Another All-Ireland title for Nash

Diarmaid Nash continued his winning form on Saturday when he was crowned All-Ireland Intermediate singles handball champion.

The Tuamgraney clubman played out a tremendous final against Ruairi Kelly (Tyrone) in Roscommon, eventually coming through on a 21-16, 21-20 score.
In the first game, Nash built up an early 10-0 lead but it didn’t take long for Kelly to come into the game and using an effective lob serve and pinpoint ceiling shots, clawed his way back into contention.
Nash’s early lead was too big a gap though and the Clare man always had a healthy lead, finishing strongly to win 21-16.
At the start of the second, Nash again raced ahead and went 8-1 up before Kelly again came back strongly. Using the tricky lob serve all the time, the Ulster champion was killing brilliantly in both corners and came back to 7-11 before Nash went on a good run of his own to lead 16-9.
Both players found it hard to make scores, such was the quality of handball played and there were a number of fantastic rallies.
Nash pushed on again and went 19-14 ahead but Kelly closed to 19-17 before levelling at 20-20.
Nash got back in to serve, held his nerve and made the vital score to seal yet another All-Ireland title and add to his Munster Senior Open Singles, All-Ireland Colleges Open Singles, Munster and All-Ireland Intermediate Doubles titles.
The Munster and All-Ireland intermediate singles champion has had a fantastic season and Clare’s highest achieving handballer in a generation is a model for all young sports people in the county.
Meanwhile, in the junior singles, Cathal Hannon was defeated by Wexford’s Paul Lambert. In another outstanding match, the Tulla man took it to three games but was defeated 12-21, 21-19, 15-21 in Nenagh.
John Cawley and Teddy O’Hanlon travelled to O’Loughlins, Kilkenny to play Kildare (Paul Ruane and Cyril Carr) in the Golden Masters B Doubles final. Despite a great Clare showing in the first game, the Lilywhites moved up a gear in the second and third to win 18-21, 21-11, 21-12.
Ballina’s Fergal Collins secured the U-21 singles title for Tipperary when he comfortably defeated Patrick Funchion (Kilkenny) 21-9, 21-13 in Carlow. Collins won U-21 All-Irelands in both the big and small alley last year and will be favourite to do so again this year.
Meanwhile Cavan legend Paul “Gunner” Brady made history over the weekend when he claimed a remarkable seventh All-Ireland senior singles title in succession, his eighth in all, to underline his status as the top handballer in the world. Playing with a broken finger, he defeated Armagh’s Charlie Shanks to win 21-19, 21-3. Cork’s Killian Carroll took the minor singles title when he beat Niall O’Connor Kildare.
Niall Malone and Diarmaid Nash won the All-Ireland Intermediate Doubles title after an epic win over Kilkenny in Cappagh last week. The Tuamgraney pair overcame Nicholas Anthony and Brian Manogue in a two and half hour marathon to progress to the ranks of senior handball, the first Clare pair to do so in a long number of years.
The Kilkenny pair had the better start at the Limerick venue and dominated much of the first game to win 21-17. Manogue and Anthony looked a fair bet to finish the job but it was the Clare lads who started the second game the brighter and led 8-3 early on. Kilkenny rallied to level at eight all and from here it was tit-for-tat as the lead swung over and back.
There was never more than two aces between them until Clare pushed into an 18-15 lead and eventually won 21-17 to set up a grandstand finish.
At the start of the third game, Clare again raced into an early lead and were up 6-1 and 10-5 but again Kilkenny came back to level and then lead 14-10. With the match hanging in the balance as the clock ticked over two hours, it was here that Nash and Malone found an extra gear.
The Tuamgraney pair battled back to lead 16-14 and with real pressure on their shoulders, powered on to the win. Malone in particular showed nerves of steel to rattle off three exceptional match-winning shots at the end to seal the 10-21, 21-17, 21-17 victory and spark scenes of great celebration from the sizeable Clare following.
In presenting the winners’ medals, Munster Council chairman Willie Roche paid tribute to the standard of handball, calling it “the best final in many years”. The Tuamgraney pair will relish the major challenge of moving up to senior grade handball for 2012.
John Cawley’s Golden Masters B Singles All-Ireland final in Monavea, Laois also went to three games but the Shannon man lost 21-20, 19-21, 16-21 to Jimmy Reilly of Meath.
Meanwhile Hannah O’Brien and Áine McInerney won their rescheduled U-17 Doubles All-Ireland final against Lauren Barco and Mary Buggy (Kilkenny) in Goresbridge while there was defeat for Anne-Marie Fitzgerald and Lisa Loughnane in the All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Doubles final against Wicklow in Leixlip, the Clare girls going down 7-21, 13-21.

100 not out
Tuamgraney Handball Club, one of the most famous and historic in the country, celebrates 100 years in existence this year. Since the building of the 60×30 alley in 1911, the club has thrived. The 70s were a particularly glorious period for the club with multiple All-Ireland and world championship titles captured while a 40 x 20 court was added.
The club has always been synonymous with high achievement and community involvement.
To mark the occasion of the centenary, the club will hold a gala handball weekend in July. The weekend will feature tournaments in both alleys, the unveiling of a commemorative monument, prize draws and a social event. The roof of the 60×30 alley is also being renovated and a club history will be published towards the end of the year.
The club has put together a special centenary committee who have been working hard in recent weeks and months to make the occasion a success.
To launch the centenary year and to mark the Munster and All-Ireland successes of Tuamgraney handballers in 2011, a social night will be held this Saturday in Teach ui Bhriain, Tuamgraney. Music is by Hush and admission is free. There will be presentations by the club on the night.
To fund the renovation work on the 60×30, which will run to a cost of almost €25,000, the club will run a number of fund-raising events throughout the year. A number of people have agreed to take part in a loan-share agreement whereby they will each give a loan of €500 to the club which will be paid back in full while all past and current club members have been invited to make a donation.
Further information is available from committee members, Conor Daly, Shane Walsh, Bobby Malone, James Nash, PJ Counihan, Colm Wiley, Jimmy Walsh, William McLysaght, Ray Broderick, Ger Broderick or Anne-Marie Fitzgerald.