Mayo's Dessie Keegan had been the nearly man for a long time in Irish handball, but this year he is hoping to go one further in the Senior Hardball Championship, and indeed later on, when the softball season returns. Next Saturday in Mullingar, he faces the winner of Eoin Kennedy (Dublin) and Robbie McCarthy (Westmeath) in the All-Ireland Senior Singles Hardball Semi-Final, and he knows that the opportunity to contest a final, and win a national title, doesn't come about too often. "I won the Senior Hardball in 2006 but then last year I was beaten in the first round," explained Keegan. "You just don't know what each season is going to bring." The Ballaghaderreen clubman defeated Cavan hero Paul Brady in the quarter-final last weekend and while many in handball circles commented on this being a great victory for the Mayo man, he never had any doubts. "Paul is a great handballer, but you cannot give him too much respect when you're in the court with him," said Keegan. "I was there to do a job and I was very confident that I would come through that game." Kennedy and Keegan have been at the top of the hardball pecking order for the past few years, and the pair have contested three of the last four finals. Kennedy is the reigning champion and last year he defeated Meath's Tom Sheridan to take the title. He then went on to match a record held by Wexford's John Ryan and Meath's Walter O'Connor when he won the Big Alley Grand Slam in taking the 60x30 Singles and Doubles titles, in addition to the two hardball crowns with long-time playing partner, Egin Jensen. Sheridan, a Royal County stalwart, will contest the second of the semi-finals against Keegan's Ballaghaderreen club-mate, Vinny Moran at the same midlands venue. Tweet

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