Busy times in handball with the 1-wall nationals scheduled for Breaffy House complex, Castlebar this weekend, which promises to produce a feast of top class action for one wall handball enthusiasts. One Wall Nationals have grown in popularity in the past few years, attracting a record entry last year when City West complex hosted them as a prelude to World championship. This year it’s back to Breaffy House which hosted very successful one wall championships in 2010 and 2011 and with a huge entry again this year another top class display of handball is on the cards. Cork will be well represented over the weekend and it is hoped some of our players will feature in the concluding stages.

Nearer home the 60/30 Munster championship will gather momentum as all grades in the championship kick into the fixture schedule. Cork have a big entry in the championship and while the follow on fixture list has not been issued at the time of writing it is expected that Cork players will be in action in most grades from Monday evening on. It is planned to have the full championship programme completed by the end of July.

Last week the 60/30 Munster U13 inter club team championship and plate competition were played off. On Wednesday evening Mallow defeated Limerick club side, Laochra Laimhe Na Modhscoile, in a semi-final which set up a Munster final meeting with Tipperary club Lahorna in Hospital on Friday evening, with the Tipperary club proving the stronger taking the spoils on a score of 60 aces to 44. The Mallow team on duty was Conor Walsh, Aaron O’Connor, Anthony O’Connell, Cian O’Driscoll and Cian Flaherty.

Liscarroll, who had lost out in the championship proper, competed in the plate competition on Friday evening in Bohermore. This was played on a round robin basis with three clubs involved Liscarroll, Hospital and Laochra Laimhe na Modhscoile with the team who score the most aces in their two games being the winner. While Liscarroll played well they lost narrowly to both Hospital and the Model School club. The Liscarroll team on duty was Michael O’Callaghan, Colin O’Brien, Colin Healy, Aaron Curtin and Luke Barrett.

Last weekend three Mallow players travelled to Galway to Mount Talbot for their one wall tournament which was played in Mount Talbot Village Courts and in the Mattie McDonagh Centre in Ballygar, which has three one wall courts and it proved a very successful trip for the players involved. David Walsh had a very successful weekend winning the plate competition against very strong opposition. They had a very big entry which included many of the top one wall players, Conor Walsh and Eoghan Sheehan, despite not figuring in the honours list played very well, competing in more of the top one wall tournaments will greatly help to improve their game.

The Martin Crowe tournament, played in Broadford last Sunday, was an all Cork affair in the final, with Brendan Fleming, Ballydesmond and Michael Hedigan, Liscarroll teaming up to defeat their fellow countymen, Ballydesmond pair Donnacha O’Dea/ John Casey 15/6, 15/14, in a cracking final that went right down to the wire.

The weekend after next will be a very busy one in Limerick and Cork as Feile na nGael handball is played at Limerick venues and the following Cork venues Ballydesmond, Liscarroll, Mallow and Conna. There is a very big entry, which should produce top class games in both the team competitions and in the individual skills competitions. There are five Cork clubs involved in both the boys and girls competitions in the different divisions. It is certainly going to be a hectic weekend with all division finals scheduled for Limerick venues on Sunday, July 7th.