The Irish One-Wall Nationals 2009 - Report and Photos curtesy Michael McGee in Castlebar
The 13th Annual One-Wall handball Nationals took place at the Breaffy House Hotel and Leisure Complex in Castlebar Co. Mayo from June 26th-28th last with Roscommon’s Marianna Rushe and
Armagh’s Charly Shanks winning the Ladies  & Men’s open titles in impressive style.
The decision to hold this year’s one wall nationals outside Sligo for the 1st time in 11 years proved a winning one. Breaffy House Hotel in Castlebar with its modern Sports Complex adjoining the hotel was the perfect setting. There was a record entry of over 250 participants ranging in grades from U-12 to Over 65’s. The venue itself proved ideal to accommodate all players under the one roof and the organisers can feel extremely pleased with their efforts with the entire weekend programme going off like clock work.
With 5 courts being used at any one time the venue was up to World handball championships standard. Again, there was a welcome English contingent to the championships and they went home pleased with both the Men’s C Challenger title & Men’s plate.  The standards in all grades continued to rise even surpassing last year’s high levels.  There was 18 grades of competition and for the 1st time  two new grades were added
with the Men’s Challenger with 30 entries and the Ladies challenger with  7.  The Men’s C had the biggest entry with 34.
Throughout the entire weekend there were great displays in the one-wall code. It was a feast for the large numbers of spectators that attended the finals as players endeavoured to win the coveted titles.  On the
Saturday evening there was a barbecue outside the complex in the warm evening sunshine. The semi-finals were played early on Sunday morning.  As in many cases it was the young stars that display the greatest
appetite for the game.
Young Daniel Curry from Wicklow proved more than a “coolboy” when winning the Boys U-12 title
with a gutsy display winning a titanic battle that went to the tie breaker. Carrickmore’s Niall Allison 
despite taking the 1st game by the big margin of 15-2 he could not hold onto the lead with Curry 
storming back 
to record a great win by 2-15, 15-12,15-6.   Monaghan’s Darren Doherty is having a great year when he added the U-14 One Wall title to the Irish National title he won in Kingscourt in April.  Ciana Ní Curraoin from Galway had a battle royal with Lauren O’ Riordan before winning the Girls U-14’s by 15-4, 6-15, 11-10. In the Boys U-16 Wicklow’s Keith Kavanagh looked very impressively in earlier rounds. 
Galway’s Martin Mulkerrins was equal to the challenge however as made light of the Wicklow teenager’s challenger to record a good 15-8, 15-3 win. It was a Ballaghaderreen double at U-18 level with Amy Corrigan and Stephen Cooney taking home the Girls and Boy’s titles at this level respectively. 
here was no joy for Wicklow’s Jerome Willoughby in the B final with Kilkenny’s Nicholas Anthony 
winning in straight games.  It was a good weekend for another Armagh man Conor McMahon who was done much for Juvenile handball in the county. He took the Masters title impressively over Wicklow’s 
Frank Semple. In the Men’s Challenger final Andy Pringle from England had a good win over 
Abbeylara’s Fintan Creamer to record an historic victory at the One Wall Irish Nationals. Morgan Darcy Galway & Peter Larkin Monaghan again took home more one-wall titles to add to their impressive collection 
 
With all the finals played down to the last two finals spectators had moved the seats closer to the centre court action. But behind them unknown to many supporters the final of the day was being played out. 
The final of the Men’s C between Mayo’s Shane Heraty and Tipperary’s Michael Carroll was exhibition stuff.  Heraty took the 1st game quite easily by 15-4.  But Carroll came more into the contest bringing 
this absorbing final to a tie breaker.  Both players gave exhibitions displays and would have been fitting to have the final itself on centre court.  Heraty a number of times’s got scores that were almost impossible to get but get them he did. Carroll was just keeping in front from the Heraty fight back.  In a brilliant contest Carroll held firm to record an excellent win in the tie breaker by 11-7.
The Ladies final was between reigning champion Marianna Rushe and Kerry’s Ashley Prendiville. 
It was the champion that made the brighter start going into a 5-0 lead. Prindiville narrowed the lead 
with 2 points. Rushe had her homework done on the Kerry star. Serving from the right side she placed strong serves to Prindiville left hand.  Rushe with an excellent score in the centre with the Kerry star 
caught at the back line for a 7-2 lead.  Rushe continued to drive forward with purpose while Prindiville forced into errors.   The Roscommon star with an excellent ace a strong serve to her opponent’s right 
with the Kerry star expecting it on her left barely moving. Rushe took the first game soon after by 15-4. 
Again in the second it was Rushe who opened up with a 5-0 lead. Rushe continued to pound 
Prendiville ‘s left side. An ace for Rushe to lead by 7-3 was particularly memorable.  The Kerry star 
fought back well to be only 9-6 behind and looked that she could get back into the contest.  Rushe the reigning champion got back into her stride and left the Kerry starlet in her wake as she headed for the finishing line.  This she did to record Ladies One Wall titles back to back.
Ladies Open Champion Marianna Rush with Ashley Prendiville and Tony Hannon

 

It was an eagerly awaited final between the giants in One Wall handball.  However it failed to live 

up to expectations.  Shanks with his awesome spin serves to  last years runner-up Dessie Keegan 
unable to any great extent to return them powerfully as he would like.  Time and time again Keegan 
was frustrated as he couldn’t get a foothold to deliver those powerful returns that he is renowned for.  Shanks was able to disarm Keegan’s armoury very effectively with those spin serves that would have killed anyone off.  Keegan just managed 2 scores in the first game and it didn’t get any better for the Ballaghaderreen man in the second.  After Shanks second score Keegan nodded his head dejectedly 
he knew he could not handle Shanks’s spin’s no matter what he tried to do.   Shanks the 2007 
champion completely snuffed out Keegan’s challenge to record his 2nd win in the competition. 
Afterwards I asked the new champion what were his thoughts on winning the One-Wall Nationals?
“Happy enough, I wanted to win and was confident enough that I would.” Shanks will now turn his thoughts to the World championships and will focus on the 4 wall championships and after that the one wall.
Men's C Champion - Michael Carroll from Ballina Emer ni Bhiadha Girls U-12 winner with Tony Hannon
Galway's Martin Mulkerrins - Boys U16 Champion with Tony Hannon Amy Corrigan, Ballaghaderreen - Girls U18 Champion
Cianna Ni Churraoin - Under 14 Champion  Cork's Cathroina Casey - Girls Under 16 Champion with Tony Hannon
Boy's Under 18 Champion Stephen Cooney with Tony Hannon Galway's Morgan Darcy Emerald Masters Champion 
U14 Boys Champion Darren Doherty, Monaghan with Tony Hannon Daniel Curry - Boys Under 12 Champion with Tony Hannon
England's Andy Pringle Men's Challenger Winner Peter Larkin from Monaghan - a great one-wall supporter - wins the Golden Masters title
Masters Champion Conor McMahon with Tony Hannon Nicholas Anthony a worthy Men's B Singles Champion with Tony Hannon

Before the Men’s final Tony Hannon President of the Irish Handball Council thanked Sligo for hosting the One-Wall nationals for the past decade and praised the Sligo officials who helped with the organizing of this year’s event.  Hannon warmly praised the organizing committee who put the “shoulder to the wheel and behind the scenes.” He singled out Francis Curran, Joe McCann, Liam Burke, Pat McLoughlin and Connell Cannon who worked day and night and were rewarded with a warm round of applause from the spectators.  Hannon also thanked the Breaffy House Hotel for placing the complex at the Council’s disposal for the weekend and also to the sponsors Ladbrokes. He ended by wishing Dessie & Charly the best in the final.

Irish Handball Manager Chris Curran introduced the players to the large crowd now assembled. First Dessie Keegan sporting his white head band and then Charly Shanks who emerged from the right where he already was drilling  “kill shots” on a free court closely watched by mentor Merve McCann in his  blue American One Wall jacket and cap.


Full Results
Under 12 Girls CUP Eimear Ní Bhiadha (Galway) df Hannah Dag (Kildare) 15-10, 15-5
Under 12 Boys CUP Daniel Curry (Wicklow) dft Niall Allison (Tyrone) 2-15, 15-12, 11-6
Under 14 Girls CUP Ciana Ní Curraoin dft Lauren O’Riordan 15-4, 6-15, 11-10
Under 14 Boys CUP Darren Doherty df Patrick McCrory 15-10, 15-9
Under 16 Girls CUP Catriona Casey df Sinead Ní Ainlí 15-1, 15-7
Under 16 Boys CUP Martin Mulkerrins df Keith Kavanagh 15-8, 15-3
Under 18 Girls CUP Amy Corrigan df Clodagh McManamon 15-8, 15-9
Under 18 Boys CUP Stephen Cooney df Ian McLoughlin 15-11, 15-11
Men’s B CUP Nicholas Anthony df Jerome Willoughby 15-2, 15-2
Men’s C CUP Michael Carroll df Shane Heraty 4-15, 15-11, 11-7
Men’s Challenger CUP Andy Pringle df Fintan Creamer 15-8, 15-1
Ladies Challenger CUP Bairbre Ui Ainlí 15-8, 2-15, 11-8
Golden Masters Peter Larkin df Brian Havern 15-12, 15-2
Diamond Masters CUP Morgan D’Arcy df Seamus O’Fatharta 15-9, 15-3
Emerald Masters CUP Tony McInerney df Gerry Ó Fatharta 15-7, 14-15, 11-6
Masters CUP Conor McMahon df Frank Semple 15-3, 15-3
Ladies Open CUP Marianna Rushe df Ashley Prenderville 15-5, 15-4
Men’s Open CUP Charly Shanks df Dessie Keegan 15-2, 15-0
Under 12 Girls PLATE Sorcha Ní Bhraonáin df Clodagh Nash 20-14
Under 12 Boys PLATE Sean Kerr df Ciaran Cooney 30-13
Under 14 Boys PLATE Patrick Havern df Ryan Mullen 21-10
Under 14 Girls PLATE Maeve McElduff df Anna Ní Bhraonáin 36-5
Under 16 Boys PLATE Terry McElvaney df Ciaran Buckley 26-12
Under 18 Boys PLATE Eoghan Hennessy df Gary Donoghue 26-8
Under 18 Girls PLATE Leona Ryder df Stephaine Coleman 21-5
Men’s Challenger PLATE Colm Shanks df David Curry 23-4
Men’s C PLATE Ciaran Neary df Colin Melody 24-12
Men’s B PLATE Ciaran Burke df Barry Hough 33-10
Masters PLATE Sean McNally df Pat Quaile 29-21
Ladies Open PLATE Deirdre Donohoe df Hilary Rushe 22-16
Men’s Open PLATE Peter Cohen df Darragh Daly 16-15