Irish Handball Homepage - click hereTYRONE HANDBALL ONeills Senior Singles final line-up to be decided
The eagerly awaited O'Neills Senior Singles semi-final showdown involving reigning champion, Shane O'Neill (Brackey), and Darragh Daly (An Charaig Mhór) will finally go ahead in Loughmacrory tonight (Thursday 28th Feb) at 8pm. Daly will go into the game following his return from the US Collegiate Championships where he was representing UUJ and will be hoping he can go one better in the blue ribband event than 2 years ago. On that occasion he fell at the final hurdle to Loughmacrory's CIaran Meenagh while he lost in the Premier league final 5 weeks ago to Ruairi Kelly (Brackey). O'Neill lost to Kelly in the semi-final of that event but bounced back in stylish fashion with an emphatic senior championship quarter-final win over his club colleague. A large crowd will be anticipated at the tie as the winner bids to set up a final head to head with 8 times champion, Ciaran Curran (Loughmacrory) on Saturday 8th March. Fixture: O'Neills Senior Singles Championship Semi-final: Thursday 28th February, 8pm, in Loughmacrory: Shane O'Neill (Brackey) v Darragh Daly (An Charraig Mhór). O'Neills Senior Singles Championship Final: Saturday 8th March, 6.30pm, in Loughmacrory.
O™Neills Senior DOUBLESˆSemi-FInals: Monday 10th March 2008 in Beragh, 8pm: Shane O™Neill/Ruairi Kelly v Darragh Daly/Padraig McGlinchey O’Neills Senior A DOUBLESˆFINAL: Thursday 13th March 2008 in Beragh, 8pm: Niall Kerr/Stephen Clarke (Brackey) v winners semi-final.
O™Neills Senior B DOUBLESˆFINAL:Â Thursday 13th March 2008 in Beragh, 7pm: Ryan Daly/Michael Donnelly (Carrickmore) v Conor Grogan/Caolan Daly (Carrickmore).
O™Neills Senior B SinglesˆFINAL: Saturday 8th March 2008 in Loughmacrory, 7.30pm: John McCullagh (Loughmacrory) v Ryan Daly or Brian Donaghy or Rory Grogan.
Teamtalk Juvenile Doubles Finals commence this weekend The first programme of Teamtalk Juvenile doubles finals go ahead this Saturday 1st March in Beragh, commencing at 1pm. With players involved in Schools ahandball and the Ulster finals on Sunday 9th March the programme of finals has been split in two with the first programme on Saturday and the second programme on Thursday 6th March in Loughmacrory. The list of Juvenile finals to be played is as follows: Saturday 1st March, in Beragh, commencing 1pm: Girls Under 13 Singles Final Girls Under 15 Singles Final Girls Under 17 Singles Final  Boys Under 10B Singles Championship Final: Darragh McDermott (Greencastle) v Tiernan Meenagh (Brackey) Boys Under 15 Doubles Championship Final Boys Under 16 Doubles Championship Final
Thursday 6th March, in Loughmacrory, commencing 6.30pm: Girls Under 11 Singles Final  Boys Under 14B Singles Championship Final: Aidan Coyle (Greencastle) v Ciaran Clarke (Brackey) Boys Under 10 Doubles Championship Final Boys Under 12 Doubles Championship Final Boys Under 13 Doubles Championship Final Boys Under 14 Doubles Championship Final
All Ireland Junior 'B' Champions  
Handball History
Although handball has been played in the lower end of Beragh Parish for at least 70 years, the date of the formation of the club is somewhat vague. It would seem that the origins of the club could be traced back to early 1940’s when games were played on a regular basis at Packie McCrystal’s gable wall in Mullaslin, from where it moved on to Brackey old school which was then owned by the Heaney family. The game was played there for 15 years or so, until the premises were sold and the various players moved to play in the new court in Cloughfin. In the mid-seventies, the club was reformed again playing out of McAleer’s barn in Cloughfin which was converted into a 40 x 20 court.
This was the formation of the present day club which moved again to its new home in the court built at St. Mary’s Park. The new club has now been in existence for 25 years and in that time, countless Tyrone and Ulster titles have been won. Raymond McAleer won the club’s first Ulster title 23 years ago winning the U-13 singles title. Damien Given won the club’s first All-Ireland as part of the U-17 doubles team. The club’s first adult All-Ireland was won by Niall Kerr and since then many titles have come the club’s way including 2 club championships. The club plays a strong role in the administration and playing of the game in Tyrone and with the structures that are in place, the future of the club looks healthy.
|
