Bruen & Murphy to reach final

Mark Murphy & Shane Bruen appearing in All-Ireland Handball 40 x 20 doubles semi-final on Sunday

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/

Irish Nationals 40 x 20 2012

Click on the link below to Irish Nationals entry form. Closing date Wednesday March 21st.

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney.asp?TID=9480

Sligo players in Connacht Juvenile finals

CONNACHT 40X20 JUVENILE A CHAMPIONSHIP 2012 FINALS
CASTLEBAR ON SUNDAY 11th MARCH @ 10am

Court 1 - 10am
BU17D Shane Wright & Patrick Fox (Sligo) v Gerard Sheridan & Thomas Walsh (Mayo)
Boys U-16 singles Jason Earlis (Sligo) v Conor Burke (Mayo)

Court 2 - 10am
GU15S Aoife Quinn (Sligo) v Adhna Ni Bhraonain (Galway)
GU16S Marianne Foody (Sligo) v Ciana Ni Churaoin (Galway)

TBC
BU16D TJ Byrne Shane & Walsh (M) v Barry McLoughlin, Stanley Harte (S)

Congratulations to Francis McCann who defeated Antrim's Thomas Maguire on Sunday in Gort na Mona Belfast by 21-17, 17-21, 21-12 in the Golden Masters A singles semi-final

Best of luck to Mark Murphy & Shane Bruen who are playing in the All-Ireland semi-finals in the Over-35 B doubles on Sunday in Beragh Co. Tyrone

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)

St. Mary's claim league title 2012

League champions St. Mary's for 2012 back row Seamus Duffy, Michael McMorrow: Front row Paddy Walsh and Peter Chambers. Missing from photo is Connell Cannon

Castleconnor league runners-up
Michael Browne, Mark Murphy
front row Tom Foody & Tom Tuffy. Missing form photo is Joe Gorman

Photos of both teams following presentation

St. Mary’s reach summit
St. Mary’s overcame the strong challenge from Castleconnor A by 80-71 to become Sligo Handball 40 x 20 league champions for 2012, writes Michael McGee.

St. Mary’s, Kent Park hosted the final last Wednesday.
Three weeks ago the sides played in round 7 with Castleconnor defeating St. Mary’s in a captivating contest. Wednesday’s final was equally riveting. St. Mary’s sent out the inspirational Paddy Walsh & Seamus Duffy in the first doubles against Castleconnor’s Michael Browne & Tom Tuffy. Tuffy sporting a rally Ireland headgear and bandaged left leg was a revelation in the first game. He took up good positions and his lightning reflexes ignited Castleconnor to gain control.
Michael Browne playing on the left side had a very impressive final outing. Castleconnor with a whirl wind start raced into a huge 18-7 lead. Castleconnor’s tactics certainly worked early on with Browne covering everything from the back court and Tuffy’s reflexes pushed St. Mary’s onto the back foot. St. Mary’s appeared shell shocked initially but responded magnificently thereafter. The hosts then awoke from their comatose state. Legendary player Paddy Walsh showed his great experience and with Seamus Duffy combining well the comeback began. The St. Mary’s duo battled back into contention but Browne & Tuffy managed to weather the storm taking the first game by 21-18.
St. Mary’s made the better start into game two going 5-0 up. Castleconnor responded well and appeared to be gaining control when only 8-7 behind. Walsh’s wizardry and versatility combined with a number of quick fire scores pushed St. Mary’s clear at 15-9. Duffy rowed in with a number of important winners to Tuffy’s right side further extending St. Mary’s advantage to 18-10. Castleconnor rallied in great style and hit back with 8 unanswered points to draw level at 18-18 with all to play for. St. Mary’s had the strength and finished with a flurry of points with Walsh nailing the winner with a kill shot into the right corner leaving both teams tied on 39 points each.
St. Mary’s second doubles pairing of Peter Chambers & Michael McMorrow took on Castleconnor’s Mark Murphy & Tom Foody. Chambers & McMorrow’s greater team play paved the way for overall victory. Chambers played his best handball in recent months while McMorrow was rock solid on the right. Murphy’s strong play did give the eventual champions plenty to think about with a physically imposing performance. In a thrilling match all four players demonstrated great skills. The St. Mary’s duo as the game unfolded had the little bit more court craft and creativity. Despite a determined fight back from Castleconnor, St. Mary’s champions in 2010 had the more cohesive play and that was enough to take the match and the title by 21-14, 21-17 and overall by 80-71. It was St. Mary’s 2nd title in 3 years. Sligo Handball Chairman Peter Chambers presented the winners & runners-up with their trophies.
Result Sligo Handball team league 40 x 20 final
St. Mary’s Seamus Duffy, Paddy Walsh, Peter Chambers, Michael McMorrow, Connell Cannon dft Castleconnor A Michael Browne, Tom Tuffy, Mark Murphy, Tom Foody, Joe Gorman 80-71

Francis McCann plays in All-Ireland semi-final

Best of luck to Francis as the makes the long journey to Belfast to take on Antrim's Thomas Maguire in the All-Ireland 40 x 20 championships semi-finals

All-Ireland handball championships 40x 20 semi-final

Saturday 3rd March, in Gort na Mona (Ct 1), Antrim, 2.30pm:

Golden Masters A Singles: Antrim (Thomas Maguire) v Sligo (Francis McCann)

Castleconnor to derail St. Mary’s in Corballa

Castleconnor to derail St. Mary’s in Corballa

The Sligo handball team league 40 x 20 final is set for an exciting finish with Castleconnor A & St. Mary’s set to do battle for the second time in 3 weeks, writes Michael McGee.
Two weeks ago the Castleconnor A side had to defeat runaway title contenders St. Mary’s to stay in contention. The Saint’s had full points from their five outings in the league before the meeting with Castleconnor. The Castleconnor A team of Michael Browne, Tom Tuffy, Mark Murphy & Tom Foody played great handball on the night to record an 82-66 win and stun the 2010 champions. In a very even contest it was only in the last game that Castleconnor’s Mark Murphy & Tom Foody pulled clear to reach the final.
The 2012 league has been the closest in recent year’s with 3 teams all with 5 wins each. Castleconnor A, St. Mary’s & Drumcliff. The Oxfield club can count themselves unlucky despite playing well throughout the league it all came down to the highest overall scores and Castleconnor A & St. Mary’s did just enough to reach the final. The St. Mary’s juggernaut came off the rails in their last outing with the defending champions. Next Sunday will see if the Saint’s can get back on track. Castleconnor A have built up a head of steam just at the right time and with home advantage in their favour it should be enough to see them retain their league title.
Sligo Handball team league 40 x 20 final
Sunday February 26th in Castleconnor at 4 p.m.
Castleconnor A (Michael Browne, Tom Tuffy, Mark Murphy,Tom Foody) v St. Mary’s Connell Cannon, Seamus Duffy, Michael McMorrow, Peter Chambers)

Cannon to stay on as Connacht administrator
The Connacht handball convention will take place in Claregalway Hotel on Thursday 23rd February starting at 6.45 p.m. St. Mary’s Connell Cannon looks certain to be re-elected as Connacht administrator. The hard working and dedicated official will begin his sixth year in the post. Collooney’s John McLoughlin P.R.O. will also be re-elected unopposed. Peter Chambers Sligo handball chairman has been nominated for a position on the national development committee. Sligo will be represented by delegates Mark Murphy, Michael McMorrow & Peter Chambers.

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