The wonderful unbeaten run in the M Donnelly sponsored GAA Handball Men’s 60X30 Singles All-Ireland Handball Championship by Robert McCarthy Junior was brought to an end by Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy on Saturday, 13 September in Abbeylara, Longford.
This was the sixth time for both McCarthy and Kennedy to meet in the Handball Men’s 60X30 championship, with Kennedy winning the first two and Robert winning the last three in succession.
By a strange quirke of fate last Saturday in Abbeylara in the three All-Ireland finals that were staged, the winner of the first game in the minor, intermediate and senior finals all lost out on the day by two games to one.
In the first game, Robert McCarthy started impressively and opened up a 3-0 lead before Kennedy got on the board. Robert then pushed on and went 5-1 up before Kennedy scored his second point.
After that Kennedy point, McCarthy certainly upped a gear and with a series of sublime kill shots, pin point serves, and top class passing shots, Robert went on to open up an 18-2 lead.
Kennedy continued to battle away and scored the next three points before McCarthy got back in on serve and clinched the first game 21-5.
At this stage it looked as if McCarthy was in full control, but perhaps the break came for him at the wrong time. Kennedy started the second game by winning the first point, but McCarthy bounced back and levelled it.
Then Kennedy cut loose and rattled off the next five points, but McCarthy dug in and scored the next four points to leave him trailing by just one.
Kennedy then hit top form and he took the next five points before McCarthy cut the deficit with a wonderful kill shot.
Kennedy quickly won back serve and for the next five minutes, both players traded serve before McCarthy got off on a run and took the next five points. This was followed by both players winning serve and then losing it, before McCarthy got back to within one point at 16-17.
Kennedy added the next two points before Robert cut his lead with a wonderful passing shot but Kennedy again moved up through the gears and added the next two points to win the second game 21-17.
KENNEDY TAKES
CONTROL
In the third game, Kennedy played like a man possessed and he opened up a 7-0 lead before Robert opened his account.
Kennedy got the next six points before Robert got a run on him and he scored the next eight points to leave Kennedy 13-9 in front.
Kennedy added the next two points and Robert again upped his game to cut the gap to leave just three points between them.
But that spurred Kennedy on and with a series of pin point serves and passing shots, he rattled off point after point to take the third game 21-12 and in doing so, Kennedy captured his ninth 60X30 Men’s All- Ireland Singles championship.