An epic year for Handball in Meath and Sheridan
November 27, 2010Rightly recognised as one of the greatest doubles players in the history of the sport, the dedicated Sheridan continued to perform at the highest level of the Irish game in 2010 and he also enjoyed a hugely significant success further afield in the United States when teaming up with the legendary Michael 'Duxie' Walsh of Kilkenny.
That was at the USHA National Four-Wall Championships in Houston, Texas, where the vastly experienced partnership won the doubles title, beating the highly accomplished American pairing of Luis Moreno and Sean Lenning 21-6, 21-12 in the final. The victory was as comfortable as it was impressive.
Sheridan was making up for the disappointment of being eliminated from the open singles at the same event when he was beaten 17-21, 21-14, 4-11 by Florida's Jonathan Iglesias.
Sheridan and Kilkenny ace Walsh have won over 70 All-Ireland senior titles between them and beat David Fink and Abraham Montijo 21-9, 21-0 in the quarter-finals, before getting the better of Allan Garner and Tyler Hammel on a 21-16 21-18 score line at the penultimate hurdle. They completed the job in impressive style in the final, doing Irish handball proud in the process.
Two juvenile members of the Kells club also travelled to Texas. Robert Fox beat Taylor Schmitt 21-6, 21-3 in the 13 and under semi-final. His clubmate Evan Sheridan also tasted semi-final success and when the duo clashed in the final it was Fox who came out on top, 21-20, 21-17.
Fox and Sheridan, who both appear to have the potential to develop into very talented players, teamed up in the 15 and under doubles and despite being well out of their age group they won a match before being eliminated.
For a man in the veteran category Sheridan certainly enjoyed a very busy competitive campaign in 2010 and it was full of highlights. Included among them was a second victory in the All-Ireland Senior Softball Doubles Championship in three years when partnered by fellow Kells clubman Brian Carroll.
They beat Limerick's Seamus O'Carroll and CJ Fitzpatrick 21-13, 21-10 in the quarter-final and reached the final for the third successive year with a 21-19, 21-20 win over Wexford's Barry Gough and Colin Keeling in the semi-final.
In the decider they got the better of Kilkenny's Michael Clifford and Michael 'Duxie' Walsh, 21-10, 21-18 at Thurles. It was Sheridan's 10th 60x30 senior doubles title and he had won his first 18 years earlier. This was also his 64th national title in all grades, so the task of cleaning his trophies must be almost a full-time job!
Along the way Sheridan and Carroll had annexed another Leinster senior doubles title thanks to a 21-12, 21-14 victory over the Dublin pairing of Eoin Kennedy and Egin Jensen, who formerly wore the Meath jersey.
Another national title arrived when Sheridan teamed up with fellow Kells clubman John Molloy to win the All-Ireland Masters A Doubles Championship thanks to a 21-7, 21-7 win over the O'Dwyer brothers from Tipperary in the final at Mullingar. Walter O'Connor was Sheridan's original partner in this event, but he missed the decider due to injury and Molloy took his place, proving a very able deputy.
Sheridan and O'Connor are a very formidable doubles pairing and they had earlier clinched the Leinster 60x30 title when beating the Kilkenny pairing of Michael 'Duxie' Walsh and hurling great DJ Carey who is also quite an accomplished handballer. They surrendered a very healthy 16-9 lead in the opening game and lost it 16-21, but they bounced back admirably to win the next two games 21-18, 21-8 to clinch the provincial honours.
That had been a particularly memorable night for the Kells club in Mullingar when Sheridan and Molloy triumphed as Christy McGovern and Joe Lynch defeated Tipperary's John Lee and Paul Maher in the All-Ireland Masters B Doubles Championship decider, also on a 21-7, 21-7 score line.
The Kells duo had earlier claimed an impressive Leinster Championship title when they defeated Ricky Barron and Damien Kelly from Wexford on a 21-18, 21-19 score line in the final at Arklow.
Back in the spring Sheridan and Carroll combined to win the Leinster Open Doubles Championship with a final victory over Gavin Buggy and Paul Lambert from Wexford. They won the opening game 21-9, but the Wexford men battled well to take the second 21-17, before the Kells duo won the last 21-3 to seal victory.
When spring had turned to summer Sheridan won another All-Ireland title when he defeated Kildare's Mick Dowling 21-6, 21-6 in the Masters Hardball Singles Championship final at Mullingar.
On the same Mullingar programme Carl Browne and Joe Cummins of Kells lost to Kilkenny's Daniel and William Love 19-21, 21-19, 16-21 in a superbly contested All-Ireland Junior Doubles final. It had been a disappointing week for Cummins who also exited the 60x30 Junior B Softball Championships on two fronts - the singles and also the doubles, when partnered by Crossakiel player Michael Gaynor.
Sheridan was one of seven Meath handballers to compete in the National 40x20 Championships at Ulster venues over the May Bank Holiday weekend, but unfortunately there were no Royal County successes.
Sheridan had lost last year's masters final to Michael 'Duxie' Walsh and was determined to go one better this time. He beat Paddy Crothers of Antrim at the semi-final stage, 21-8, 21-4, but Walsh again foiled his title bid in a thrilling decider, winning 19-21, 21-14, 11-4.
Joe Cummins lost to Pat Conway (Galway) 15-14, 14-15, 2-11 in his category and was then beaten narrowly in the plate competition when Peter Function (Kilkenny) defeated him.
In the Golden Masters B grade Jimmy Reilly (Kells) lost in the second round to James Bell (Mayo), while Pat McGovern made an encouraging start to the Emerald Masters Singles Championship category with a 21-5, 21-16 success over Galway player Gearoid O Flaharta. But he had to face top seed Tony Breen from Wexford after that and despite an heroic effort he was beaten 14-21, 18-21 as Breen took another step towards achieving outright success.
Eugene O'Reilly (Crossakiel) and Peter Flanagan (Kells) form a good doubles partnership and they both played in the grade C singles competition where O'Reilly made his exit in the second round when he was beaten 15-4, 14-15, 4-11 by Cormac McMahon from Cavan.
Flanagan achieved a convincing victory over Carlow's Kevin Barrett, winning comfortably on a 15-2, 15-8 score line, and he then maintained the winning form when getting the better of Kilkenny's Ger Anthony, 15-13, 15-9.
He was on a role at that stage and it gained further momentum when he scored a third successive straight sets victory of the competition, defeating Nigel Neilan from Roscommon 21-16, 21-15 at the quarter-final stage. But just when he was probably starting to dream of outright glory, he was eliminated at the second last hurdle when Paul Lambert defeated him 15-21, 11-21.
It still represented a tremendous achievement by Flanagan to reach the last four of a competition that attracted a big field of 57 competitors. He was also eliminated by a man who was the All-Ireland B champion.
Brian Carroll was the only Royal County competitor in the men's open category, but his involvement in the competition was short lived as he made his exit when losing 11-21, 17-21 to Charlie Shanks of Armagh in the first round.
Carroll then set his sights on trying to win the plate competition and made a winning start when getting the better of Mayo's Stephen Cooney. That left him one step away from the final and he got there with a victory over another Mayo player, Vinnie Moran, at the penultimate hurdle.
That match went to three sets and Carroll triumphed 15-4, 10-15, 11-5, but he was unable to finish the job when Ricky McCann of Antrim beat him 11-15, 9-15 in the final.
Michael makes
a bit of history
Crossakiel player Michael McGee made his own piece of history in 2010 when he teamed up with Sligo's Martin Cooney to win the Connacht Masters B 60x30 Doubles Championship title with a 17-21, 21-12, 21-9 victory over the Mayo pairing of Joe Dowling and James Towey in the final at Williamstown, County Galway. It was the Crossakiel club's first provincial title at adult level in their 90-year history.
Earlier in the year Eugene O'Reilly became the first Crossakiel player in a decade to play in the Leinster 40x20 Junior B Championship when he teamed up with Kells clubman Peter Flanagan.
The duo, who reached the World Championship quarter-finals in October of 2009 and also reached the Leinster doubles decider last year, defeated Wexford's Mick Donovan and Ronan Greene 21-8, 21-10 at Ballymore-Eustace
They went on to score further Leinster Championship victories over Daniel Reilly and Ken Ginty (Dublin), who they beat 21-11, 21-11 at Kilbeggan, and Paul Clifford and Sean Quickley (Kilkenny) who were overcome 21-18, 21-17 in a quarter-final at Ballymore-Eustace.
Things progressed even further when they got the better of Kilkenny brothers Brendan and Diarmuid Burke 21-14, 21-10 in the semi-final at Ballymore-Eustace, but when it came to the decider they were beaten by Wexford pairing Paul Lambert and Peter Hughes, again at Ballymore-Eustace.
Flanagan and O'Reilly reached the Leinster 60x30 Junior B Doubles Championship final later in the year, but they were beaten by Peter Hughes and Noel Holohan of Wexford.
Lauren achieves Leinster success
Lauren Farrelly from the Kells club kept the flag flying for the female handballers of the county when she won the Leinster Under-12 Singles Championship title, beating Aoife Walsh from Kilkenny in the final, but there was disappointment for Robert Fox and Evan Sheridan in the under-14 doubles and Peter Smith and Daniel Farrelly in the under12 doubles.
O'Connor is elected Association President
A hugely significant moment for the sport of handball in the county came at the annual congress in Thurles back in March when former national and world champion Walter O'Connor was elected president of GAA Handball, beating Willie Roche from Clare by 53 votes to 41.
O'Connor will succeed Roscommon's Tony Hannon who defeated him by one vote for the position three years ago and will be in office when Ireland hosts the World Championships in 2012. Being elected to this position represented a great honour for O'Connor and his family who are steeped in the handball tradition. With his vast knowledge of the game at all levels, he should make an outstanding president.
Crossakiel club up and running again
Another very welcome recent development on the handball front in Meath was the reformation of the Crossakiel club during the latter part of last year. The Kells club had been flying the Meath flag on the competitive front and it is surely vital for the future development of the game of handball in the county that other clubs become active.
It was also good to see the Crossakiel club host its juvenile one-wall competition for boys and girls for the first time in 20 years on the last Sunday of 2009. Gary Reilly defeated Ricky McDermott 21-5 in the boys' final and McDermott's sister Sarah took the girls' title in the round-robin finale. Eugene O'Reilly presented the medals after the action had concluded.
The full list of participants was: James Baugh, Johnny Reilly, Jack Tunney, Hugh McCaffrey, Eoghan McCabe, Thomas Briody, Deborah McCabe, Aoife Tunney, Sarah McDermott, Gary Reilly and Ricky McDermott.
Kells club promotes Michael Black Cup
The Kells club staged the first Michael Black Memorial Cup tournament this year which attracted players from various parts of the country to Kells and Crossakiel. This was a hugely successful event staged over a weekend and the highlight was the clash of Brian Carroll (Kells) and Robbie McCarthy (Westmeath) against Wexford's Barry Goff and Colin Keeling in the final, which the Model County pairing won.
In the semi-finals Carroll and McCarthy had beaten Eoin Kennedy (Dublin) and Michael Gregan (Wicklow) and Goff and Keeling defeated USHA champions Tom Sheridan and Michael 'Duxie' Walsh. The late Michael Black's daughter Mary presented the cup to Goff and Keeling after the final.
The masters/junior final was won by Crossakiel's Mark Farrell and Mullingar's McCarthy who beat Peter Flanagan and John Molloy.
A number of local juvenile players also demonstrated their skills. Danny Dunne and Daniel Farrelly met Jonathan McGovern and Lauren Farrelly, with the latter winning 21-12. McGovern also teamed up with Evan Sheridan and they overcame Robert Fox and Colin McGovern on a 21-12 score line.
Another feature of the weekend was the official opening of the new viewing gallery at the Kells club by Tony Friary.
Exceptional year for Kells handball
Kells Handball Club enjoyed another exceptional year in 2010 with local, National and International successes.
Brian Carroll and Tom Sheridan were again the most prolific among the title winners, claiming the 40x20 Leinster Senior title, the 60x30 Leinster Senior crown and then following this up with an outstanding 60x30 All-Ireland Senior victory. The pair overcame Wexford's Gavin Buggy and Paul Lambert on a 21-11, 17-21, 21-3, score line to take the Leinster 40x20 title in Kildare's Ballymore Eustace in early March but were eventually knocked out at the hands of World Champion Paul Brady and his partner Michael Finnegan from Cavan in the All-Ireland Semi Final on a score of 21-14, 21-15.
Also in the 40x20 Championship Peter Flanagan and Eugene O'Reilly lost out in the Leinster Junior B final to Wexford's Paul Lambert and Peter Hughes, while Christy McGovern and Joe Lynch made it to the All-Ireland Masters B penultimate stage before being beaten by James Towey and Joe Dowling from Mayo on a slender margin of 21-18 (19-21), 21-18.
The Irish 40x20 season was closed out as always with the Irish Nationals held this year on the May Bank Holiday weekend. Meath were represented across five grades by Jimmy Reilly (Golden Masters B), Pat McGovern (Emerald Masters), Joe Cummins, Eugene O'Reilly, Peter Flanagan (all Division C), Brian Carroll (Open) and Tom Sheridan (Masters).
Sheridan produced the most success, making it to the final of the Masters Grade before just being edged out by the legendary Michael Ducksy Walsh after a marathon match, the Kilkenny man taking the victory (19-21), 21-14, 11-4.
Sheridan and Walsh then teamed up for the USHA Nationals in Austin Texas in June. Despite both players being in their 40's they contested the Men's Open division with the best players in the world in opposition. They overcame Dave Fink and Abraham Montijo in the quarter final 21-9, 21-0 before besting Allan Garner and Tyler Hammel 21-16, 21-18 in the semi-final. They then faced two of the world's top seeded players Luis Moreno and Sean Lenning, but easily overcame this opposition taking the much coveted Nationals title with a 21-6, 21-12 victory.
Meath were also represented in the juvenile ranks by Evan Sheridan and Robert Fox. The two contested the 13 and under singles and both youths also entered the 15 and under grade. In the 13's division Fox easily dispatched of Taylor Schmitt 21-6, 21-3 in the semi final, whereas Sheridan had a harder match losing the first game 16-21, but winning the second 21-16 and the tie break 11-10. The club-mates then faced off in the final where Fox just clinched the win 21-20, 21-17.
There was further success on the international front as Eugene O'Reilly and Peter Flanagan picked up the Canadian Nationals C Doubles title, and O'Reilly overcoming Flanagan in the C Singles division also. Kells' Brian Carroll was unlucky after some excellent performances losing out to previous world number one player David Chapman in the semi final of both the Open Singles and Open Doubles draws. Carroll was partnered with Toronto player Rick Stybak for the doubles.
The hardball season also saw glory come Meath's way as Tom Sheridan picked up another All-Ireland title in the Masters division overcoming Kildare's Mick Dowling 21-6, 21-6. In the Junior Hardball Doubles grade Carl Browne and Joe Cummins had a sublime All-Ireland semi-final victory over Roscommon's Chris Doolin and Niall McGrath, before being just edged out in the All-Ireland final by Kilkenny's Daniel and William Love losing on a narrow 21-19, (19-21), 21-16 margin.
With the installation of a new glass back wall and increased viewing capacity at the Kells court, an open invitational tournament was held in the name of the late Michael Black to officially open the court. The competition which also saw a combined grade for Masters and Junior players was a resounding success. The Open draw being won by Wexford's Barry Goff and Colin Keeling, and the Masters/Junior draw being won by Mullingar's Robbie McCarthy Senior and Mark Farrell from the neighbouring Crossakiel.
The softball season saw just as much glory for the Royal County. Cream of the crop was Sheridan and Carroll once more as they claimed the Leinster 60X30 title and also went on to claim the All-Ireland Open 60X30 Championship which, trying out a new format, has done away with provincial qualifiers. The Kells men overcame Dublin's Eoin Kennedy and Egin Jensen to claim the Leinster crown, and in a heated battle in the All-Ireland final, the duo overcame stern opposition from Kilkenny's Michael Walsh and Michael Clifford to regain the title they last held in 2008 on a convincing 21-10, 21-18 score line. Along the way the 2008 winners and 2009 runner's up defeated Limerick's Seamus O'Carroll and CJ Fitzpatrick in the quarter finals in Abbeylara, 21-10, 21-13. The pair then had a tough battle with Wexford's Barry Goff and Colin Keeling where they edged through on a tight 21-19, 21-20 margin.
Meath were just denied a further Leinster title on two occasions as the partnership of Jimmy Reilly and Pat McGovern suffered a provincial defeat in the Golden Masters Doubles final at the hands of Kilkenny side Joe Hennessy and Johnny Brennan. The Meath pair took the first game 21-18 but lost the second 17-21 and the tie break 18-21. Peter Flanagan and Eugene O'Reilly were also edged out by eventual All-Ireland winners Wexford's Peter Hughes and Noel Holohan in the Leinster Junior B final.
Following on from their 40x20 All-Ireland semi final defeat, Joe Lynch and Christy McGovern breezed through the Leinster 60x30 Masters B Final overcoming Wexford's Ricky Barron and Damien Kelly 21-18, 21-9. In a home draw the side then overcame Sligo's Michael McGee and Martin Cooney which booked them their place in the final. The final was also much of a one sided affair as the Kells duo had a 21-7, 21-7 win over Tipperary's John Lee and Paul Maher.
Meath also tasted success in the Masters A Doubles as Sheridan combined first with John Leahy, who was replaced after injury by Walter O'Connor who in turn had to be replaced for the All-Ireland final by John Molloy as the pair claimed the title with a 21-7, 21-7 win over Tipperary's Willie and Josie O'Dwyer.
In the juvenile ranks Meath were represented by five up and coming stars of the game in the Leinster finals. Robert Fox and Evan Sheridan were unlucky to lose the U14 doubles final, 15-14 in the tie break. The U12 doubles final saw Daniel Farrelly and Peter Smith just lose out to Kilkenny's Shane Dune and Mark Purcell. There was joy however as Lauren Farrelly won the Girls U12 title getting the better of Aoife Walsh from Kilkenny.
There was also good news for Meath handball as multiple All Ireland winner Walter O'Connor was elected incoming president of Irish Handball and will now have the pleasure of leading Irish Handball in their hosting of the 2012 World Championships. Tweet
