Tully and McCarthy Secure All-Ireland 4-Wall Handball Titles

Croke Park witnessed a day of compelling action on Saturday as Roscommon’s Fiona Tully and Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy emerged victorious in the oneills.com All-Ireland 4-Wall Senior Singles championships.

A First for Tully, an Eighth for McCarthy

Fiona Tully secured her first All-Ireland Ladies 4-Wall Senior Singles title, while Robbie McCarthy added to his already impressive collection with his eighth championship win.

McCarthy’s Hard-Fought Victory

McCarthy demonstrated superb form in his match against Clare’s Diarmaid Nash, ultimately winning 21-19, 21-7. The first game was particularly competitive, with Nash leading 19-18 before McCarthy rallied to close it out. The second game saw McCarthy dominate from the start.

McCarthy had previously hinted at retirement after the Senior Softball Singles final last August but ultimately decided to return to the sport. He expressed gratitude to those who encouraged his return, stating, I’d say there’s a lot of people raging I did come back but it’s their fault, a couple of people brought me back to be honest and I just want to say thanks to them people, they realize who they are. He added, It feels great to be back and pick up another one. I’m just playing for fun now, no pressure, I’m just enjoying myself and it seems to be working.

Regarding his future in the sport, McCarthy remained noncommittal, saying, I’m not going to say whether I will or whether I won’t (continue to play) because I made that mistake already. I’m just going to play and enjoy myself and if I feel like I’m able to compete and stick with the younger lads, I’m happy. Just enjoying myself and still being around the game is really nice.

Tully’s Historic Win

Tully’s victory over world champion Ciana Ní Churraoin (21-17, 21-14) marked the first time the Ladies Senior Singles title has been brought back to the St Coman’s club in Roscommon Town. The match was described as the first all-Connacht Ladies decider.

Tully acknowledged the difficulty of her journey to the top, recalling past defeats: I think I came up to senior when I was 19, Aisling Reilly, Catriona Casey, Martina McMahon were all there… Ciana had been out for a bit because of injury and then she came back. I wasn’t training as I should have been but because I had won stuff when I was younger, I thought ‘oh, the jump up won’t be too bad’. But oh God, it was a lot. She continued, I got 21-0 losses off them all, I played in the Golden Gloves and the two games lasted 11 minutes, it was bad…

She emphasized the importance of enjoying the game, stating, Last year in Clare, Ciana beat me to single figures. But this year I enjoyed my handball a lot more and I think that kind of paid off. Tully too highlighted the strategic aspect of her win, noting, This was the fourth time we played this year, she had beaten me in two tiebreakers – I won the first game in both and it was 11-all in the second before she took off and then won the tiebreaker – so I knew I couldn’t let it go to a tiebreaker today if I won the first game. She concluded, I’m pretty delighted with how I figured out the game today and happy with how I played.

Key Match Details

• Fiona Tully (Roscommon) defeated Ciana Ní Churraoin (Galway) 21-17, 21-14
• Robbie McCarthy (Westmeath) defeated Diarmaid Nash (Clare) 21-19, 21-7

Looking Ahead

Both Tully and McCarthy’s victories represent significant achievements in Irish handball, and their continued participation will undoubtedly be followed with great interest by fans of the sport.