McMahon underlines handball dominance, McConnell shocks McCarthy

Irish Examiner

4 hours ago

Martina McMahon once again underlined her dominance when she overcame Kilkenny's Amy Brennan to win the All-Ireland Ladies Senior Softball Singles title in Abbeylara, Co Longford.
Limerick's McMahon has battled adversity in recent years – after a freak soccer injury, she required an L5 S1 spinal fusion on her back and she revealed after her win over Amy Brennan that she was playing with a broken finger.
'Handball, like anything in life, is kind of a mental game and I suppose if you believe you can do something, nine times out of 10 you'll achieve it,' she remarked.
'Not to take away from Amy's performance today but I actually broke a finger on my right hand during the week. I just think when you're inside these four walls and adrenaline is kicking in, you don't feel anything. You'll feel it afterwards but I just think for as long as I can play and as long as I can give back to the game of handball, I'll continue to do so.'
McMahon produced another clinical performance in the decider, her powerful serves and relentless accuracy setting the tone as she raced into commanding leads in both games. Brennan (21), a member of the Kilkenny U23 camogie panel, showed her quality in spells but McMahon was always in control, winning 21-8, 21-11.
The victory extends McMahon's unbeaten run, which stretches back to last August, during which time she has captured a string of major titles across handball's three main codes.
'Softball is our traditional game and my favourite code. Big kudos to Amy Brennan, she put it up to me there today. I have no doubt she will be back again.'
While McMahon's success maintained her remarkable streak, the men's final produced a seismic shock.
Meath's Gary McConnell in action at the GAA Handball All Ireland Championship final at Abbeylara, Longford. Photo by Stephen Marken
Meath's Gary McConnell defeated 11-time champion Robbie McCarthy of Westmeath to get his hands on the Ducksy Walsh Cup for the first time. McConnell controlled the opening game with superb fly kills and tactical dominance, running out a 21-8 winner.
McCarthy raced into a 6-0 lead in the second but McConnell fought back to edge ahead 8-7. At that point, the 38-year-old Mullingar man was forced to retire injured, an anti-climactic finish to what was an enjoyable contest.
McCarthy, who had been unbeaten in softball since 2019, announced his retirement immediately afterwards, bringing the curtain down on one of the great careers in Irish handball history.
For McConnell, though, this was a career-defining triumph. The 35-year-old Kells man has enjoyed major success in doubles but this was his maiden senior singles crown.
'A fella said to me a couple of years ago, and it really annoyed me, 'you're like Andy Murray's brother in tennis, you only win in doubles'. It really bugged me,' he revealed.
'I was wondering if everybody thought that and it was definitely one of the things that pushed me on this year.' He admitted he spent the early exchanges probing for weaknesses before asserting control.
'It was all about me, being in the right frame of mind. I'm a firm believer that if I show up on my game, nobody can touch me, especially in the big court,' he said.