Among the highlights of a quite successful year for Meath handball were All-Ireland titles for Kells players Carl Browne and Gary McConnell. The latter clearly has the potential to develop into a highly accomplished performer as he progresses through his career. It was a proud night for Browne when he brought the Intermediate 60x30 Singles Championship cup back to the town after the popular player triumphed in Croke Park in late September. Browne, who also marked the 2005 campaign by winning the Leinster Intermediate Doubles Championship title with fellow Kells handballer Peter Reilly, met talented Roscommon player Rikki O'Gara in the final and it turned out to be a fairly straight forward success for Browne as he come out on top in straight games on a 21-13, 21-11 score line. He had earlier beaten Tyrone's Niall Kerr comfortably at the semi-final stage, giving away only 15 points on the way as he won 21-9, 21-6. Browne can now look forward to the challenges of playing his handball in the senior ranks in 2006 and beyond and his progress will be watched with interest by the handball fraternity in the county. Browne and Reilly followed their provincial success by defeating Tyrone pair Kerr and Ciaran Curran in straight games in the All-Ireland intermediate semi-final, but they met with disappointment at the final hurdle when O'Gara and his Roscommon partner David Martin edged them out at Croke Park. Two victories in the space of three days at Kingscourt booked a place in the Irish National Under-14 40x20 Singles Championship final for Gary McConnell. He defeated Limerick player Shane O'Carroll at the quarter-final stage and returned to the County Cavan venue to get the better of Tyrone's Paul O'Donnell at the penultimate hurdle. And the Kells youngster demonstrated his undoubted talent when completing the job in the final in Belfast, defeating a Mayo opponent 15-2, 15-4 to claim his first All-Ireland title. Further rich pickings followed for McConnell when he contested the Irish National Championship 15 and under final against his great rival Fergal Collins from Tipperary at Kingscourt, which is clearly a venue he relishes playing in. Apart from the national title on offer, the winner would qualify to represent Ireland at the USHA Junior National Handball Championships in Chicago in December and with both players going into the decider at the height of their form a quality match was very much on the cards. And it was McConnell who achieved another title and booked his place on the flight to Chicago as he came out on top against the Tipperary youngster. JENSEN DELIGHTS DUBS A former Meath handballer gained very significant successes in the doubles arena during 2005, but this time he was wearing the Dublin colours. Egin Jensen, who is a Dunshaughlin native, lined out with the Kells club for many years before he took the decision to transfer to a club in Dublin where he now lives and the move brought a couple of big triumphs as he successfully teamed up with that very talented Dublin player Eoin Kennedy to form a highly accomplished doubles partnership. It will be recalled that Kennedy scored a very comfortable final win over the legendary Michael Duxie Walsh of Kilkenny to clinch the 2002 All-Ireland 60x30 Senior Softball Singles Championship, but the following year his brief reign as champion came to a halt as that remarkable Kells player Tom Sheridan eliminated him at the quarter-final stage en route to a famous outright success that culminated in a victory over his friend and doubles partner Walter O'Connor in the decider. Well, this year Kennedy enjoyed the company of Meath man Jensen as he went in search of doubles glory and what success the partnership brought to the Capital as they won both the All-Ireland 40x20 and 60x30 doubles titles. They secured their success in the smaller alley back in April when they defeated defending champions Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan from the Kingscourt club in Cavan in the final on a 21-14, 21-17 score line. This was Jensen's third national title at 40x20 level as he had achieved his previous triumphs when partnered by Sheridan in the 1990s. Jensen and Kennedy received the Willie Black Cup after their win in the final and the duo were congratulated on their victory by the Meath Handball Committee. It got even better for Kennedy and Jensen when they went on to achieve the All-Ireland Championship double by also winning the 60x30 title. Sheridan and Walter O'Connor were beaten by the Dublin combination in the doubles semi-final at Mullingar, but not before they troubled the eventual champions. The Meath veterans, who have achieved so much in the game over very lengthy careers, made a very encouraging start when winning the opening game 21-18. However, the Dubliners battled back to level the semi-final by taking the second game 21-19 and they went on to book their place in the decider when winning the third on the same score line. Their opponents in the final were Mayo's Joe McCann and Dessie Keegan and they came out on top by 21-11, 13-21, 21-13 to become the first Dublin pair to win this particular title since brothers Larry and Gerry Rowe 57 years earlier in 1948. It was an absorbing final that lasted over two hours and thrilled the gathering in Croke Park on that late September night. It wasn't exactly looking good for the Dublin pair when their Mayo opponents opened up a 7-2 advantage in the opening game, but they took 10 straight points to move ahead and eventually clinched that opener with 10 to spare. The eventual champions moved into a strong position in the second game as they led 13-5, but the men from the west made a stirring recovery, levelled it at 13-13 and eventually got through with eight points to spare. Neither duo managed to build up anything more than a two-point advantage in the early stages of the third and deciding game. They were locked together at 2-2, 7-7 and 8-8, but the Dublin pair then put major daylight between themselves and their opponents as they pushed clear by double scores at 18-9. But the Mayo pair just wouldn't give up and they reduced the deficit to 13-18, before Dublin regained serve and a determined Kennedy finished off a tremendous final. "I've dreamt of this since I was a kid," a truly delighted Jensen said after he had been presented with his All-Ireland medal. "I've won senior All-Irelands in the 40x20 court, but this is the one I've always wanted. I've been training every day since the 4th January. This is just unbelievable." Not bad going at all for a man who is now in his early 40s and a demonstration of what real effort and determination can achieve. Sheridan's quest for another All-Ireland Senior Singles Championship title came to an end at the semi-final stage when Kennedy got the better of him. Sheridan had earlier advanced in the competition when defeating Tommy Hynes of Wexford. There was success for the Kells club as they won the Leinster Inter-Club Championship title with a team made up of Sheridan, Browne, O'Connor and Brian Carroll, but they met with disappointment in their quest to bring another All-Ireland triumph to the club. Their opponents in the All-Ireland final were Ballaghaderreen from County Roscommon who had home advantage for the big match in the 60x30 court and despite a brave effort the Meath club were forced to give way to the men from the west of the Shannon who had 13 points to spare at the finish, winning by 90 to 77. The veterans kept the flag flying for the Kells club during the 2005 campaign as John B. Molloy teamed up with Francis Carroll to achieve provincial glory as they triumphed in the Leinster Masters Grade A Doubles Championship. Also achieving success at Leinster Championship level were Brian Carroll and D. Maguire in the 60x30 court. Tweet

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