Sligo’s young handball stars will be appearing in 5 Connacht Juvenile finals in Castlebar on Sunday. Shane Bruen & Mark Murphy will be hoping to reach the All-Ireland Over-35 B doubles final. Michael McGee looks forward to an action packed weekend for Sligo handball.
Boys U-17 Doubles: Shane Wright & Patrick Fox (Sligo) v Gerard Sheridan & Thomas Walsh (Mayo)
Sligo’s future young handball stars will be appearing in 5 Connacht Juvenile finals in Castlebar on Sunday. Shane Wright & Patrick Fox go in search of their first Connacht A title. Wright from the Castleconnor club partnered Noel McLouglin to last year’s U-16 B doubles Connacht 40 x 20 title. Fox from the Collooney club is already showing huge potential. He has already broken into the Collooney senior team and has represented the club in this year’s leagues. Just two months ago he partnered Drumshanbo’s Martin Raftery to overall success in the Gerard Jones Memorial Tournament in Castleconnor.
Boys U-16 singles: Jason Earlis (Sligo) v Conor Burke (Mayo)
Jason Earlis is another star in the making. Last year he partnered Stanley Harte Jnr. The duo won the Connacht 60 x 30 title no mean achievement and came within a whisker of reaching the All-Ireland final. Stanley Harte & Jason Earlis who had an agonizing 1 point defeat at the hands of Jamie Joyce & Ciaran O’Neill from Waterford. The score was 15-6, 5-15, 14-15. Stanley & Jason were 14-10 up in the tiebreaker but could not get the final point that would have put them through to the final. Earlis also a noted footballer with the Sligo development G.A.A. squad at present. Earlis was a member of the Sligo Juvenile U16/17 team that won Connacht but were beaten by eventual winners Tipperary in the semi-final.
Girls U-15 Singles: Aoife Quinn (Sligo) v Adhna Ni Bhraonain (Galway).
Girls U-16 Singles Marianne Foody (Sligo) v Ciana Ni Churaoin (Galway)
Tough task ahead for Sligo girls
Aoife partnered club mate Marianna Foody to the Connacht Colleges 1st year title last year. Having received a bye in Connacht the Girls U-15 doubles they took on Clare’s Natasha Coughlin & Michelle Nihill in Invirin. However the girls were beaten by 5-15, 7-15. Aoife a member of the Castleconnor Club played her part as a member of the Connacht Girls Interprovincial team of 10 that beat Ulster in the final by 101-50. Both girls are County champions. Last Wednesday Oisin Quinn put the girls through their paces with games in Bofield ahead of Connacht final. Marianna faces the daunting prospect of trying to defeat Galway’s Ciana Ni Churraoin. Ni Churraoin already tipped to be a future ladies champion is the current All-Ireland Girls U-15 singles champion, National champion, U.S. Champion and indeed World champion. Sunday’s final will be provide great experience for both Sligo girls against noteworthy opponents.
Boys U-16D: Barry McLoughlin & Stanley Harte (Sligo) v T.J. Byrne & Shane Walsh (Mayo). The Sligo lads will go into this final with a fair degree of optimism. Barry McLoughlin Castleconnor partnered Ballymote’s Francis McCann to last year’s Gerard Jones Memorial doubles tournament title. McLoughlin is already a Connacht Juvenile A 60 x 30 champion and a Connacht Juvenile U-16/17 winner in the 40 x 20 court. Harte hails from the Collooney club represented Collooney in the senior leagues and is a Connacht 60 x 30 doubles champion. Harte with his strong left hand will pose problems for most players. This new combination have every chance of striking Connacht Gold this weekend.
CONNACHT 40X20 JUVENILE A CHAMPIONSHIP 2012 FINALS
CASTLEBAR ON SUNDAY 11th MARCH @ 10am
Boys U-17 Doubless: Shane Wright & Patrick Fox (Sligo) v Gerard Sheridan & Thomas Walsh (Mayo)
Boys U-16 singles: Jason Earlis (Sligo v Conor Burke (Mayo)
Girls U-15 Singles: Aoife Quinn (Sligo) v Adhna Ni Bhraonain (Galway)
Girls U-16 Singles Marianne Foody (Sligo) v Ciana Ni Churaoin (Galway)
BU16D TJ Byrne Shane & Walsh (M) v Barry McLoughlin, Stanley Harte (Sligo ) v T.J. Byrne & Shane Walsh.
All-Ireland championships 40 x 20
Sunday 11th March in Beragh at 1 p.m.
Over-35 B doubles semi-final:
Mark Murphy & Shane Bruen (Sligo)v Seamus & Eamonn McCrory (Tyrone)
Bruen & Murphy to reach final
Mark Murphy & Shane Bruen make the long journey to Beragh in Co. Tyrone to take on Ulster champions Seamus & Eamonn McCrory. Murphy & Bruen took the Connacht title after a 3 game thriller against Mayo’s Michael Ginley & Seamus Maughan. In a very close contest throughout the Sligo men just edged it by 21-19, 20-21, 21-17. Bruen has won an All-Ireland Colleges title with Michael Tormay in 1988 but had to wait until 2007 before winning Connacht Junior B singles & doubles titles with Kevin Meehan. Bruen didn’t play in last year’s tournament but has made great progress this year reaching the Connacht final in the Over 35 B singles and doubles triumph. Castleconnor’s Mark Murphy is a very capable player on court and with a big physical presence and 2 very good hands will prove a handball to any opponents on their day. Murphy’s was a member of the Castleconnor team that finished runners-up in the recent Sligo handball team league final. The Castleconnor man can be relied upon to deliver the goods and with the experienced Bruen the duo should do enough to qualify for the final.
Already through to the Golden Masters A singles final is Ballymote’s Francis McCann. McCann made the long journey north to take on Antrim’s Thomas Maguire last Sunday. In a exciting match the Sligo man survived some testing moments before securing his place in the final by 21-17, 17-21, 21-12.
The 2012 GAA Handball Irish 40x20 Adult Nationals will take place over the weekend Friday 20th April to Sunday 22nd April 2012 at Kingscourt & Ulster venues. Closing date for entries is Wednesday 21st March. Entries forms can be downloaded from http://sligohandball.blogspot.com/
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