The Wall-Ball Nationals were contested this weekend in the Breaffy House Sports Arena in Castlebar, Mayo (Ireland), with the top men’s and ladies stars in Irish Wall-Ball handball. More than 400 combined players in the open, juniors, skill level and age division brackets traveled to Castlebar to compete in the Wall-Ball extravaganza, including players from India, Holland, and Ireland.
The 2016 Irish Wall-Ball Nationals kicked off on Friday with all men’s and ladies round of 16 and quarterfinal matches being 20-minute timed-matches. “The matches are extremely tough,” stated WPH Reporter and 2016 Irish Wall-Ball Nationals semifinalist Martin Mulkerrins. “The action is nonstop and the ball is just thrown back into the court so there are no breaks.”
Men’s Open
Conor McElduff entered the Men’s Open Singles as the top seed on the heels of back-to-back Wall-Ball National victories in 2014 and 2015. Mcelduff faced a very strong field at this year’s event that included last year’s finalist and 2016 USHA Four Wall National Championships semifinalist Martin Mulkerrins, current R48 Player’s Champion and USHA Four Wall National Champion Killian Carroll, and two-time defending All Ireland 40×20 champion Robbie McCarthy.
Conor McElduff continued his quest for three in a row at the Irish Wall-Ball Nationals, holding off match point in the semifinals at 14-14 in the final 20 seconds of the 20-minute timed semifinal against Irish cross over star Robbie McCarthy. McCarthy had the win in his grasp with a spike kill opportunity in the waning seconds of the match, but the spike narrowly missed. McElduff dominated in the overtime to five points, scoring five of the six points in the extra frame.
Martin Mulkerrins was dominant in the bottom bracket semifinal, cruising past Paudi Quish to setup a repeat of last year’s Irish Wall-Ball Final.
Mulkerrins started quickly in the final, building a one-game lead with effectively aggressive front court play. McElduff responded in game two, demonstrating why he entered the event as the two-time defending champion in evening the match. The pair would need a tiebreak to decide the championship for the second consecutive year, but this time it would be Mulkerrins who would rise to the occasion. Mulkerrins built a huge lead and never looked back, winning his first open national singles title in Ireland.
“I’m just delighted with it,” stated Mulkerrins after his sensational victory. “Everything just went my way in the tiebreaker. Instead of playing it safe like I did last year in the tiebreaker, I just suppose I went for the kills.”
Men’s Quarterfinals
#1 McElduff defeats Doyle 31-6
#4 McCarthy defeats Daly 31-9
#6 Quish defeats #3 Carroll 22-18
#2 Mulkerrins defeats #7 McCavitt 20-19
Men’s Semifinals
McEleduff defeats McCarthy 14-14, 5-1 in overtime
Mulkerrins defeats Quish 27-14
Men’s Final: Mulkerrins defeats McElduff 15-5, 8-15, 11-2
Ladies Open
Irish Wall-Ball specialist and three-time Wall-Ball Ladies National Champion Lorraine Havern earned the top seed in the Ladies Open and faced a strong contingent of ladies that included 2016 WPH Outdoor Vegas Lte Champion Ciana Ni Churraoin, 2016 WR48 NYAC finalist Martina McMahon, European #1 Wall-Ball star Miranda Scheffer, and European #4 Wall-Ball star Harmke Sigersma.
Havern lived up to her #1 seed in dominating the upper bracket en route to the final, as she cruised past Mahon and Sigersma en route to the final. Left-handed smooth-swinging Martina McMahon emerged from the bottom bracket, overcoming Maeve McElduff in a close quarterfinal and dominating European Wall-Ball #1 Miranda Scheffer in the semifinals to meet Havern in the final.
Havern demonstrated her Wall-Ball mastery in the final, blunting the lefty’s two-handed offensive attack in dominating game one. McMahon would trade kills and challenge Havern in game two, but Havern made the important shots late in the game to clinch her third Wall-Ball title.
Ladies Quarterfinals
#1 Havern defeats Coleman 27-14
#4 Sigersma Mahon defeats 24-22
#3 McMahon defeats McElduff 23-19
#2 Scheffer defeats Dunne 31-12
Semis
Havern defeats Siegersma 28-16
McMahon defeats Scheffer 31-4
Final: Havern defeats McMahon 15-6, 15-13
Huge thanks to WPH Reporter and Irish Wall-Ball Champion Martin Mulkerrins for providing in depth analysis and reports from both the men’s and ladies action in Castlebar!
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David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
PHOTOS BY THE GAA