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Eoin Kennedy edged out by Tom Healy in Ulster Open Handball Final - Wed, 14 Feb 2007

Hard Luck to Eoin Kennedy who was edged out by Tom Healy of Cork in the Ulster Open Final. Eoin done very well to reach the final defeating top player Paul Brady in the Semi-Final.

At precisely 5 p.m Eoin Kennedy walked into court number 1 in Kingscourt to warm up followed 3 minutes later by Tony Healy. I got the feeling straight away once his great nemesis Paul Brady was not in the same court that Healy would open up and show the class player that he is and this time it was Kennedy who was who would suffer the brunt of Healy's all out attacking play. There was only standing room for the final as the huge crowd swelled the attendance to full capacity to witness a great contest. Healy showed why he is one of greats in Irish handball killed with alarming regularity. Head up and relaxing his shoulders he demonstrated all the arts in handball. Kennedy who never plays a bad game and is Mr consistent in handball kept valiantly in touch with the Cork dynamo. Kennedy who has a patient build up looking for an opening in Healy's play placed many returns onto the roof looking, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. With the form Healy was in there were few opportunities's to do this. Kennedy stayed in touch and against the odds drew level at 14-14. In the next passage of play Healy was awesome. Three times he shouldn't have returned Kennedy's shot's back in play. Even jumping up on the glass back wall and sprinting like an Olympian to the front he somehow won the point diving in to win the score. It was an amazing score and turning point in the match. There was a prolonged round of applause for the Cork man after winning that amazing point. Healy got the next 7 points to take the first game by 21-14.

Healy's play in game two was simply exhilarating. He let loose and not a player in the world would have beaten Healy in the form he displayed in Kingscourt. Cometh the hour cometh the man. Healy could do no wrong every time he touched the ball it worked out for him. Healy showing high octane levels of fitness smothered the life out of Kennedy with remarkable first touches and volleys. Kennedy couldn't get into the game to any great extent as Healy's exquisite kills in both corners and aces to the Dublin man's left corner especially worked a treat. Kennedy was forced to go for shots from the back court as Healy dominated the centre and Kennedy was powerless. Healy's Hurricane hit Kennedy hard and blew him and the supporters breath away. It was exhibition stuff from Healy and he was a winner long before the final point was won. Walter O'Connor of the sponsors Envirogreen presented Healy with the Ulster Open winners Crystal and to Eoin Kennedy who battled bravely to the finish with his runner up piece of crystal.

I caught up with Tony & Eoin afterwards and I asked the champion his thoughts on the win. "Delighted with the win especially when you have all the top players here. It is all very positive for me and shows me what I am doing is working. I lost in New York last weekend and was very disappointed. It was great to come back and the work show's me it is paying off." I then put it to Tony that he must have been very happy how he performed beating the top Irish & U.S. players on route to the final. "Yes absolutely Sean Lenning is one of the up best up and coming U.S. players he is really very good and has fierce potential. It is great to have the U.S. players here. It still comes down to the Irish players are still tops. I was expecting Eoin or Paul to reach the final and to beat them on any day is great. It is very positive for me to get a win over them."

I then posed the question to Tony that he looked very hungry, determined & focussed to win playing outstanding handball and never really allowing Eoin a chance to dominate? Eoin was up 14-11 and the momentum swung back to be and I finished the first game and carried it into the second. I got away and things went really well when I was cruising and Eoin was under an awful lot of pressure trying to get back into it. Everything was working in my favour and the confidence was up. I worked very hard for every point.

Healy praised the organisers of the Ulster Open it's a credit to them he said. "The U.S. players were threatening to come for a while and are realising that there are really good tournaments in Ireland a lot more competitive than they play at home. In fairness to Kit, Walter & the organisers they brought the U.S. players over. I think it will be the start of things. It won't be the case of the Irish going over to the U.S. all the time. Where ever it's on the top players will go to it and its great added Tony.

Eoin Kennedy kindly gave me a few minutes of his time and I put it to him he played exceptional handball against Paul Brady in the semi's. Was it a case of tiredness or Tony's dominance that was the factor in the end? "I think it was a mixture of the two to be honest" replied Eoin. Tony was playing amazing handball. To beat Tony in the final I would have to be playing amazing myself. He dominated the game in the middle period. I think I was 14-11 up when he came back to level. I think there were a couple of points I should have pushed ahead and won. Once he got ahead he was unstoppable. In the second game he was ahead and my arms didn't seem to have the same power into the ball. He was killing ball from everywhere. He never let me into it and Tony's a deserving winner.

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