The recent Leinster Wallball Championships saw a number of Laois players reach provincial finals, with Elizabeth Pearsons playing in the Girls U-16 final, Emmet Quinlan playing in the Men’s Junior B final, and Kevin Brennan playing in the Golden Masters final.
The fantastic wallball courts at the Hawthorn Community Centre in Ballacolla played host to each of these finals and there was optimism in the county that Laois could capture at least one of the titles on offer.
In the Girls U-16 Leinster Final, Elizabeth Pearsons faced a very formidable opponent in Boo Murphy of Wexford.
Murphy had showed excellent form in defeating Kilkenny’s Niamh Drennan in her semi-final and she brought this blistering form into the final.
Pearson’s battled bravely throughout but there was no denying the talented Wexford handballer who won the title in two straight games.
Elizabeth Pearson has progressed hugely as a handballer in 2024 and based on her performance in the final she certainly has a bright future in the game.
Next into action for Laois was Emmet Quinlan in the Men’s Junior B Final.
Quinlan is relatively new to the game but has made huge strides in a short period of time and it was no surprise to see him progress to the Leinster final.
In the final he faced the experienced wallball player Fintan Creamer of Longford. The final proved one of immense quality.
The opening game was edged by the Longford handballer after a titanic battle on a scoreline of 15-14.
Despite losing the opening game, the Clough Ballacolla handballer refocused brilliantly and played some superb handball to take the second game on a 15-06 scoreline.
In the tiebreaker, Creamer’s extra experience proved telling with the Longford handballer recording an 11-05 victory to take the Men’s Junior B Leinster Wallball title.
Despite this loss, Emmet Quinlan displayed huge potential and should return as a major contender for this title in twelve months’ time.
In the Men’s Golden Masters Leinster Wallball final, Kevin Brennan faced the formidable John Roche of Wexford.
This was expected to be a close final between two skilled exponents of wallball. The opening game saw Brennan take command of proceedings with an array of impressive kill and passing shots.
Despite Roche’s best efforts he was powerless to stop Brennan’s march towards taking the opening game 15-07.
The second game saw the Laois handballer up the intensity of his play even further and he deservedly took the second game 15-03.
This success adds to Brennan’s earlier Leinster success when capturing the Golden Masters B Leinster title in April. The Clough Ballacolla handballer has been in sparkling form in 2024 and this success is richly deserved for his dedication to the game.
The Golden Masters Wallball All-Ireland semi-final was fixed for Kilglass, Roscommon against the Ulster champion Paul Graham of Antrim.
Graham proved a step to far for the Laois handballer as he played some scintillating handball to book his place in the All-Ireland Final on a 15-06, 15-8 scoreline.
Indeed, the talented Antrim handballer was to win the All-Ireland title by impressively defeating Tom Sweeney of Mayo. Despite the loss, Brennan once again showcased his handballing talents and his ability to compete with the very best players in the country.
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