Six Tyrone Juveniles Chase All Ireland 60 x 30 Gold

Friday 13.10.2017

 

Six Tyrone Juveniles chase GAA Handball All Ireland 60×30 Gold…

Tyrone will feature in four All Ireland finals this weekend when the juvenile championships reach an exciting climax, with six young Tyrone stars aiming for glory in the heartland of 60×30 handball.

Unfortunately the Tyrone representatives will be split up and will be playing at three different Leinster venues over the course of the weekend but it will be a huge occasion for all six as they bid for gold medals against formidable Leinster opponents from Kildare, Kilkenny and Wexford.

Loughmacrory’s Mairead Fox faces a tough test as last year’s under-14 All Ireland champion takes on the brilliant Mollie Dagg from Kildare in the hope of becoming the first Tyrone player to capture the prestigious under-16 All Ireland singles title. It’s the equivalent title won by her brother Antoin in the boys section twelve months ago.

Mairead swept aside all opponents in championship handball in 2016 but this has been a tough year for her following the step up to take on older players, but she is now hitting form and is poised to give the Kildare star a serious battle.

It will be Mairead’s fourth All Ireland final in 2017 across all codes, having lost to Mollie already in the 40×20 colleges decider, and she is now ready to give this final her best shot. She has the class to pull off a famous victory in Wexford.

Tyrone will meet Kilkenny in two big All Ireland finals on Sunday, with Cloda McNamee taking on the talented Amy Brennan for the girls under-14 singles title following her outstanding win over Tipperary’s Amy McKeogh.

Cloda has been playing great stuff in the big alley this season and is ready for a serious tilt at this All Ireland title in what will be her first major championship final appearance on the national stage. Tyrone won the under-14 title for the first time last year through Mairead Fox and the Carrickmore girl is capable of following in Mairead’s footsteps.

Caitlin Conway and Elizabeth McGarvey will also have to deal with strong Kilkenny opposition in the under-16 grade after they maintained their unbeaten record in doubles this year with an emphatic semi-final win over Tipperary.

The Tyrone duo have developed into a serious partnership at the highest level, combining class, power and teamwork, and they will take some stopping on Sunday but the final is sure to be a tough one against Noelle Dowling and Roisin O’Keefe.

The Lougmacrory / Breacach combination are former under-14 doubles champions in the big court and have already claimed the 40×20 under-16 doubles title in 2017, so a victory on Saturday would be a fitting way for two great young players to finish off their juvenile careers.

For Brian McAleer and Jack Darcy, Sunday’s fixture in Wexford represents their biggest occasion in the 60×30 court and they will go into battle against the home county with a great chance of success, although a rigorous test awaits them against Diarmuid Moore and Dean O’Neill.

Jack has already featured in an All Ireland final this year, having partnered his Breacach clubmate Jonathan Owens in the 40×20 court, so he has experience of the big stage, while Killyclogher star Brian is a powerful and very accomplished 60×30 player who is well capable of leading the Tyrone lads to victory on Sunday.

It’s a huge weekend of handball for some of Tyrone’s brightest young stars and hopefully the county can maintain a proud record of achievement on the highest stage in the traditional 60×30 court.

FIXTURES AND RESULTS…
ALL IRELAND 60X30 FINALS 2017…
All-Ireland 60×30 adult doubles championship finals…
Saturday 7th October at Kells:
U21D Tyrone (Sean Kerr & Ryan Mullan) beat Kilkenny (Brian Mahon & Emmet Landy) 21-13, 21-6
SMBD Westmeath (Joe Mulvanney & Mike Naughton) beat Tyrone (Kenny Curran & Finbarr Fullen) 21-15, 21-13
All Ireland 60×30 Juvenile Championship Finals 2017…
Saturday 14th October in St Mary’s, Wexford @2pm:
GU16S Tyrone (Mairead Fox) v Kildare (Mollie Dagg)
Sunday 15th October in Garryhill, Carlow @ 11am:
GU14S Tyrone (Cloda McNamee) v Kilkenny (Amy Brennan)
GU16D Tyrone (Caitlin Conway & Elizabeth McGarvey) v Kilkenny (Noelle Dowling & Roisin O’Keeffe)
Sunday 15th October in Castlebridge, Wexford @ 11am:
BU15D Tyrone (Brian McAleer & Jack Darcy) v Wexford (Diarmuid Moore & Dean O’Neill)