Stage set for oneills.com All-Ireland Senior Doubles Handball semi-finals:
And then there were four. The stage is set for the oneills.com All-Ireland Senior Doubles semi-finals following the conclusion of the quarter-finals at the National Handball Centre on Sunday.
With reigning champions Daniel Relihan and Michael Hedigan advancing following a walkover from Tipperary (Ger Coonan and Rory Grace), there were three matches down for decision at HQ.
First up was the all-Leinster meeting of Kilkenny (Paddy and Peter Funchion) and Kildare (Kevin Diggins and Niall O’Connor).
The Funchion brothers, who have been one of the top doubles sides consistently for a number of years but still await that elusive final appearance at senior level, showed good form as they won 21-18, 21-13 against the pair of Leixlip left-handers.
Former champions and current big alley kings Gary McConnell and Brian Carroll from the Kells club in Meath were in excellent form as they despatched Antrim pair Mark Rainey and Sean Ó Cléirigh 21-10, 21-6.
With Jordan O’Neill injured, Ó Cléirigh stepped in at short notice but the Belfast men came up short against the experienced Royals, with McConnell’s power and Carroll’s trademark retrieving and dead-weight kills off either hand helping them into another semi.
Game of the day was the final one on the card as Westmeath got the better of Cork. Senior Singles champion Robbie McCarthy, coming off the back of two losses to David Walsh (one by injury default), exacted a measure of revenge as he and Fermoy native Colm Jordan turned back Walsh and Over-40 world champion Brendan Fleming in three.
The Mallow-Ballydesmond partnership won the opener 21-17, dropped the second 21-14 and went from 6-3 down to 7-6 ahead in the race to 11.
However, Westmeath closed it out after a couple of marathon rallies on game ball. The semi-final programme will take place on Sunday, March 9 with the oneills.com Men’s and Ladies SD semi-finals at Croke Park. Fixtures are as follows:
LSD SF: Galway (Ciana Ní Churraoin & Niamh Heffernan) v Leinster (Particia Byrne (Ww) & Holly Hynes (Wx)
LSD SF: Kilkenny (Ciara Mahon & Amy Brennan) v Tyrone (Eilise McCrory & Aoife Kelly)
MSD SF: Cork (Daniel Relihan & Michael Hedigan) v Westmeath (Robbie McCarthy Jnr & Colm Jordan)
MSD SF: Kilkenny (Paddy Funchion & Peter Funchion) v Meath (Gary McConnell & Brian Carroll)