If the cap Fitz
February 28, 2006If the pain of the defeat he suffered a few weeks ago in the Ulster junior semi-final against Tyrone's Rory Kelly still hurts, Cavan handball ace Paul Fitzpatrick isn't prepared to let it become a proverbial ball and chain. Losing at the penultimate round of any competition is supposed to be an even more of a bitter pill to swallow than getting beaten in a decider.
It is apparently something to do with Man's innate need to at least be given a 50/50 chance of being a success.
As if to firmly cement the angst of his defeat to Kelly into his pysche, Paul Fitzpatrick's last four setback came on the back of a tie breaker which he lost 19-21.
"I didn't play as well as I could have on the day and generally underperformed," Paul reflects.
"I probably underestimated him although I remember he was always there or thereabouts at underage level so I shouldn't have taken anything for granted.
"I hadn't seen him play for ages and he surprised me a wee bit how much he had come on."
It's clear to those who have observed Paul's game at close quarters over the last ten years or thereabouts that his own game has come on in leaps and bounds.
From the time he first caught the eye as an enthusiast of the Gaelic game at St. Pat's College, Cavan, Paul has slowly but surely crept up the handball rankings in Cavan, Ulster, Ireland and on the international front. A native of Redhills, Paul says he's quite happy with the way things panned out overall in 2005.
For him, one of the highlights of the year was when he figured on the Cavan Gaels club team which scooped the All-Ireland title.
Along with the equally talented Patrick Clerkin, Pauric Cahill (current Cavan senior county footballer) and Eddie Halligan, Paul played out of his skin in their attempts at lifting the national title.
While messrs. Clerkin and Cahill did the business in their singles' matches, Paul and partner Eddie greatly impressed in their doubles match in the All-Ireland final against Kerry crew Ballydesmond in Nenagh last February.
On the personal front, Paul reaped a rich dividend last June when he played in the US national championships and proudly won the 'C' singles title, beating Louis Cordoba from Arizona in the final.
And just for good measure, Paul had the rare distinction in US national handball terms of going through to win the title without losing a game.
In the doubles' sphere, he teamed up with New Yorker Alan Sanchez and reached the final of the 'B' section only to lose to a California-based pair.
"The whole trip to America was a great experience, especially being able to travel to Houston with James and Paul Brady for a tournament out there.
"The weather was great over the ten days and the facilities were excellent too. Paul did brilliantly to become the first Irishman to win the Open there while James also played very well to reach the final of the 'B' singles and he even could have won it had he a bit more luck on his side."
One assumes that they found themselves in the lap of luxury while in the States.
"Far from it," comes the reply.
"We didn't get any grant and we made our own way and shared hotel rooms and all the expenses but we weren't complaining because it's what we wanted to do and it was all very worthwhile."
The US visits conjure up a lot of happy memories for Paul. He recalls travelling to Minneasota with his college side, DIT, last February where second place was secured in the collegiate championships.
"For the college trip we did a lot of fundraising, like selling tickets, and it was just a pity that we were missing one of our best players for that tournament otherwise I think we would have won it."
Interestingly Paul lined out with current Cavan senior football star Sean Johnston for the Dublin-based college and the pair were quite a success too, winning the All-Ireland under 17 40x20 doubles competition.
It's interesting that county footballers like Pauric Cahill, Seanie Johnston and, obviously, Paul Brady have been adept at both the big ball game and the court game. Just a co-incidence?
"No I don't think so. The two games complement each other. Handball keeps you literally on your toes, improves your reflexes, your speed of reaction and obviously your ball to eye co-ordination."
Meanwhile, it wasn't all positive on the doubles front as Paul and Eddie (Halligan) teamed up for the Junior 'B's 60x30 championships only to fall short at the final hurdle in 2003.
The same year Paul teamed up with Donegal ace Mark McGowan and the pair reached the semi-finals of the world 'C' doubles championships.
2003 proved to be a really busy year for Paul in fact as he raced his way to the Ulster under 21 final only to lose out to the aforementioned McGowan.
Meanwhile another source of satisfaction for Paul was his venture to Galway last year also to compete in the inter-varsity championships in Galway where he won the 'B' singles.
However harking back to good times of even recent vintage is rarely a recipe for future success and, at 22 years of age, Paul is not one for resting on his laurels nor counting his medals.
And certainly those privvy to Paul's rise and rise up the pecking order are convinced that it'll be quite a while before he hits his peak form.
Lots of people have gone vocal with their admiration for his burgeoning skills. Among them Fr. John Gilhooley, a veritable handball for years at his old alma mater in St. Pat's College, Cavan.
Unsurprisingly, the feeling is mutual with young Fitzpatrick.
"Fr. Gilhooley has been first class over the years; the amount of time and energy he has spent bringing on young fellas has been incredible.
"He was the main man when it came to the handball in the college (St.Pat's) and I remember him coaching James Clerkin, Pauric Cahill and myself to win the All-Ireland under 14 Feile na nGael competition.
"He's a great motivator and very generous with his time.
"Kit Finnegan is another man who has done a lot for handball in the county and he deserves a lot of credit too for keeping handball going in Cavan," Paul insists.
It's abundantly clear that the Redhills man is a driven and determined athlete and is dedicated to achieving his goals.
Part of a quality batch of handballers which have emerged from the St. Pat's College handball stable, Paul has proven over the years that he has the mettle to compete at the highest level and he has been tipped by some commentators to follow the same path as the most high profile Cavan footballers of our times, namely, Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan.
Currently ensconced in Brussels as part of a DIT journalism course, Paul is hoping to be just as busy operating at the highest echelons of handball at provincial and national levels this year as he was in the past year.
"I will be doing most of my training in Kingscourt in the hope of getting through to the All-Ireland finals and after that the world championships which are being held in Canada this year.
"Hopefully training will go well for me when I return from Brussels and that I've enough time to get in good shape by the time the national and world championships come along."
While in Brussels he hopes partake as much as possible in Gaelic games.
"There's a NATO base just outside the city and I think there's both hurling and football teams attached to the base.
"Myself and another fella on the journalism course who's from Kildare will be looking at playing with one of the teams over there."
Of course while his love of handball is at the core of his sporting being, also underpinning Paul's sporting career is his liking for Gaelic football and his gra for his native club.
"I prefer handball but, no more than football, you only get out of the game what you put in.
"I was on the junior championship panel and it was a great experience and while handball is a very satisfying sport when you win something off your own bat or with another player in doubles, it's good to be part of a team and especially when it's your native club team.
"I would like to think that I can continue to play both games at a reasonable high level and with a bit of luck I'll pick up a few more medals over the next few years."
As for the coming months in his number one, preferred, field, Paul is focussing most of his thoughts in a sporting sense on taking part in the world championships at 'B' 40x20 singles and doubles competitions.
"I'd like to reach the latter stages of those competitions. It would be great to reach the semi-finals in both the individual and doubles with Eddie (Halligan)."
We wish Paul the very best of luck in attempts at achieving his goals, whether that be his studies, handball or football careers. Tweet
