John Gaffney Memorial 2013
January 21, 2013The fourth annual Drury Oils John Gaffney Memorial handball tournament drew some of the nation's top talent to western handballing enclave of Ballaghaderreen, a town steeped in the traditions of this great game. The excellent fare on display proved a fitting tribute to the late John Gaffney.
Bidding to retain his title, Westmeath's Robbie McCarthy was the hot favourite after claiming the 2012 Irish nationals title along with the 60/30 All Ireland title. McCarthy blitzed through the early rounds, dispatching Leitrim's Donal Wrynn and local man Vinny Moran without hitting top-gear.
Cavan's Michael Finnegan flew under most people's radar when the shake-up for the later staged was being discussed. However, the Kingscourt clubman is coming off the back of a hugely successful World Handball Championships which saw him hand out comprehensive defeats to two of America's top-ranked players, Naty Alvarado jr. and Sean Lenning.
Young Ballaghaderreen native Stephen Cooney was impressive in en route to the quarterfinals and pushed Finnegan close, but missed out narrowly over two games. The Cavan man then subjected the well backed Wicklow man Michael Gregan to a punishing defeat, 21-7, 21-6, to reach the final.
McCarthy was pushed all the way by Galway's young pretender and recently crowned Connaught champion Martin Mulkerrins in the semifinal. The Moycullen clubman, famed for his flamboyant application of high-risk, technically difficult shots, put on an awesome display of kill-shots and spin-serves. Just piped at the post in game one, McCarthy's superior fitness and experience told the tale in the second game as he won out 21-18, 21-4.
The final served up a feast of handball, as the packed gallery in Ballaghaderreen were treated to a true clash of styles. McCarthy, an artist in the ball alley, played with the aloof pretensions of someone who has cemented their place as one of the world's great players. The Westmeath man controlled much of the final, coming up with a thundering roll-out on numerous occasions just as it seemed Finnegan was getting the best of him.
Finnegan played with an urgency and aggression that seemed to bother McCarthy's game plan. Unfazed by the Westmeath man's seeming ability to hit roll-outs on demand from any position on the court, Finnegan forced the issue and made McCarthy play outside of his comfort zone for large trenched of the final.
However, the 2012 champion would not be denied. McCarthy produced the right shots at crucial periods of the match. In game one, at 19-11 up, the Cavan man stormed back to 19-16 with a rapid stream of power-kills. Just when it seemed Finnegan had the winning formula, McCarthy changed the equation with a series of pounding roll-outs hit from shoulder height.
The match continued on this narrative, as Finnegan tried every trick in the book to get an edge but came up wanting as McCarthy showed his class, winning out 21-16, 21-16.
Ballaghaderreen handball club would like to extend special thanks to Spells bar, Durkin's restaurant and guesthouse, Pat Towey Costcutter, Gaynor plant hire and the Irish Handball Council for their continued support. Tweet
