60x30 All-Ireland Finals
St. Coman's Carragh Kennedy is the new 60x30 Ladies Minor All-Ireland champion.
Kennedy overcame the gallant challenge of Clare's Leah Minogue in an excellent encounter in Carragh's home court last Saturday.
These two previously met in an U16 All-Ireland semi-final in Leah's home court of Tuamgreaney. Kennedy prevailing in a three-game thiller. Another tough match was expected and it certainly lived up to expectations.
Kennedy was a little sluggish at the start, immediately going 0-8 down, but once she started volleying the Banner girl's serve she started making inroads.
Kennedy also began to make more use of her excellent power and soon the scores were level at 9-9. However, true to form, the athletic Minogue never let Kennedy pull away. There was never more than two points in it for the remainder of the game. Kennedy pulled a game that could have gone either way out of the bag and nicked it 21-20.
Kennedy started the second superbly and went 9-0 up, but a change of tactics from Minogue where she served straight and low down the left reaped instant dividends.
Kennedy’s returned serves weren't as effective and Minogue was able to take advantage levelling the game at 11-11. The next few minutes were evenly fought before Kennedy's constant power finally began to wear down the brave challenge of Minogue.
Some superb volleying and round the wall shots punctuated with a few classy kills finished the game off 21-13 for victory.
Earlier on the same bill Siobhan Treacy lost out in her bid to become 60x30 Ladies Junior 'B' champion when she was beaten by Wexford's strong Cliodhna O'Connell.
Treacy's preparation wasn't as thorough as normal, but it certainly didn't show in the first game as she went toe-to-toe with the powerful Slaneysider. Coming from behind and taking a tight first 21-19.
Unfortunately that was as good as it got for Treacy, as O’Connell increased the tempo and power and even Treacy's excellent court coverage couldn't deal with her opponent's precise ball placement.
O'Connell played with a lovely Wexford big alley style and the longer the game went on the more dominant she became. The Wexford girl won the second 21-7 and was a decisive 11-4 winner in the tie-breaker.
St. Coman's Glen Walsh was the unlucky loser in the tightest match of the weekend agonisingly beaten by Tipperary's Paddy Delaney in the 60x30 Masters 'B' singles final.
Played in the famous old court in Crinkle, Co. Offaly this match was as close as it gets and on another day Walsh would have emerged victorious.
The two players were very well matched and right throughout there was never more than a few aces between them, but when the dust settled, unfortunately the Tipp man emerged victorious 21-19, 19-21, 11-6.
Lisacul's Denis Creaton faced very strong opposition in his 60x30 Masters 'A' final in the shape of Offaly's David Hope. Hope is a very fit, experienced player and his left-handed style gave Denis problems from the off.
It must be said the Denis had chances to make it slightly closer but on the day nothing he tried seemed to come off. As is his nature Denis kept trying to the bitter end, but Hope won quite comfortably 21-2, 21-9.
