Brilliant Mulkerrins makes history with first ever Irish singles handball title

HISTORY was made in Cavan on Saturday when Martin Mulkerrins became the first Galway handballer to lift the prestigious All-Ireland 40×20 senior singles title.

The Moycullen man produced an awesome performance to overcome reigning champion Charly Shanks in straight sets in a high quality decider in Kingscourt.

Ahead of the final, questions were being asked if Mulkerrins had what it takes to win an All-Ireland having narrowly lost semi-finals in the previous two years.

But the Galway man swatted aside such doubts in a mesmerising performance to dethrone Armagh’s Shanks by 21-9, 21-11 on his way to breaking new ground for a local handballer.

Title holder Shanks raced into a 3-0 lead but wasn’t to score again until Mulkerrins had accumulated 17 unanswered points with blistering kill shots, powerful pass shots and a blitz of spin serves which bamboozled the Ulster champion.

Mulkerrins brought his ‘A’ game to his first senior final and continued his high paced attacking play in the second set. Shanks drew on all his experience to try and stop the rot and stay in the contest.

Although the pair were together at 3-3, again at 6-6, the Tribesman was simply unstoppable and at 15-10 up, he was in the home stretch.

Shanks battled on, and two of the game’s best rallies were played on match point which Shanks defended twice, but a spin serve to the left saw the Moycullen man claim his maiden title in fine style.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.