Ballydesmond Open Doubles Tournament 12^th & 13 Feb 2008

HANDBALL - BY AIDAN CROWLEY:
This year's Ballydesmond (40X20) Open Doubles Tournament proved to be a roaring
success as players from counties Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Clare,
Tipperary, Waterford
and Laois flocked to the Ballydesmond club, in Co. Cork, over the weekend,
to showcase their doubles skills.
This was the fifth year that the club had held a (40X20) tournament
with the first two
years on a singles format and the last three tears as a doubles competition.
 
The winners of the main competition were Limerick minor aces, C. J.
Fitzpatrick (Broadford) and Seamus O'Carroll (Cappagh). The pair have
formed a formidable doubles
partnership over the last few years and currently hold between them
five of the six All-Ireland Minor titles available: All-Ireland
Softball (60X30) Minor Singles (Fitzpatrick) and
Minor Doubles; All-Ireland Hardball (60X30) Minor Singles (O'Carroll)
and Minor Doubles;
All-Ireland (40X20) Minor Singles (O'Carroll).
 
They defeated top Cork duo, Shane Hedigan (Liscarroll) and John
Herlihy (St. Finbarr's,
Cork City) in a cracking final over three games. In the first game,
the Corkmen proved to
be too strong, winning out on a scoreline of 14-21. However, in the second game,
Fitzpatrick and O'Carroll got into their stride and blitzed through on
a scoreline of 21-8,
bringing the match into a tiebreaker, which proved to be a thriller,
with the Limerick pair
just shading it on a scoreline of 11-10, to seal victory.
 
In the Plate competition (for first round losers) there was victory
for Tipperary's Denis White and Paul McGrath (both Cashel) over Laois
duo, Paddy and Michael Donovan
(both Monavea) in a hard-fought final over two games, on a scoreline
of 21-7, 21-12.
ENDS.

All Results Supplied by Peter Dennehy with Thanks – photos TBA

Round of 16

__________

C J Fitzpatrick/Seamus O Carroll(Limerick) dft Denis White/Paul McGrath(Tipperary) 21/8 21/5

John Hedigan/Pat Morris(Cork) dft Paddy Donovan/Michael Donovan(Laois) 21/17,17/21,11/4

Paul Hedderman/Tomas Donegan(Limerick) dft Adrian Kelly(Clare)/Tim Joe Healy(Cork) 21/5.21/5

Colm Jordan/Michael Jordan(Cork) dft Tom O Brien/John Noonan(Limerick) 21/11.21/12

Jerry Guiney/Danny Healy(Cork) dft John Joe Quirke(Kerry)/Michael Linehan(Cork) 21/10.21/10

Shane Hedigan/John Herlihy(Cork) dft Michael Murphy/Donnacha O Dea(Cork) 21/12,18/21, 11/3

Philip Butler/David Walsh(Waterford) dft Fergal Coughlan/Mike Kelly(Clare) 21/8,21/18

Diarmuid Nash/Niall Malone(Clare) dft Tom Hanrahan/Conor Moloney(Waterford) 21/10.21/15

Q/Finals

C J Fitzpatrick/Seamus O Carroll dft John Hedigan/Pat Morris 21/9,21/19

Colm Jordan/Michael Jordan dft Paul Hedderman/Tomas Donegan 21/9,21/14

Shane Hedigan/John Herlihy dft Jerry Guiney/Danny Healy 21/17,21/19

Philip Butler/David Walsh dft Diarmuid Nash/Niall Malone 21/18,3/21,11/8

S/Finals

C J Fitzpatrick/Seamus O Carroll dft Colm Jordan/Michael Jordan 21/13,21/9

Shane Hedigan/John Herlihy dft Philip Butler/David Walsh 21/19,21/14

Final

C J Fitzpatrick/Seamus O Carroll dft Shane Hedigan/John Herlihy 14/21,21/8,11/10

Plate Competition for First Round Losers

_______________

Final

Denis White & Paul McGrath(Tipperary) dft Paddy Donovan/Michael Donovan(Laois) 21/7.21/12