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Kennedy & Jenson face Goff & Buggy of Wexford in All Ireland Final this Saturday - Mon, 11 Sep 2006

Best of Luck to Eoin Kennedy & Egin Jenson of Na Fianna in the All-Ireland Doubles Handball Final this Saturday. Eoin is having a great year. After successfully defending his All-Ireland Title last week, Eoin hopes to go and make it a year to remember this Saturday in Croke Park. Eoin & Egin face Barry Goff & Gavin Buggy of Wexford in the Final. Eoin is a great ambassador for the club so get into Croke Park & give Eoin the support he deserves.

All Ireland Senior Doubles Final

At Croke Park, Saturday 16th September starting at 4.30pm

• Tr Eoghain (Brian Donaghy, Conor Duff) v Cill Chainnigh (Nicholas Anthony, Kirk Greene)
• Intermediate Singles - An Iarmh (Robert McCarthy) v An Cabhn (Patrick Finnegan)
• Senior Doubles - Eoin Kennedy, Egin Jensen (Ath Cliath) v  Barry Goff, Gavin Buggy (Loch Garman)

Final Preview 

In another all-Leinster M. Domnnelly All-Ireland Senior Softball doubles final, Eoin Kennedy and Egin Jensen defend their crown against Wexford's Barry Goff and Gavin Buggy and will be severely tested by the men from the Model County in what promises to be an excellent contest. The Dubliners have had a busy season, Kennedy winning the World Open Doubles 40 x 20 title in Edmonton with Tony Healy and coming home to take the M. Donnelly All-Ireland Senior Softball Singles title for the third year in succession to become the first Dublin player to do so since the championships began in 1925.

Egin Jensen also played in the Worlds and won the Masters Doubles title with Michael Ducksy Walsh, the player who defeated him in the Masters Singles final. Barry Goff and Gavin Buggy have had a long break since their semi-final in mid-June but they have been very active in the county handball and hurling championships where they play with Faythe Harriers.

Eoin Kennedy notes that he "could only start to focus on the doubles once the singles was over. Egin has been training away and we are both looking forward to retaining our title. After losing the 40 x 20 doubles final earlier this year we are even more determined to round off the year with a win but we both know that we are in for a serious battle against the Wexford lads".

Egin Jensen has had a new lease of life since throwing in his lot with Dublin and is eager to win another doubles title: "I am as fit as I have ever been and am thoroughly enjoying my game. The World Championships victory has made me more determined than ever to compete at the top level in the big court and I am putting everything into training for what should be an epic contest. It will be a marvellous occasion and Eoin and I intend to make it very memorable for Dublin fans".

Jensen holds 24 All-Ireland medals and in 2005 became the first player to win senior and Masters titles in the same year, this in 60 x 30, as well as winning the 40 x 20 Senior Doubles. He partnered Tom Sheridan of Meath to win All-Ireland 40 x 20 senior titles in 1996 and 1997 and is now a member of the Na Fianna Club in Glasnevin.

Barry Goff is no stranger to the big occasion, he contested the 2004 and 2005 Senior Singles finals and has graced hurling fields from the Faythe Harriers club to Croke Park. His ambition is to win All-Ireland Senior Singles and Doubles titles but says the doubles will be enough for this year. He already holds Minor, Under 21 and Intermediate All-Irelands and took a World A Doubles in 2003.

Barry Goff notes that "the preparation for the final could have been better as the long break from the semi - final cannot have helped. We thought at the time on the 17th of June that the break would do us good and that we would have a good ten weeks preparation for the final. Unfortunately, I pulled my hamstring two weeks later, training for the Leinster hurling final".

Gavin Buggy, a son of Ned who won an All-Ireland Senior hurling medal in 1968, is also a keen hurler and won All-Ireland titles in 40 x 20 Junior Singles in 1998, a 60 x 30 Intermediate Doubles with Barry Goff in 2000 and a 40 x 20 B Nationals title in 2002.

Looking forward to this final, Gavin says "Barry and myself played Eoin and Egin in last year's quarter-final and we had a great struggle in Garryhill.  We were delighted that they went on to win the All-Ireland and as a result of running them so close, we felt we would give the doubles a great shot this year. Thankfully, that has worked out and we qualified for the final fairly comprehensively. I think it should be a great game and hopefully the boys will have secured enough success this year after their world championship triumphs".

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