For the first time, Galway Handball hosted a county She’s Ace Competition with some 80 women handballers playing in venues across Galway.
The action began early Saturday morning with both inexperienced and seasoned handballers participating in two games on Saturday and Sunday, when Ciana Ní Churraoin was present to talk to players.
This was a warm-up competition for the National She’s Ace weekend in Breaffy, which takes place from January 18-20.
All-Galway final
There was an all-Galway showdown in the final of the annual 2019 Curraghboy Doubles Tournament last weekend when Diarmuid Mulkerrins and Cian Ó Conghaile (Moycullen & Micheal Breathnachs handball clubs ) defeated Seamus Conneely and Conor Noone (Moycullen ) by the tightest of margins, 31-30.
Galway were well represented in the tournament with nine players participating: Seamus Conneely and Conor Noone (Galway ); Diarmuid Mulkerrins and Cian Ó Conghaile (Galway ); Pat Conway and Kieran Hanley (Galway ); Ollie Conway and Pat Nolan (Galway and Clare ), and Kevin Craddock and Declan Connaughton (Galway )
In the cup semi-finals, Ian McLoughlin and Ciaran Burke lost out to Mulkerrins/O'Conghaile 31-26, while Seamus Conneely and Conor Noone defeated the Roscommon pair of Denis Creaton and Sean Jennings by 31-23.
In the showpiece event, Mulkerrins and O’Conghaile started strongly to take a 7-1 lead, but the Moycullen pair of Seamus Conneely and Conor Noone pegged them back to 11-11. The older duo of Conneely and Noone then went to 23-19 up, and eventually got serving twice for the match at 30-23.
Their greater experience looked to be telling, but Mulkerrins and O’Conghaile got one last chance to serve and the reigning 60x30 All-Ireland doubles champions showed great composure to come back and eke out the win on a final score of 31-30.
Championship begins
The County Handball Championship commenced at the weekend with 16 ties in the Junior B and Junior C singles grades. The quarter finals of the Junior Singles, Junior B, Junior C, Silver Masters B and U21 singles competitions must be played by Sunday.
