National official award for Hegarty

CLARECASTLE’S Tommy Hegarty was honoured at the Irish Handball Association’s national awards function in Dublin on Saturday night, when he was named the national official of the year.
A few weeks ago, Hegarty was named as the provincial official of the year when Diarmuid Nash (Tuamgraney) was named as the player of the year and Pat Donnellan (Kilkishen) was named the Munster masters player of the year.
The national player of the year award went to Robbie McCarthy, Westmeath, while the national masters player of the year award went to Michael ‘Duxie’ Walsh from Kilkenny.

Off to the US

AT the recent Irish 40 x 20 championships in Kilkenny, three Clare representatives were victorious.
Tulla’s Colin Corbett and Colin Crehan from Kilkishen won their respective age grades and as well as being crowned Irish nationals champions, they earned their place on the Irish team that will travel to Tucson, Arizona this December to compete in the prestigious US Junior Nationals.
Clooney girl, Natasha Coughlan was also victorious, winning the girls’ 15 and under B singles final against Mary Buggy of Kilkenny.
Colin Crehan took the boys’ 17 and under title in very impressive fashion, beating Donal Wrynn (Leitrim) 21-15, 21-16 in the final and earning a Christmas trip Stateside to compete with some of the top young handballers in the world. Crehan took some notable scalps on the way to the final, including Galen Riordan (Wexford), Pa Herlihy (Cork) and fellow Clareman, Patrick Fitzgerald. It rounds off a superb year for the Kilkishen star, having won the All-Ireland U-16 singles title earlier in 2011.
Colin Corbett also secured his ticket to Arizona as an Irish national champion when he won the boys’ 15 and under grade. Having overcome Daniel Curry (Wicklow), Robert Fox (Meath) and Clooney’s Fergal Coughlan, Corbett was made to earn his excellent win in the final. Facing Evan Sheridan of Meath, Corbett dominated the first game to win 21-16 but Sheridan rallied and won the second 21-15. Corbett held on to win the tie-breaker 11-7.
Meanwhile, it has been announced that the 2012 Irish Junior Nationals finals weekend is to be staged in Clare.

Schools handball trial

A TRIAL to select a Clare primary schools handball team will be held next Monday for U-13 players and next Tuesday for U-11.
Schools can only send two players for each age group. The trial is open to boys and girls. Those selected should be available to travel to Kerry on Sunday, December 11. The trials, on both evenings, will be held in Tulla starting at 6.30pm. This competition is organised by the Munster handball board.
Further information is available from Brian Torpey, after 3pm at 065 6835840.