Another major weekend of GAA Handball All Ireland championship action has seen the key competitions reach the final stages as the biggest month of the 40x20 championship calendar now swings into gear.

In the O'Neills Mens Open All Ireland championship race, the doubles series entered the quarter-final stages with no major shocks to date. Reigning champions, Cavan's Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan, who are chasing an eighth senior doubles crown in 2012, held all the aces against Kilkenny's All Ireland under 21 doubles champions from last season, Patrick and Peter Funchion, winning 21-11, 21-9 in Leixlip. That duo now have an intriguing tussle with Limerick's rising stars, Seamus O'Carroll and CJ Fitzpatrick, in the last eight stage, following their impressive 21-8, 21-14 win over Cavan's James Brady and Patrick Clerkin. O'Carroll is also currently mixing his handball championship action with National league football for Limerick.

Last season's finalists, Meath's Tom Sheridan and Brian Carroll, undoubtedly delivered the most telling performance of the weekend in Crinkle as they scored an emphatic 21-5, 21-3 win over last year's All Ireland Intermediate champions, Diarmaid Nash and Niall Malone. That win has set up an intriguing head to head with Munster champions, Ger Coonan and Fergal Collins, the latter having a thrilling third game 21-18 victory over Antrim's Sean Devine and Paul Graham.

The champions of 2009, Mayo's Dessie Keegan and Joe McCann, were forced to pull out all the stops in an absorbing contest with Wexford's Gavin Buggy and Paul Lambert, losing the first 21-20 before coming back to win 21-16, 21-8, and they now take on Antrim champions, Ricky McCann and Seamus O'Tuama in the quarter-finals, with the Saffron duo having scored a 21-15, 21-19 win over Cork's exciting pairing of Brendan Fleming and Killian Carroll.

In the ladies action, the biggest tie of the weekend went ahead at Leixlip where Antrim's Aisling Reilly exhibited that she is back to her very best by denying highly regarded Cork teenager, Catriona Casey, in a third game thriller, winning through 12-21, 21-14, 21-9. Reilly will now again cross swords with her dynamic club colleague, Fiona Shannon, in the All Ireland Ladies Open Senior semi-final, after the World Champion powered past Down's Lorraine Havern by 21-14, 21-12 in their quarter final meeting. The last two semi final places will be decided after reigning champion, Kerry's Maria Daly faces Kildare's Anna Spence and Roscommon's Marianna Rushe and Kerry's Ashley Prendiville meet in the last of the quarter final ties.

Elsewhere, there was eye-catching action in the race for the All Ireland Minor championship crown. For the first time ever the final will see a Leitrim player in action on All Ireland final day following Donal Wrynn's thrilling win against Monaghan's Darren Doherty on a 12-21, 21-13, 21-11 scoreline. It will also be unique as he will now face a Wexford player in the final, after Galen Riordain's 6-21, 21-20, 21-17 win over Cork's Pa Herlihy.

At Intermediate level, Galway's Martin Mulkerrins secured his final ticket with a brilliant 21-20, 21-10 win over Tyrone's Caolan Daly while Tipperary's Ger Coonan will provide the opposition in what could be one of the most exciting finals in the 40x20 championships, following his 21-18, 21-9 win over Meath's Gary McConnell.

Another comprehensive weekend of action lies ahead now with the Mens Open semi-finals taking centre stage as Cavan's Paul Brady continues his eight-in-a-row bid with a semi-final showdown against Meath's Brian Carroll in Roscommon next Monday 12th March and Westmeath's Robbie McCarthy takes on Clare's Diarmaid Nash this Saturday 10th March at the same venue.

Weekend Results:

Men's Open Senior Doubles Championship (2nd Round)
P. Brady & M. Finnegan (Cavan) bt Peter Funchion & Patrick Funchion (Kilkenny) 21-12, 21-9.
M. Gregan & J. Willoughby (Wicklow) bt D. Daly & S. O' Neill (Tyrone) 13-21, 21-16, 21-11.
S. O' Carroll & C. J. Fitzpatrick (Limerick) bt J. Brady & P. Clerkin (Cavan) 21-8, 21-14.
D. Keegan & J. McCann (Mayo) bt G. Buggy & P. Lambert (Wexford) 20-21, 21-16, 21-8.
T. Sheridan & B. Carroll (Meath) bt D. Nash & N. Malone (Clare) 21-5, 21-3.
R. McCann & S. O' Tuama (Antrim) bt B. Fleming & K. Carroll (Cork) 21-15, 21-19.
B. Goff & C. Keeling (Wexford) bt N. Anthony & B. Manogue (Kilkenny) 21-10, 14-21, 21-12.
G. Coonan & F. Collins (Tipperary) bt S. Devine & P. Graham (Antrim) 21-12, 2-21, 21-18.

Women's Open Senior Singles (2nd Round) (Round Of 16):
Daly (Kerry) bt C. Mahon (Kilkenny) 21-5, 21-2.
A. Prendiville (Kerry) bt D. Donohoe (Roscommon) 21-2, 21-6.
A. Spence (Kildare) bt P. Gallagher (Mayo) 21-15, 21-8.
M. Rushe (Roscommon) bt M. Phelan (Kilkenny) 21-4, 21-5.
A. Reilly (Antrim) bt A. Corrigan (Mayo) 21-9, 21-9.
F. Shannon (Antrim) bt L. Doolin (Roscommon) 21-8, 21-2.

Women's Open Senior Singles (Quarter-Finals):
A. Reilly (Antrim) bt C. Casey (Cork) 12-21, 21-14, 21-9
F. Shannon (Antrim) bt L. Havern (Down) 21-14, 21-12. Tweet

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