TEENAGE brother and sister Antoin and Mairéad Fox have set a standard for others to follow, after a trailblazing season in handball that has created a number of records.
Among them the Loughmacrory pair won ten national titles, equally divided, this year. On top of that, Antoin and Mairéad found time to play football with their club, county and college, setting the same high standards.
Fifteen-year-old Mairéad has become the first Ulster player to complete a clean sweep of five national singles titles, in U14 girls' events, during the same season, winning All-Ireland Championships on the 40x20 and 60x30 courts, along with two National crowns in 40x20 and One-Wall.
Winning five national titles at this level has only been achieved once before. Mairéad also increased her medal collection with the All-Ireland Feili Skills Gold Medal.
The Loughmacrory youngster's All-Ireland U14 singles title success means she emulates great players like Antrim legend Fiona Shannon and Aisling Reilly.
“Mairéad achieved all the big targets she set out to achieve in 2016 and the Feili title is regarded as a bonus. In any singles final she lost she was competing at a higher level, stepping out of her own age group,” said Loughmacrory PRO Kenny Curran, who also coaches Mairéad.
Antoin Fox (14) was unlucky to come up against exciting and talented player Tiernan Agnew (Clare) in a thrilling 40x20 All-Ireland U16 final, early in the year, but the Tyrone boy bounced back to win a string of titles, since April.
Those included U14 Irish National titles in both 40x20 and One-Wall codes. In America, he was the winner of both the U15 and U17 US National titles and he became the first Tyrone player to win the All-Ireland U16 Championship on the big alley, the 60x30 court.
The late Ducksy Walsh regarded 60x30 handball as the traditional game. The Kilkenny legend was full of praise for the deeds of the Fox teenagers with whom he spent some time coaching.
Both Antoin and Mairéad are also outstanding footballers. Mairéad was top scorer with Tyrone in the county's Ulster U14 provincial success. She plays at a higher age level with Loreto College Omagh and, last week, netted a superb 3-7 (2-6 from play) for Loughmacrory in the Tyrone U16 Grade 2 final against Trillick. Incidentally, Mairéad and Mickey Harte exchange messages before and after their big games.
Antoin has also been starring on the football field with his club and Omagh CBS and has played with Tyrone U16s. Even though he is only a fifth year student, he is in the present Omagh CBS MacRory Cup panel.
