All-Ireland handball title for two Laois handballing greats
Men's Golden Masters B 60x30 All-Ireland Doubles Champions Ray Fogarty (Cullohill) and Kevin Brennan (Cough/Ballacolla)
ON Sunday 20 July the Cullohill and Clough/Ballacolla partnership of Ray Fogarty and Kevin Brennan travelled to St Coman’s, Roscommon to face Mayo’s Tom Malone and Martin McAndrews in the Men’s Golden Masters B 60x30 All-Ireland final.
Fogarty and Brennan went into the final as favourites after a very impressive Leinster campaign which saw them defeat the current Men’s B 45+ World champions Stephen Hally and Joe Daly in a thrilling Leinster final.
Despite being favourites, the Laois duo was fully aware that Malone and McAndrews posed a serious challenge in the final having defeated a strong Galway partnership in Keith Greally and Joe O’Connell 21-07, 21-12 in the Connaught final.
In the final, Fogarty and Brennan made a fantastic start playing with a greater intensity to that of their Connaught opponents. They quickly established a sizeable lead in the opening game with Fogarty using his power to great effect and Brennan showing great agility and movement to take control of the court.
With the Laois pairing in the ascendancy, they closed out the opening game superbly on a scoreline of 21-06. The second game was to follow a similar pattern of play with Fogarty and Brennan playing some wonderful handball.
Malone and McAndrews battled bravely throughout but ultimately were powerless to stopping Laois from claiming victory. In the end, the Laois partnership claimed a thoroughly deserved 21-06, 21-04 victory to capture the All-Ireland 60x30 Golden Masters B Title.
This All-Ireland success adds to the remarkable year that Kevin Brennan has had in 2025. Having won the Men’s Golden Masters B 40x20 All-Ireland singles title earlier in the year, he now adds a second All-Ireland title to his collection with the possibility of further titles to come when he plays in the Men’s Golden Masters B 60x30 Leinster Singles Final next weekend against Kilkenny opposition having defeated Wexford’s Tomás O’Shea 21-11, 21-05 in the Leinster semi-final.
For Ray Fogarty, this championship success proved a hugely welcome return to playing competitive handball for Laois. Ray has been a leading light in Laois handball over a number of decades but, due to some niggling injuries in recent years, he has had to curtail his time in the handball courts. In the final, Ray showcased all of his skill of old to contribute to a hugely impressive Laois All-Ireland success.
