Connacht handball champion Francis McCann
Connacht handball champion Martin Cooney
Peter Chambers & Stanley Harte contesting the Golden Masters B doubles final on Saturday
Mick McMorrow & Hugh McGarry contesting the Connacht 60 x 30 Championships Emerald Masters A doubles final on Saturday
Cooney & McCann
are Connacht Champions
Two Connacht handball
titles won, five more in the shake up for Sligo players, writes Michael McGee
There was mixed results for Sligo
handball players in Connacht singles finals last weekend. Peter Chambers was first into action against
Mayo’s John Conroy. Chambers expected to do well but never got going
against an inform Conroy. The Mayo man dominated right from the start and ran
out a comfortable winner in the end in straight games. Castleconnor’s Mark Murphy put up strong
resistance against the favourite Michael Ginley in the Masters B singles final.
Murphy pushed Ginley all the way in game one but Ginley finished the stronger
taking it by 21-15. Murphy could not
keep up the momentum going into the second and Ginley over ran a tiring Murphy
in the second winning out by 21-5. The
consistent Francis McCann again had a big win this time over Mayo’s Kevin
Macken in the Golden Masters A singles decider storming home by 21-5, 21-8
while Castleconnor’s Martin Cooney was given a fright against Mayo’s George
Miller in the Silver Masters B singles. Cooney was given a stern test by the
Charlestown club man before winning through by 21-20, 21-14
Results Connacht
handball 60 x 30 Championships finals
Masters B singles:
Mark Murphy lost to Michael Ginley
15-21, 5-21
Silver Master B singles: Martin Cooney dft George Miller
21-20-, 21-14
Golden Masters A
singles: Francis McCann dft Kevin Macken
(Mayo) 21-5, 21-8
Golden Masters B singles: Peter Chambers lost to John Conroy
(Mayo) 7-21, 7-21
Sligo handball pairs
in 5 more Connacht finals
There is a double header in
Williamstown on Saturday involving Sligo doubles pairings with the Junior B
& Golden Masters A doubles in action. Appearing in their first provincial
final is the Collooney duo of Martin Brannigan & Simon Kavanagh. Both
players impressed in the local Collooney 60 x 30 tournament back in May. The Sligo players scored an exciting 21-19,
21-5 win over Galway Joe Connell & John Walsh. Two of the County’s new
stars will be eager to win Connacht
championship medals at their first attempt.
Ballymote’s Francis McCann &
Martin Golden will be out to put matters straight in the 60 x 30 Connacht final
as back in February the Sligo men lost in straight games to the Roscommon men
in the 40 x 20 final. The Sligo men received a bye to the final while Walsh
& Doolin had a good 21-4, 21-10 win over Mayo’s Martin Vahey & Kevin
Macken in their semi-final clash. Golden
& McCann will be hoping it will be Connacht title number eight together.
St. Coman’s in Roscommon town will be venue for 3
more exciting ties on Saturday involving Sligo doubles pairings in Connacht
finals. First into action will be the Golden Masters B doubles of Peter Chambers
& Stanley Harte Snr. Chambers & Harte
had a thrilling victory over Galway’s Willie Corcoran & Pierce Lalor in
their Golden Masters B doubles semi-final.
Both players displayed commendable battling qualities to stay in
contention for the Connacht championship doubles title. Trailing 14-2 to Galway in the tie breaker
final game the Sligo men staged a remarkable recovery from the jaws of defeat
to win an incredible contest by 20-21, 21-9, 21-15. Chambers will be
disappointed following last week’s singles loss to Conroy and it could prove
the perfect riposte for Chambers to make amends in the doubles. The Sligo men are meeting their final
opponents in the repeat of last year’s Connacht final. That match went to 3
games before Conroy & Cummins edged it. Chambers & Harte reached the All-Ireland
semi-finals 3 years ago and if they can repeat their semi- final heroics
anything is possible.
Hugh McGarry has been starved of
success having won the All-Ireland Masters B doubles title with Connell Cannon
back in 1995 while Mick McMorrow won the Emerald Masters B doubles title with
John McLoughlin 2 years ago. The Sligo
men face the formidable Kevin Geraghty & Pat Hokins. The Mayo men will
start as red hot favourites but the Sligo duo if they can build up momentum
could shock Geraghty & Hopkins.
McGarry & McMorrow reached this year’s All-Ireland 40 x 20 Emerald
Masters B doubles All-Ireland semi-final and can count themselves a shade
unlucky not to have reached the final. The Sligo men will need to step up their
game considerably if they want to send the reigning Connacht champions packing
in the Provincial decider.
In the final game on the St.
Coman’s programme see’s the Silver Masters B pairing of Tom Foody & Martin
Cooney in action against Mayo’s George Miller & Kevin Cox. Cooney got a real test in the singles final
against Miller last weekend but the Sligo pairing looked to be the more
balanced and threatening of the two pairs. Cooney is aiming for his 4th
Connacht title of the year. Both Cooney & Foody starred in the Castleconnor
club’s Connacht Interclub triumph and who were narrowly beaten by the Kells
club (Kilkenny)the eventual champions at
the semi-finals stage in Crossakiel Co. Meath 3 weeks ago. Cooney & Miller will yet again be the
chief protagonist but Foody could turn out to be the real match winner. Foody is
a very dependable player under pressure and it is this that should swing the
contest in Sligo’s favour.
Connacht
Championships 60 x 30 finals:
Saturday 3rd August in Williamstown at 6 pm.
Junior B doubles: Martin Brannigan & Simon Kavanagh
(Sligo) v Liam O’ Ceallagh & Joe Fallon (Roscommon)
Golden Masters A doubles:
Francis McCann & Martin Golden (Sligo) v Ger Walsh & Dermot
Doolin (Roscommon)
Saturday 3rd August in St. Coman’s Roscommon at 5
p.m.
Golden Masters B doubles:
Stanley Harte & Peter Chambers (Sligo) v John Conroy & Joe
Cummins (Mayo)
Emerald Masters A
doubles: Hugh McGarry &
Michael McMorrow (Sligo) v Kevin Geraghty & Pat Hopkins (Mayo)
Silver Masters B doubles:
Martin Cooney & Tom Foody (Sligo) v George Miller & Kevin
Cox (Mayo)
