Tyrone GAA Handball News

Double All Ireland Colleges 60×30 success for Tyrone schools
The GAA Handball All Ireland Colleges 60×30 Championships went ahead at venues in Connacht over the weekend and Tyrone schools, having secured provincial honours, put forward challenges for five titles on Saturday. In the end the county secured glory in two events with Omagh CBS and Dean Maguirc College, Carrickmore, both celebrating success at the weekend.
In the Boys Junior 60×30 Doubles Championship grade at Williamstown (Galway), Omagh CBS’ Antoin Fox and Lorcan McBride were in impressive form over the weekend. The duo combined superbly to dominate the grade and were emphatic winners in their semi final head to head with Canice Bennet and Mark Lyons of Balla SS, Mayo, winning through to the final on a 15-1, 15-2 scoreline. That set up a final showdown with a strongly fancied Borrisokane Community College (Tipperary) pairing of Daire Madden and Sean McAdams who had defeated Ciaran Cooney and Eoin Regan of Castlecomer C.S, Kilkenny, in their semi final by 15-6, 15-13. The final brought a cracking contest involving four talented young players but Fox’s impressive powerplay and finishing and McBride’s use of court and retrieving saw them claim the All Ireland colleges crown for Omagh CBS by 15-6, 15-9.
The second All Ireland Colleges triumph of the weekend was delivered by Dean Maguirc College as Eilise McCrory and Aoife Kelly teamed up to collect in the Girls 60×30 Senior Doubles Championship. The duo had received a bye in their semi final and faced Aoileen Hennessy and Catriona Lawlor of Castlecomer Community School, Kilkenny, in the final. McCrory and Kelly have been a very formidable doubles partnership in recent seasons though and were always on top to add the 60×30 crown to the 40×20 honours won earlier in the season. A commanding display saw Kelly and McCrory take the honours to the Carrickmore school by 15-3, 15-5.
Elsewhere, Cormac Munroe (Dean Maguirc College) put in a big showing in the Boys Junior Singles event but fell to a the eventual champion at the semi final stages, Michael Egan (Roscommon CC), losing out after an excellent game in the tie-break by 15-13, 11-15, 15-2. Ryan Mullan (Omagh CBS) has had a great season on the courts and almost added the All Ireland Senior 60×30 Colleges Singles title, the blue ribband event of the championships, to his list at the weekend. A 15-13, 15-3 win over Cathal O’Connor of Roscommon CBS in the semi final set up a final test against Keith Armstrong of FCJ, Bunclody, Wexford but lost out after a tough contest in the deciding game by 10-15, 15-5, 15-6. Ciara Mullan and Elizabeth McGarvey of Loreto Grammar College, Omagh also made it through to the All Ireland final at the weekend. A semi final win against Karen Cosgrave and Emma Cosgrave of Balla SS, Mayo by 15-9, 15-6 brought a final showdown with Katie McCarthy and Laura Stack (Hazelwood College Limerick). The Limerick partnership were most impressive however and defeated the Tyrone pairing on a 15-4, 15-3 scoreline.
GAA Handball 60×30 All Ireland Colleges Championships 2014
Boys Junior Doubles SF1: Antoin Fox/Lorcan McBride (Omagh CBS) dft Canice Bennet/Mark Lyons (Balla SS, Mayo) 15-1, 15-2
Boys Junior Doubles SF2: Daire Madden/Sean McAdams (Borrisokane CC Tipperary) dft Ciaran Cooney/Eoin Regan (Castlecomer C.S. Kilkenny) 15-6, 15-13
Boys Junior Doubles Final: Antoin Fox/Lorcan McBride (Omagh CBS) dft Daire Madden/Sean McAdams (Borrisokane CC Tipperary) 15-6, 15-9
Girls Junior Doubles SF1: Ciara Mullan/Elizabeth McGarvey (Loreto Grammar College, Omagh) dft Karen Cosgrave/Emma Cosgrave (Balla SS, Mayo) 15-9, 15-6
Girls Junior Doubles SF2: Katie McCarthy/Laura Stack (Hazelwood College Limerick) dft Ailis O’Shea/Dearbhel O’Keeffe (Grennan College, Kilkenny) 15-3, 15-10
Girls Junior Doubles Final: Katie McCarthy/Laura Stack (Hazelwood College Limerick) dft Ciara Mullan/Elizabeth McGarvey (Loreto Grammar College, Omagh) 15-4, 15-3
Girls Senior Doubles SF1: Eilise McCrory/Aoife Kelly (Dean Maguire, Carrickmore) Bye
Girls Senior Doubles SF2: Aoileen Hennessy / Catriona Lawlor (Castlecomer C.S. Kilkenny) dft Michelle McCarthy/Niamh McCarthy (Hazelwood College Limerick) 15-5, 11-15, 15-5
Girls Senior Doubles Final: Eilise McCrory/Aoife Kelly (Dean Maguire, Carrickmore) dft Aoileen Hennessy / Catriona Lawlor (Castlecomer C.S. Kilkenny) 15-3, 15-5
Boys Junior Singles SF1: Michael Egan (Roscommon CC) dft Cormac Munroe (Dean Maguire, Carrickmore) 15-13, 11-15, 15-2
Boys Senior Singles SF1: Ryan Mullan (Omagh CBS) dft Cathal O’Connor (Roscommon CBS) 15-13, 15-3
Boys Senior Singles SF2: Keith Armstrong (FCJ, Bunclody, Wexford) W/O Tiernan O’ Brien (St Fanahan’s Mitchlestown Cork)
Boys Senior Singles Final: Keith Armstrong (FCJ, Bunclody, Wexford) dft Ryan Mullan (Omagh CBS) 10-15, 15-5, 15-6
Tyrone handball to feature at Ulster GAA Writers awards
The prestigious Ulster GAA Writers Awards ceremony will take place in the Great Northern Hotel, Bundoran, this Saturday night and Tyrone handball will again feature in the illustrious guests list. Breacach’s Johnny Woods has undoubtedly had one of the best seasons ever by a Tyrone handballer on the court of play, achieving a clean sweep of successes across the codes of 40×20, One Wall and 60×30 in a remarkable campaign. An outstanding seven All Ireland championship titles in 2014 makes most impressive reading for the gifted teenager, now studying Sports Studies at UUJ. Johnny has been nominated in the “Outstanding Young Achiever” category at the provincial GAA awards and will be up against Donegal GAA football stars Ryan McHugh and Patricik McBrearty for this award.
The Handball Award itself has two inclusions from Tyrone. This award is to highlight outstanding success in GAA Handball and the Loughmacrory GAA Handball Club and Conor McElduff (Breacach) are both in the running for the award. Loughmacrory saw the launch of a state-of-the-art One Wall Handball Arena as part of a £1 million+ project in the community back in June 2014 and hosted a record Ulster One Wall Championships there as part of the launch of that facility. In addition the club, all through 100% volunteer work, launched and ran a record One Wall Tournament which attracted not just the best players from all over Ireland but also the World Handball Champion, from Puerto Rico, Wally Amaro. Four world champions also competed in the Ladies Open event which was won by World number 1, Catriona Casey. A total of 248 players, which is a record for any tournament outside of the GAA Handball One Wall Nationals in Ireland, and 1,000 spectators, a record attendance in Ireland this year, were highlights of the highly acclaimed weekend Lough 1Wall Showdown Tournament back in August. The Club also played host, with other Tyrone Clubs, to the All Ireland Féile na nGael in June and completed a first ever All Ireland Division 2 Boys and Girls double at that event for the club, in addition the All Ireland Division 1 Skills awards. US National, All Ireland and numerous provincial titles were also secured by the Loughmacrory club in 2014.
Conor McElduff has had an outstanding season gone by also with the highlight being his historic Mens Open Singles triumph at the One Wall Nationals back in July 2014. His win over Armagh’s Charly Shanks and county colleague, Darragh Daly, in the final was one of the major highlights of an outstanding year by Tyrone handballers. Conor also teamed up with Cork’s Killian Carroll to win the Canadian Open Doubles title while he also reached the All Ireland Under 21 Singles Championship final in the 40×20.