Brennan claims Golden Masters All-Ireland Wallball title

CLOUGH-Ballacolla had the honour of hosting this year’s All-Ireland Wallball Championship Finals, with many of the country’s leading handballers converging on the Laois venue for an exciting weekend of championship action.

Laois were strongly represented at the finals, having secured three Leinster Wallball titles at the beginning of August. Orla Brophy of Cullohill claimed the Ladies Junior B crown, her sister Aoife Brophy won the Ladies Junior title, while Clough-Ballacolla’s Kevin Brennan was crowned Men’s Golden Masters champion.

In the Golden Masters competition, home favourite Kevin Brennan faced Galway’s Graham Casburn in the All-Ireland semi-final. Brennan produced a composed and skilful performance, winning 15-06, 15-08 to book his place in the decider.

There he faced Tyrone’s Niall Kerr, who had impressed in defeating Limerick’s John Penny in the other semi-final.

The opening game proved a closely contested affair, but Brennan held his nerve to secure a 15-11 victory. With the title within touching distance, the Laois man produced his best handball in the second game, delivering a dominant display to win 15-0 and seal the All-Ireland crown in emphatic fashion.

The success adds another prestigious All-Ireland title to Clough-Ballacolla Handball Club’s collection. Brennan has worked tirelessly in recent years to develop his game, and claiming a national title on his home court was a fitting and richly deserved reward for his dedication.

In the Ladies Junior B competition, Orla Brophy faced Tipperary’s Siobhan Pentrice in what was expected to be a closely fought contest between two evenly matched players.

The final lived up to expectations, with little separating the pair. Pentrice took

the opening game 15-10 before an even tighter second game saw the Tipperary player edge proceedings 15-13 to claim the title.

Despite the defeat, Brophy can take great encouragement from reaching an All-Ireland final in her first season competing in the adult grades, having only stepped up from minor level last year. The experience gained from competing on the national stage should prove invaluable as she continues her development.

Orla’s sister Aoife Brophy was also in All-Ireland final action after coming through a dramatic semi-final against Roscommon’s Alanna Coggeran.

After a slow start saw her lose the opening game 07-15, the Laois player found her rhythm in impressive fashion. She responded by taking the second game 15-05 before completing the comeback with an 11-03 tie-break victory.

That set up a Junior final against a familiar opponent in Tyrone’s Clare Conway.

The final produced some excellent, high-quality wallball, with Conway eventually gaining the upper hand. A particularly tight opening game finished 15-13 in favour of the Tyrone player before she went on to take the second 15-05 and secure the championship.

Although the title eluded her on this occasion, Aoife Brophy once again demonstrated that she has the ability to compete with the very best at Junior level and will undoubtedly have further opportunities to challenge for All-Ireland honours.

Special recognition must also go to Clough-Ballacolla Handball Club for the tremendous job it did in hosting the All-Ireland finals.

Travelling players, officials and supporters, along with GAA Handball President Kevin Cooke, were highly complimentary of the hospitality provided by the club and the excellent standard of its courts and facilities.

Hosting one of the blue-ribbon events on the GAA Handball calendar was a significant undertaking, and Clough-Ballacolla rose to the occasion superbly. An All-Ireland title for home player Kevin Brennan provided the perfect conclusion to a memorable weekend for the club and for Laois handball.