Paul Fitzpatrick
And then there were two. After one of the tightest senior handball races in living memory, reigning champ Robbie McCarthy and Armagh's former US no 1 Charly Shanks are the last men standing in the O'Neill's Sportswear All-Ireland 40x20 Senior Singles Championship following yesterday's semi-finals at Kingscourt, Co Cavan.
McCarthy, a member of the Irish Navy who sealed the Defence Forces handball crown at a canter in mid-week, dominated front court en route to a 21-7, 21-6 win over his former doubles partner, Brian Carroll of Meath. Armagh's Shanks, meanwhile, was priced as a 13/8 outsider with Paddy Power but turned in a devastating performance against former Clare underage hurler Diarmaid Nash, winning 21-11, 21-17 with a sizzling display of controlled, aggressive handball.
McCarthy (27) and Shanks will meet on March 21 at the same venue, with the Mullingar man likely to start as favourite. However, Shanks has a decent record in head-to-heads with 'the Buzzsaw', and the 31-year-old Lurgan right-hander's unorthodox style, and his status as a hop artist (handball lingo for a player who can tangle an opponent up by spinning the ball), makes him a dangerous foe.
In the meantime, Balls - great supporters of the game that we are - was there yesterday to capture this clip from the McCarthy v Carroll clash:
And in case you want to do your homework in the hope that the bookies will get cleaned again - as they were yesterday by many canny handball freaks Balls encountered - then check out the last time the pair met in a major final, the US Open in Los Angeles four years ago.
