Brophy sisters claim deserved All-Ireland handball title
ÚNA and Aoife Brophy of Cullohill Handball Club recorded a fantastic All-Ireland doubles success when defeating Tyrone’s Aoife Kelly and Claire Conway in the Ladies Junior 40x20 All-Ireland final played in the GAA National Handball Centre, Croke Park.
After claiming the Leinster title with victory over Kilkenny’s Deirdre and Margaret Purcell they progressed to face the favourites for the title in Clare's Chloe Philpott and Fiona Close in the All-Ireland semi-final. In a Croke Park classic, the Laois pairing prevailed after a thrilling and very high-quality encounter where they showed huge resilience, skill and determination to take the victory.
In the All-Ireland final, the Cullohill sisters made a brilliant start to proceedings, executing their game plan to perfection to claim a 21-10 opening game victory. The second game saw the Tyrone partnership battle bravely and with the scores at 15-12 the tie was firmly in the balance.
As in a number of big games this year, Úna and Aoife showcased their game management skills to perfection and with a variation of excellent roof shots, expertly placed passing shots and accurate Z-serves they finished out the second game on a 21-12 scoreline.
This victory ensured that the Ladies 40x20 Junior All-Ireland Championship title returned to Laois for the first time since 2016 when the Cullohill and Monavea partnership of Niamh Dunne and Ciara Dowling were victorious.
This success marks another remarkable achievement for Aoife and Úna as they continue to rise in the ranks of the ladies game. Aoife and Úna Brophy are two fantastic ambassadors for Laois GAA Handball and have already proven themselves to be an inspiration to many of our the juvenile handballers within the county who seek to emulate their success in the handballing courts.
Aoife and Úna Brophy receiving their Ladies 2025 Junior All-Ireland winners’ medals from GAA Handball President Conor McDonnell 2025 Ladies All-Ireland Junior Finalists Laois and Tyrone Úna and Aoife Brophy celebrating their All-Ireland success with their family.
