Kilkenny and Cork renew rivalries in Senior Doubles handball final

By Paul Fitzpatrick

The dust had barely settled at the National Handball Centre on March 15, 2025 when newly-crowned All-Ireland Senior Doubles champion Paddy Funchion, the cup nestled at his feet, was asked for his thoughts.

“It was an unusual game, it ebbed and flowed,” the Kells, Co Kilkenny man reckoned, “we weren’t in it for long periods but the guys missed a couple of shots that they wouldn’t normally miss which let us back into the game and I think that made the difference.

“Last year, they didn’t miss those shots.”

And in a game of minute margins like handball, it often comes down to who misses and who makes “those shots”. Funchion and his brother Peter dropped the first game of that final on a 21-18 scoreline against the defending champions Daniel Relihan and Michael Hedigan of Cork but came roaring back to take the title Noreside for the first time since 1998.

Thirteen months on, the oneills.com Men’s Senior Doubles final has thrown up the same pairing. The teams also met in the 2023 semi-final, which Cork won, so it’s fair to say that theirs is now the leading rivalry in the doubles code.

And rivalries are what the game is built on and what piques interest.

Speaking after their semi-final win over three-time champions Diarmaid Nash and Colin Crehan of Clare, Relihan admitted that losing the final last year has increased motivation for the Rebels.

“Yeah, definitely. Look, it doesn’t really matter because anyone of the top four or five seeds could have won this All-Ireland Championship so we didn’t feel any extra pressure on ourselves. But I suppose there is that thing last year of how the Funchions got on top of us.

“But I suppose the year before that, we beat them. So maybe they were using that as fuel last year,” he said.

The game truly looks like a 50-50 contest. Liscarroll’s Relihan noted that “it’s all on the day” and while that’s a cliché, it’s no less true for that. This match will likely come down to who is more efficient in ending rallies – simple as that.

The curtain-raiser to the Men’s Senior Doubles final is the ladies decider which differs in that there is a clear favourite. Galway’s Ciana Ní Churraoin (Micheál Breathnachs) and Niamh Heffernan (Claregalway) are gunning for a third successive title and have taken over the mantle as the leading ladies doubles pair from Cork’s Catriona Casey and Aishling O’Keeffe.

With Catriona injured, Aishling teamed up with Intermediate Singles champion Carmel Kelleher but Galway were well on top in their semi-final. On the other side of the draw, Clare’s Leah Minogue and Caitriona Millane came through in straight games against Kildare sisters Mollie and Hannah Dagg to reach their first senior final.

Tuamgraney pair Minogue and Millane have both won the Intermediate Singles (2025 and 2022 respectively) and their credentials are strong but Galway will start as favourites.

“I think it would be more than amazing,” Minogue said of the prospect of victory.
“That’s it, it is a great opportunity and we do have nothing to lose but I guess we want to do ourselves justice as well and put it up to them and show what we are able to do.

“Obviously everyone’s beatable, anything can happen on the day so that’s the plan.”

Both Heffernan and Ní Churraoin had designs on winning the Senior Singles but have regrouped for the doubles, Niamh said.

“Everyone’s goal is to win an All-Ireland in the singles and obviously I was very disappointed that I lost out to Ciana in the semi-final but at the same time I knew we had the doubles as well so it’s nice to kind of focus on that. After the singles we took kind of a bit of a break and it was nice to get back into it and playing together again.

“We both do enjoy the doubles and it’s just a different type of handball. I think it’s different when you’re playing with someone from your county. It’s really enjoyable.”

The ladies senior final serves off at 2pm. Both matches will be streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.