Search Results for 'Marianna Rushe'

More than 400 players are fine-tuning their preparations for this weekend’s GAA Handball One-Wall Nationals at Breaffy House, Castlebar. Three time champion Charlie Shanks returns as top seed in the EDTL Handball Men’s Open having missed the last few tournaments due to his hiatus in New York, while Robbie McCarthy returns after missing last year’s event. McCarthy will replace four time World 40x20 Champion Paul Brady in the men’s open draw after the Cavan man had to withdraw through injury. But McCarthy is a classy replacement and is on the verge of making history. A three time champion himself, Mullingar’s McCarthy will bid to be the first man to hold the All-Ireland Senior 40x20 Title, All-Ireland Senior 60x30 Title, and Irish Men’s Open One-Wall Nationals Title all at the same time, which would be a truly remarkable achievement.

Handball took centre stage in Roscommon town last weekend with St Coman’s handball club hosting the Connacht senior handball finals. It was an all Ballaghaderreen affair, with established star Joe McCann and up-and-coming Stephen Cooney playing for the spoils.

Pauline Gallagher and Dessie Keegan were among the eight strong Irish men’s and ladies’ teams who competed in the one-wall Federations Cup in Imperia, Italy, last weekend. The Irish women lost in qualifying to Holland and Puerto Rico but qualified for the consolation ELA club. The Irish team saw off the challenge of the Basque Country and France to take the title in style. The team also included Roscommon’s Marianna Rushe, Kerry’s Ashley Prendiville, and Down’s Lorraine Havern. Dessie Keegan helped team mates Charly Shanks (Armagh), James Doyle (Antrim), and Robbie McCarthy (Westmeath) to a fifth place finish in the men’s team event following qualifying wins over France and Mexico. However the Irish lost their quarter-final to Puerto Rico. Twenty teams in all competed in the annual one-wall team tournament.

Amy Corrigan and Pauline Gallagher carry the hopes of Mayo handball as they line out in their first senior final at Thurles this Saturday against favourites Maria Daly and Ashley Prendiville of Kerry. The Ballaghaderreen-Swinford duo played the match of their lives in the semi-final to comprehensively defeat second seeds, Marianna and Hilary Rushe of Roscommon, in the semi-final three weeks ago to merit a shot at the title, and while the Kerry pair, who also meet each other in the singles final later this month, represent formidable opposition, Corrigan and Gallagher should provide worthy opposition. It is a particularly busy spell for Corrigan who lines out again Cathriona Casey in the ladies’ minor singles final a week on Saturday.

Mayo duo Dessie Keegan and Joe McCann made a somewhat disappointing exit from the All-Ireland senior doubles championship as they lost out to Wexford duo Barry Goff and Colin Keeling in three games at Thurles on Saturday evening. There were hopes that the pair would at least threaten for a place in the last four of the doubles championship, and they started with great intent. This was rewarded with a fine 21 aces to 13 win in the opener that set them up nicely for victory. However matters took a turn for the worse after that initial good showing and Keegan, who had been unwell during the week, was unable to maintain the intensity of the first game and the duo paid the price, losing this second game heavily, 21 aces to 5.

There were no real surprises in the two provincial senior finals at Ballaghaderreen on Saturday afternoon as all-Ireland senior doubles champions Dessie Keegan and Joe McCann maintained their unbeaten run to take the provincial title at the expense of fellow club mates Vincent Moran and Campbell Brennan. The champions were in devastating form in a very one sided opener and they won it for the loss of just two aces. Moran and Brennan finally got around to playing some handball in the second and the duo, to their credit, made a real fight of it and it looked like the game could go either way at one stage. However Keegan and McCann did just enough to see off the challenge as they won the second 21 aces to 17. Marianna Rushe ran out the expected easy winner of the ladies’ senior singles final with an easy two games to nil victory over fellow St Coman’s contender Leona Doolin.