St.Mary's & Drumcliffe set to reach final

St. Mary’s & Drumcliffe to reach final
The Sligo Handball Team 40 x 20 league is set for an exciting finish with 3 teams still in contention for league honours, writes Michael McGee

The last round of the Sligo Handball 40 x 20 team leagues take place on Wednesday evening. Castleconnor is the venue for the Castleconnor A v St. Mary’s tie. Castleconnor A team suffered their only defeat to Drumcliffe (63-56) back in round 1 . Tom Foody & Joe Gorman excelled in the recent Gerard Jones Perpetual Memorial Cup tournament recently. Both players will need to play their best handball if Castleconnor are to stop the St. Mary’s juggernaut from reaching the final. Michael Browne is a big game player and has the potential on turning on the style when needed. Browne will be hoping to steer his club to victory in a must win match for the Castleconnor men. Castleconnor’s Tom Tuffy’s participation on Wednesday evening is in doubt having picked up a leg injury in the Cup Tournament last weekend and is in race against time to be fit.
The St. Mary’s side are the form team at present with full points from their 5 outings. The “Saints” are a strong team and are backboned by the likes of Seamus Duffy recent Connacht Diamond Masters A doubles champion and Michael McMorrow an All-Ireland Emerald Masters B 60 x 30 doubles champion in 2011. A terrific contest is in prospect with St. Mary’s expected to withstand a spirited comeback from Castleconnor to reach the final.
Also on Wednesday evening is the Drumcliffe v Collooney tie. Drumcliff have 4 wins out of 5 and should have too much in reserve against an young Collooney side who have yet to record a win in this year’s league. The Drumcliffe team of Colin & Clive Slevin, Bill Carney, Eamon Bellew & Ken Cunningham look to have the easier passage to the final and should record a high tally and reach an historic first league final appearance.
The final is fixed for Wednesday 15th February in St. Mary’s at 8 p.m.

Sligo Handball Team League Round 7
Wednesday 8th February in Castleconnor at 8 .m.
Castleconnor A Michael Browne, Tom Foody,Tom Tuffy & Joe Gorman v St. Mary's ( Peter Chambers, Michael McMorrow, Connell Cannon & Seamus Duffy)
In St. Mary’s at 8 p.m
Collooney (Patrick Fox, Stanley Harte, Michael Bruen & Gerry Coleman v Drumcliffe Colin Slevin, Clive Slevin, Bill Carney, Ken Cunningham & Eamon Bellew

Connacht title for Mc Cann
Francis McCann had to call on all his vast experience and battling skills in order to win the Golden Masters A singles 40 x 20 provincial crown in Curraghboy last weekend. McCann faced old adversary in Galway’s Martin Conneely. The battles between these two handball aristocrat’s have been legendary, very close and exciting. This year’s encounter was no different. The Ballymote man took the opening game 21-13 but the tribesman levelled it in the second. The tie breaker proved a cliff hanger of a contest with both players going all out for the win. There was nothing to separate the players throughout and it was only in the last passages of play that McCann hung on after another titanic struggle winning it by a solitary point 21-20 after 3 captivating games.
Collooney’s Shane Bruen involvement in the Over 35 B singles ended when he was defeated by Galway’s Trevor Hannon by 21-17, 21-11. Seamus Duffy Diamond Masters A lost out to Mayo’ Martin Cronin 21-5, 21-8 while Drumcliffe’s Mickey Brennan suffered the same fate at the hands of Galway’s Gerry O’ Fatharta in the Diamond Masters B final by 21-12, 21-12. Peter Chambers in the Golden Masters B singles final was defeated by Galway’s Denis Phelan by 21-11, 21-9