McConnell and Carroll aim for fifth Senior Softball Doubles crown

HANDBALL

PAUL FITZPATRICK

Two fascinating Senior Softball Doubles finals are set for this Saturday at the National Handball Centre, Croke Park (1pm), with Meath taking on Westmeath in the men’s decider and Galway facing Limerick in the Ladies final.

All eyes in the Royal county will be on the men’s final where Gary McConnell and Brian Carroll, the accomplished duo from the famed Kells club, seek to secure a three-in-a-row. The pair bring a formidable combination of power and craft to the table and have already proven themselves across two codes, having also captured a Senior Doubles title in the 40x20 court.

McConnell, the powerful left-side player, is one of the smoothest players in the game and has been in exceptional form of late while Carroll's speed and reflexes on the right remain as sharp as ever. Together, the pair have turned back all comers in the traditional game since pairing up with the exception of one defeat, the 2022 final against Wexford's Gavin Buggy and Galen Riordan.

After winning the Irish Softball Nationals in Wexford last month, McConnell made no secret of his ambition to challenge the number one player in the 'big alley', Westmeath's Robbie McCarthy, and on Saturday, he gets his wish.

“That’s the start there today, please God I can keep going and the performances will stay there,” said McConnell at the time.

“I was hoping Robbie would be here this weekend. We all want to play Robbie, all want to take him down. It is what it is - you can only beat what’s in front of you. If he’s not here, that’s not my problem. I’m here."

Lining up opposite McConnell and Carroll will be McCarthy and Fermoy native Colm Jordan. McCarthy has dominated the 60x30 code, claiming 11 Senior Singles titles, but he has yet to win a Senior Softball Doubles medal.

Carroll, for his part, is among the most decorated players in the game. His calm intelligence and anticipation on the right side have seen him win 11 Senior Doubles titles, including four with McConnell and seven previously with clubmate Tom Sheridan. Together, he and McConnell form one of the most balanced and dangerous pairings in modern handball.

Their opponents will be no pushovers. Veteran Jordan is a former Intermediate Singles champion when representing Cork. Meath may look to exploit the right side and test Jordan early, but the towering Jordan has shown before that he can absorb and return pressure when it comes.

In the Ladies Senior Doubles final, Galway’s Ciana Ní Churraoin and Niamh Heffernan face Limerick’s Martina McMahon and Aisling Shanahan, with both pairings aiming to etch their names on the cup for the first time.

Both matches will be streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.