Kilkenny Handball One wall Championships

                                                                                        The 6th annual County One Wall Championships were held over the previous weekend in beautiful sunshine in Windgap, Co. Kilkenny.  With the juvenile county championships earlier in the year it was the turn of the adult players to show their one wall skills.The games were played in brilliant sunshine in on two outdoor courts at the great facility overlooking the pitch at the GAA grounds in the village. The grades were Mens Open, Masters A, Masters B and for the first time a Ladies grade. All games including finals were timed. Special thanks must go to the Windgap club for hosting the championships,the windgap ladies who supplied the spectators and players with a variety of refreshments and a barbeque throughout the day and the county board for organising the championships.

Mens OpenThe competitors in the Mens Open grade were Ciaran Neary and Fergal Lalor of Talbots Inch, Dan Breen from Kells, PJ O Brien of Callan and Emmet Landy from the home club in Windgap.  Games were timed and played on a round robin basis giving all players plenty of games . Ciaran Neary the 2013 champion and Dan Breen the 2012 champion won all their games to qualify for the final against each other in what would be a rematch of the 2013 final. In a great final played which had some excellent rallies senior softball player Ciaran Neary proved too strong winning out 21-12 against Dan Breen to clinch the title and retain the Open County title for the second successive year.

Masters AThe Masters A grade attracted the highest entry of all the grades with competitors split into two groups of four with the winner of each group meeting in the final. In group 1 Kilfane was well represented with Tom O Keefe, Tom Dooley and Jimmy Holden with Eamonn Purcell from Windgap making up the group. Tom O Keefe qualified for the final winning all his games in the group stage. Group 2 was made up of Windgap players Jimmy Purcell and Michael O Shea, Talbots Inch player Martin Lalor as well as Kilfane player Ray Ryan. Jimmy Purcell the previous years champion qualified for the final on aces ahead of Martin Lalor. The final which like the Open grade was a rematch of the 2013 final saw Tom O Keefe and Jimmy Purcell clash. On this occasion Kilfane's Tom O Keefe playing great handball all day defeated Jimmy Purcell 13-8 to take his first Masters A One Wall title.
Masters BCompeting in the Masters B grade were Mick Dalton and Jimmy Shanahan from Kilfane, Ned Lawlor of Clogh and Shane Doyle of Windgap. After group games saw Ned Lawlor and Mick Dalton qualify for the final against one another. After a very close final throughout saw Ned Lawlor push ahead with a minute left to take the title 15-12 against Mick Dalton to take the Masters B title to Clogh.
Ladies2014 saw a Ladies grade added to the Adult One Wall Championships for the first time. The final of the Ladies grade saw recent 60x30 Nationals Champion Marie Walshe from the Kells club take on Windgap player Deirdre Purcell. Early in the game saw local player Purcell take the lead before Marie Walshe settled down and played excellent handball to take the Ladies title 16-6.

Finals Results:Mens Open - Ciaran Neary (Talbots Inch) dft Dan Breen (Kells) 21-12Masters A - Tom O Keefe (Kilfane) dft Jimmy Purcell (Windgap) 13-8Masters B - Ned Lawlor (Clogh) dft Mick Dalton (Kilfane) 15-12Ladies - Marie Walshe (Kells) dft Deirdre Purcell (Windgap) 16-6

Pictures included (from left to right)

Picture 1 : Mens Open Finalists - Dan Breen (runner-up), Billy Love, Ciaran Neary (champion)

Picture 2 : Masters A Finalists - Tom O Keefe (champion), Billy Love, Jimmy Purcell (runner-up)

Picture 3 : Ladies Finalists - Deridre Purcell (runner-up), Billy Love, Marie Walshe (champion)

Picture 4 : Participants at the Kilkenny One Wall Championships