Leinster handball alleys will be a hive of activity for the 9 days of October 26th to November 3rd.
With the World championships starting on Saturday all the training is now done.
Clare will be following the paths of all players but there will be high hopes for some based on recent form.
Diarmaid Nash will play in the Men’s Open singles as will Colin Crehan the Clare duo will play in the doubles also. Nash having won the Irish Nationals this time last year will be hoping for a repeat of form. There will be stiff competition though not only through the regular rivals of McCarthy and the Funchion brothers of Kilkenny and David Walsh Cork but the Mulkerins brothers and Killian Carroll will return from Stateside for the competition along with 12 of the top American players and the return of Paul Brady from Cavan to the game in a bid for a 9th title will have the attention of many.
Sean Considine is the sole Clare representative on Team Ireland and will play the 15&U singles in the Ireland shirt. Seeded No 1 in the competition, among 34 players, after winning the Irish Qualifiers and reaching semi-final in U16 Championship the young Clooney-Quin player who has also played in America will be hoping for a repeat run of form, but will not be without challenge from Galway’s Bertie O’Donoghue, Kilkenny’s Shane Doyle and Jake O’Neill. Considine will partner with Kilkishen player Eoin Shanahan in the doubles and the pair have the number two seeding with O’Donoghue and Doyle partnering up and O’Neill with fellow clubmate Conor Manogue. Eoin will also play singles grade as his club player Donnach Lenihan, Clooney-Quin’s Jack Cahill after his U14 run to All-Ireland final. Tuamgraney’s Sean Daly and Luke Madden will play singles and then doubles together.
Claire Minogue will play in the 17&U and will be hoping for a good run of games having pushed hard in the early part of the year and running the Irish winner Caislean Treacy to 3 points in a tie breaker. Minogue will partner with Amy Brosnan of Cork who is the Irish 15 girls representative. The doubles will be closely fought affair and the girls have been training well.
Sean Coughlan will play men’s A which will be a hard fought category with 64 players Sean will open his games against Jack Holden of Kilfane in Crinkle on Monday and every point will matter. Sean is partnered with Rory Grace of Tipperary in the doubles. The pair are well experienced now together as the have won World title already this year in One Wall and recently added the Irish Varsities’ Open Doubles title. Ciaran Malone of Tuamgraney is also in the Men’s A and will open his games Monday against Anthony Collodo of California. The Americans are coming with high numbers in the Men’s grades and will be hoping to bring home silverware so Malone won’t be taking this for granted, this is also on in Crinkle, Offaly. Malone will play with Daniel Fenlon of Garryhill in the doubles and have a difficult opener against Kilkenny pair of Eoin Brennan and Jack Doyle.
Seanie Doyle plays men’s B drawn in opening round against Wayne Kilnsella of Coolboy. His Tuamgrnaey clubmate will play Texan, Kieran Vanderslice in the same round. Mark Crehan, Kilkishen will play Mullingar’s Darren Carter. Paddy Fitzerald will await the winner of round 1 games and will play Saturday afternoon. Pat Nolan of Clooney-Quin has his opening game against Jack McNeela. In the doubles of Men’s B Tuamgraney’s Seanie Doyle and Paddy Fitzgerald pair up, while Pat Nolan will broaden his base and is paired with Oklahoma’s Meleci Gonzalez.
Men’s C has the highest entry with 128 players. Clare will have Conor Stack of Clooney-Quin in the opening round against Dublin player Andrew O’Dwyer. In Round 2 Kevin O’Callaghan of Kilkishen plays John Murphy of Crinkle. Glenn Murray of Newmarket on Fergus will play St. Coman’s Sean Raftery with clubmate Darragh Burke will play Adam Coggeran of Kilglass. Clooney-Quin will also have Darren O’Neill who plays Geoffrey Atkinson of Tinryland, John Kennedy awaits a first round winner and Fiachra Hayes plays Kells Conor Condon with Shane Hayes playing Lexlip’s Ciaran Gallogly.
In the doubles Fiachra Hayes and John Kennedy pair up, as do Dhane Hayes and Darren O’Neill while Conor Stack plays with Even Enright of Boherbue. O’Callaghan and Murray pair up in a repeat of the Junior B Pair getting to All-Ireland final last year.
Shane Walsh plays in the 40+B. Mike Baker plays in the 45+B. The Tuamgrnaey and Kilkishen players will team up for the doubles, the pair played doubles during the year in 40×20 and 60×30 and will hope this experience together will stand to them. Mike Kelly of Newmarket-on-Fergus plays the 65+.
In the boys grade of 17&U Martin Bon of Kilkishen. Paul Rodgers of Tuamgraney, Oisin Fahy of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Cathal Noonan of Toonagh and Matthew Coughlan of Clooney-Quin are all in action in what will be a hotly contested competition. Rodgers is U16 doubles All-Ireland champion two years running and U14 All-Ireland singles winner. Coughlan is Munster U16 winner just losing out in All-Ireland final. So Clare will watch this singles keenly. While Martin Bon and Oisin Fahy will pair up for the doubles.
In the 13&U grade Newmarket-on-Fergus will have Eliah Kenny, Walter Moroney of Kilkishen, Daniel Madden of Tuamgraney. Moroney will play doubles with Cillian Howard of Tuamgraney, with Daneil Madden pairing Iarla Kellher. While in the B grade of same age Blake Corbett of Kilkishen, Noah Healy of Clarecastle, Iarla Kelleher and Cathal McNamara of Tuamgraney, Jack McMahon of Clooney-Quin will all play.
In the Ladies Amber Nolan Tuamgraney and Chloe Philpott of Kilkishen play in the singles. Nolan will pair with Kells player Marie Walsh while Philpott will play with Sarah Walsh of Mallow. Aine Lenihan of Kilkishen will play with Alanna Coggeran of Kilglass in the 19&U doubles.
Isabelle McInerney will play in the 17&U girls where she will be opposite side of draw to Minogue. She will pair with club mate Tara Lucas where the two girls won the U16 All-Ireland earlier in the year.
Lucas will play 15&U singles along with Kilkishen’s Chloe Hannon, Ellie Frost and Juliet Moroney. Frost and Moroney will pair up for the doubles. With Hannon playing with Grace Murphy of Cork. In the B grade Kilkishen will have Abby Dillon, Jane Hogan and Tracy Tuohy with the later pair of Hogan and Tuohy joining for doubles.
Anna Madden of Tuamgraney will play 13&U as will Sinead Doyle. These are on different sides of grade as Munster U12 and 13 champions over last two years. In the B grade Emma Daly of Tuamgraney will play.
In the 11&U Ava Considine of Clarecastle with Conall Early, Jack Kirby and Ella Kirby of Newmarket-on-Fergus will all take part.
Inter Club All-Irelands
Fixtures are beginning for the Interclub competition. Clare will be represented by Clooney-Quin(Sean Coughlan, Pat Nolan, David Considine, Matthew Coughlan – Darren O’Neill, John Kennedy, Fiachra Hayes, Conor Stack) and Tuamgraney ( Paddy Fitzgerald, Seanie Doyle, Ciaran Malone, Conor Downes – Cathal McKenna, Tiarnan Slattery, Fionn Slattery and Jamie Howard)with teams in Junior A and Junior B while Kilkishen(Henry McGrath, Mike Baker, Kevin O’Callaghan, Sean Murphy and Jacob Loughnan) and Newmarket-on-Fergus (Glenn Murray, Darragh Burke, Cian Fawl, John Lynch and Darren Culinan) will also have Junior B teams.
Clooney-Quin and Newmarket-on-Fergus are drawn in opening round of Junior B and will have their round played just before the Worlds. All other rounds will be played post Worlds. Newmarket host Boherbue at home while Clooney will travel to Liscarroll to play Conna of Cork.
Clare Championships
Clare competitions will start the weekend of November 9/10 for the 2025 season. Entries are also now open for Clare adult individual/doubles and team events.
