NEXT month, the action at the World Handball Championships in Canada will be fast and furious but it will be no more so than what the galleries will experience in Loughmacrory this weekend as 200-plus players battle for the various titles on offer at the Lough One-Wall Showdown on the banks of Lough Neagh.
The inaugural event was staged last year when world champion Wally Amaro flew in from Puerto Rico and took the Men’s Open trophy back home with him.
Amaro defeated Breacach’s Conor McElduff in the final and the Irish champion will certainly be keen to collect the silverware this time.
He won the Irish crown at Castlebar recently but, even though he won’t have the Puerto Rican to deal with this time, he will have stout opposition to contend with.
Darragh Daly will be very keen to get a belated wedding present by winning and others looking to sharpen up their game for Calgary are James Doyle (Armagh), Niall O’Connor (Kildare), Sean Digney (Down), Johnny Woods and newly-crowned Irish U19 champion Darren Doherty from Monaghan.
There is also a list of young protégées all keen to make a big impression and one can expect some of them to cause a few upsets during the weekend.
“To be playing in the final, last year, in front of over 1,000 spectators and against Wally was a dream come true, even though I lost,” said McElduff.
“Now I am very eager to win this time but with the Worlds around the corner there will be many players just as keen. I am expecting a huge challenge from many players and to be successful would be marvellous.”
While the Men’s Open is laden with talent, the same can be said of the Women’s Open in which Catriona Casey will defend her title. Gunning for her will be Lorraine Havern after the thrilling battle the pair had in the Irish final at Breaffy.
Casey won that and took the crown as well as her plane ticket to Canada and a place in the Irish team for the Worlds.
It looks as if Casey and Havern will again cross swords but, as in the men’s competition, there are plenty of others willing to crash the party. None more so than Maeve McElduff, who lost to Casey in the final last year, but out of the competition is Galway’s teenage star Ciana Ní Churraoin.
Competing will be world 40x20 champion Aisling Reilly and former world triple singles champion Fiona Shannon and her sister Sibéal Gallagher. Neither sister competes regularly now but they are still the world doubles champions.
And, no doubt, a lot of people will be delighted to see the legendary Michael ‘Ducksy’ Walsh in action during the Men’s Over-35 competition after the Kilkenny man retained his Irish honours.
The opening games are scheduled for this evening with the finals to be played on Sunday.
