Offaly venue plays host to games in World Handball Championships

THE 4-Wall World Handball Championships took place in various venues across the Leinster region last week and Crinkle was one of the venues to host games.

The event kicked off on Saturday October 26^th and ran until November 3^rd. There was a record entry with nearly 1,700 participants competing in the event. Initially, the event was to be hosted by Carlow, Laois, Kilkenny and Croke Park but with such large numbers, extra venues in Kildare, Wexford, Wicklow and Offaly were needed to run the event.

Crinkle got the call up only a month ago, it came as a bit of a shock, but the club was more than willing to help with hosting matches. The volunteers and officials in the club are no strangers when it comes to hosting big events as Crinkle Handball Club is regularly used for hosting provincial and national handball fixtures all year round.

Each day of the event the club hosted between eight and 14 matches with a 9am start. During the day the participants and spectators were treated to the hospitality of volunteers with food and refreshments, with numbers over the course of the day exceeding one hundred people. All of this was done with the help of their 22 volunteers who worked tirelessly during the event and helped with painting and enhancement works carried out in the lead up to the event.

Not only did the tournament bring a lot of activity to the club, but it also brought competitors and spectators from across Ireland, England, Canada, Mexico, America and as far away as Japan. This was a boost to the greater area with people staying over for a few days in the town and dining out and visiting some of the local attractions. The club would like to thank local businesses, sponsors, volunteers and spectators and anyone who helped in any way to make this a memorable week for the Crinkle Handball Club.

Club Players

The club was represented by Conor O’Brien, Jack Jones, John Murphy, Declan Cooke and Sian Cooke in the championships.

Conor O'Brien competed in the Over 50 singles and he partnered Kirk Rhys USA in the doubles of the same event. In the first round of the singles Conor was defeated by Paul Graham of Antrim 15-7, 0-15,11-8. In the quarter final of the doubles, they were defeated by Meath brothers Tom and Michael Sheridan 15-8, 15-8, 11-3. Having qualified for the plate competition Conor and Kirk won the O-50’s Doubles final 21-12 defeating Graham Casburn and Morgan Duggan, Moycullen, Galway.

Declan Cooke partnered Michael Carrie of Dublin in the men’s over 50 doubles and were defeated in the first round 15-10, 15-8 by New York’s Jared Vale and Joseph Kaplan.

Jack and John played in the Men’s C singles and partnered together for the doubles. John was defeated in his opening round of the singles, 15-8, 12-15, 11-4 by Kevin O’Callahan of Kilkishen, Clare. Jack Jones won his first round defeating Jason Lieng, New York, USA, 15-5, 15-3 but was later beaten in the next round 15-10, 15-7 by Clare’s Darragh Burke. In the doubles John and Jack defeated Carter and Jason Gilmore of Canada 15-8, 15-9. In the second round they were defeated by Adam Kenny and Michael Mullins of Tinryland, Carlow, 15-7, 9-15, 11-6.

Sian Cooke played in the Ladies’ C singles and teamed up with Yoshida Kenco of Japan. Sian was defeated in her opening round of the singles by Sarah Walsh, Mallow, Cork, 15-9, 15-11. In the doubles Sian and Yoshida played against Monaghan’s Emily and Louise McGinnity. After a great start winning the first game 15-13, they found themselves chasing the second game with the Monaghan team taking that game 15-3. It was all to play for with the Monaghan duo being the favourites to win out this grade. Sian and Yoshida fought hard in the tie breaker and held the lead for most of the game but eventually they lost 11-9 after a great performance.

Sian qualified for both the singles and doubles plate competition and after convincing wins over Eilish Owens of Galway, Frances Byrne, Coolboy, Wicklow, she faced Sinead Forde, Kells, Meath in the final. Both ladies fought hard for every ball, and it was a tough contest but in the end the Meath, lady won it on a score line of 21-14. The doubles saw Sian and Yoshida take on Nuala Dunning and Agnes Hurley of Conna, Cork and after a strong performance and convincing win they faced Anne Marie Ryan and Karen Monaghan, Ballina, Tipperary. The Tipperary duo proved too strong and won the match 21-4.

The World Championship By Numbers

20 - Venues being used to run the event, all in Leinster. The clubs hosting matches are Tinryland, Garryhill and Borris in Carlow; Culohill and Monavea in Laois; Lisdowney, Galmoy, Clogh, Kilfane, Windgap, Callan, Kells and O’Loughlins in Kilkenny; St Joseph’s, Davidstown and Coolgreany in Wexford; Coolboy in Wicklow; Crinkle in Offaly and Ballymore Eustace in Kildare, as well as the National Handball Centre.

1675 - Entries in the tournament. This is a record for a standalone 4-Wall handball tournament, with grades ranging from 11&U to Over 75’s.

1900 - Matches which will take place over the course of the tournament which ran from Saturday October 26th –November 3^rd.

2 - World Championships in the same year. Never before has there been a separate World Wallball Championships or two Worlds in the same year, which is a logistical challenge but a fitting way to mark GAA Handball’s centenary.

5 - World Open Singles titles won by Paul Brady, namely Croke Park in 2003, Canada in 2006 and 2015 and America in 2009 and 2018.

He clamed his 6th World title on Sunday last after defeating Diarmuid Nash of Clare 11-15, 15-8, 11-5.

100 - Years since handball came under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Handball is enshrined as one of the four fully integrated GAA codes alongside Gaelic football, hurling and rounders.

11 - Rounds that Al ‘Blue’ Lewis lasted against Muhammad Ali in Croke Park in 1970. The new state-of-the-art National Handball Centre in Croke Park, which was opened in time for the 1970 World Championships, was Ali’s training base in the lead up to the fight, with a ring erected in the 60x30 court.

450,000 - Since the start of 2024, Spórt TG4’s handball viewership has soared to nearly 450,000, encompassing both live streams (202,000) and television views (244,000). In addition to these impressive numbers, clips of the championship and other handball events have achieved between 100,000 to 200,000 views on social media. A social media highlight of the year, the broadcaster stated recently, includes a viral clip of Paul Brady from March, which has amassed 72,000 views on Instagram.

60 - Years since the first World Handball Championships in New York in 1964. Joey Maher of Louth, an icon of the game, represented Ireland.

Before he set off, his mother had read in The Irish Press that the handball courts were located on the 26th floor of the New York Athletic Club. As her son jumped in a taxi for the airport, Mrs Maher, imagining a similar outdoor court to the one in Millmount, Drogheda where the great man learned to play, passed on a warning: “Don't fall out of the handball alley, Joey.”

520 - Capacity in the all-seater Croke Park showcourt arena, which organisers hope will be crammed with fans for the latter stages of the event.

12 - Years since the World Handball Championships (4-wall and Wallball) were last staged as a combined event in Ireland. The Open winners on that occasion were Paul Brady and Aisling Reilly.

64 - Days between the closing ceremony in the World Wallball Championships in Limerick and the opening ceremony at the World 4-Wall Championships. Nine weeks’ turnaround time!