible.

“I'd welcome that,” mused the Cork man who plays out of Boston.

“Paul is still one of the world's top players even though he is not as active now in the US as he was in the past. He is very capable of making it through to the final again and, I hope, that I would be there to meet him.”

There are, of course, many others with similar hopes, including the likes of the Cordovas and second seed Sean Lenning (Arizona).

Brady, going for his fifth title, reached the semi-finals of the Worlds Championships last August but had to, unfortunately, pull-out because of injury, giving Galway challenger Martin Mulkerrins a walkover. Mulkerrins is back, David Walsh (Cork) and New York-based Roscommon player Stephen Cooney are also in action in California this weekend.

Catriona Casey in Number One women's seed and Ciana Ní Churraoin is second with a distinct possibility they will clash in the final. Both have a bye in the first round and so has Roscommon's Fiona Tully.

Casey and Ní Churraoin last did battle at the Olympic Club Invitational Tournament in San Francisco last March when Cork's Casey won at 12 and 6.

She defends the Women's Singles title this weekend and it's odds-on she will clash with Ní Churraoin in Sunday's final with Ciana favourite to defeat either California-domiciled Rebecca Mulholland or Arizonian Bahisa Camacho.