It is amazing to think that the All-Ireland Senior Hardball Championship or its equivalent began even before the formation of the GAA way back in 1884. The competition appears to have begun in 1870 when William Baggs from Tipperary was recognised as the Irish Champion from 1870-80. Baggs is the first player who is known to have limited each game to a certain number of aces, usually 15 or 21. The number of games at the time seems to have depended on the stamina of the players however. Baggs was succeeded by Davy Browning of Limerick who played out of Kilkee, Co. Clare as his home court. The Cork Tournament was a competition which was held every year attracting all the leading players in Ireland, and the winner was generally recognised as the Irish Champion. In 1886 Alderman Dan Horgan, President of the Cork Handball Club and thrice Mayor of the city, put up a gold medal and silver cup for the winner. The Irish Champion on two occasions forfeited their title by emigrating to the USA - John Lawlor (Dublin) in 1888 and James Fitzgerald (Kerry) in 1898. The I.A.H.U. (Irish Amateur Handball Union) had ran handball affairs in Ireland exclusively until the 1920s. The All-Ireland Hardball Championship as we know it was inaugurated in 1925 by the I.A.H.A. (which had been formed in 1924) with the Harty Cup being presented for the first time, which was sponsored by the then Archbishop of Cashel, J.M. Harty. The first winner was Bill Aldridge from Kildare who played out of the famous Clough Handball Club in Kilkenny. It has long been argued that Hardball has been neglected in favour of Softball by the GAA handball authorities and a case can be made for this, as once the other handball body was disbanded hardball began to decrease in popularity. Down through the years there have been famous winners of the Harty Cup but undoubtedly the most decorated was John Joe Gilmartin from Kilkenny. He won 7 Singles titles in-a-row from 1936-42 and a further 3 titles in-a-row from 1945-47 after he returned from serious injury. In Hardball Doubles he won 5 titles in-a-row with a different partner each time from 1937-41 and a further 3 titles in-a-row with P Dalton between 1945-47. Today, the All-Ireland Hardball Championships are still running, with Senior, Minor, Junior and Masters events being run each year. Some people have argued that Hardball is a dead game, yet numbers entering in the championships have remained steady, with only 33 entrants back in 1984 and yet 48 entered in 2002. The 2003 Senior Hardball Singles was won by Dublin's Eoin Kennedy who defeated Dara Ward from Kildare in the final. James Doyle of Limerick took the Junior Singles, while the Conway brothers - Pat and Ollie from Galway won the Junior Doubles. Robert McCarthy of Westmeath won the Minor Singles title. It remains to be seen whether Hardball will continue to be played in the future. Certainly more needs to be done for this ancient Irish game in the future to ensure a part of our history and sporting heritage is preserved and encouraged well into the coming years. The All-Ireland Hardball finals take place this week: ALL-IRELAND HARDBALL FINALS  At the Garda Depot, Phoenix Park, Thursday 3 June, 7.30 p.m. JHD  Pat O'Donnell. Ned Kealy (Wicklow) v Paul Flynn, James Towey (Mayo) SHS  Eoin Kennedy (Dublin) v Dessie Keegan (Mayo) At Mullingar, Saturday 12 June, 6.30 p.m. JHS  Pat O'Donnell (Wicklow) v Paul Flynn (Mayo) Tweet

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