Preview: All-Ireland Senior Softball Singles semi-finals

By Paul Fitzpatrick

The stage is set for the semi-finals of the All-Ireland Senior Softball Singles championships in the men’s and ladies grades, which are down for decision tomorrow (Saturday) at the National Handball Centre, Croke Park.

With the reigning champion and three former finalists still standing in the ladies' grade and a mouth-watering men's line-up, high-quality fare is guaranteed from 10am.

The ladies' semi-finals are first on the schedule and defending champion Martina McMahon will be aiming to move a step closer to retaining the title she captured 12 months ago. The Limerick ace takes on Mayo's Cuileann Bourke, who had an impressive win over experienced Cork player Aishling O’Keeffe last time out.

McMahon comes into the weekend as the player everyone has to beat. She underlined her quality earlier this year when she retained her title at the Irish Nationals in Wexford.

The other semi-final pits two more familiar faces against one another as Kildare's Mollie Dagg meets Westmeath's Aoife McCarthy. Their most recent encounter came in the Irish Nationals and could hardly have been closer. Dagg edged out McCarthy in dramatic fashion, prevailing by the narrowest of margins in an 11-10 tiebreaker before progressing to the final.

That result adds another layer of intrigue to Saturday's clash. McCarthy will undoubtedly feel she has unfinished business, while Dagg will take confidence from knowing she came out on top when the pair last crossed paths.

The men's championship has been compelling. The first of the semis sees defending champion Gary McConnell face one of the rising stars of the game, Cormac Finn.

Finn arrives in Croke Park full of confidence after claiming the Intermediate Singles title on home soil in Ballymote on Tuesday evening when he defeated Cork's Daniel Relihan. The Sligo man continues to develop at a rapid rate and has already shown he can trouble McConnell. In last year's championship meeting between the pair, Finn managed to take a game off the eventual champion.

There is also recent history between the two. They met in the final of the Irish Nationals earlier this season in a contest that ended in controversial circumstances when Finn withdrew. That episode, coupled with the competitive edge both men bring, only increases the anticipation surrounding their latest encounter.

McConnell, however, remains the benchmark. The defending champion is not one to take a step back and will relish another battle against one of the game's emerging talents.

The second semi-final sees Robbie McCarthy take on Mark Doyle in another tie packed with quality.

McCarthy intimated last year that he was hanging up his gloves but has come back and looks to be playing as well as ever. The Mullingar man produced a superb display in the previous round to defeat Ger Coonan in straight games. Coonan himself had earlier ended the challenge of the promising Kyle Jordan, making McCarthy's victory all the more impressive.

Having suffered the disappointment of losing last year's final to McConnell on an injury default after dropping the opening game, the Westmeath legend will be determined to return to the decider and reclaim the title.

Standing in his way is Wexford's Mark Doyle, who demonstrated tremendous composure in his quarter-final victory over Brian Carroll. Playing on his home court in Taghmon, Doyle came through a dramatic contest which was ultimately settled by an 11-7 tiebreaker.

Doyle has been based in Minnesota in recent years, where he has been on a handball scholarship at Mankato University. Re-adjusting to the Irish game takes time but he will be expected to mount a bold bid, with a significant block of softball training and competition now under his belt.

All four matches will be streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.