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Eoin Kennedy & Egin Jenson Crowned Irish Hardball Champo Winners in Tough Final - Wed, 16 Jun 2010

Congrats to Eoin Kennedy and Egin Jensen (Na Fianna, Glasnevin) who claimed this year's GAA All-Ireland Hardball (60X30) Senior Doubles title, when they defeated rising young Limerick stars, Seamus O' Carroll (Cappagh) and C. J. Fitzpatrick (Broadford), in a thrilling final, over three games, at Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, on Saturday. The Dubliners, who have dominated these championships for the past five years, were bidding for the crown they last won in 2008 and were the strong pre-match favourites, but were forced to pull-out all the stops, to overcome a stern challenge from the resilient Limerick duo, who have made a major impact since joining the senior circuit.

In the first game, the score was level at 10-10 and then at 15-15, before O' Carroll and Fitzpatrick hit their stride and edged into a narrow lead of 15-17. However, Kennedy and Jensen replied immediately, pointing three times in succession, to take a slender lead of 18-17. The Limerickmen responded in kind, forging ahead and regaining a narrow lead of 19-20. But the Dubliners remained unfazed and drew level, once more at 20-20, before Kennedy unleashed a stinging kill shot, to close out, on a slender scoreline of 21-20.

In the second game, the score was level at 5-5, before O' Carroll and Fitzpatrick hit a purple patch and raced into commanding leads of 5-10 and then 5-15. The Limerickmen began to display their full array of lethal kill shots and silken passing shots, allied to some explosive serving and sensationally surged ahead into a commanding lead of 5-18. Kennedy and Jensen, dazzled by this onslaught, had simply no answers, as O' Carroll and Fitzpatrick blitzed through, pointing three consecutive times, to close out, on an emphatic scoreline of 5-21.

The third game, a much-closer affair, followed a similar pattern to the first game, with the score level at 3-3 and then 5-5. O'Carroll and Fitzpatrick then edged into a narrow lead of 7-10, before Kennedy and Jensen replied, forging ahead into a slender lead of 15-12. The Limerickmen dug-deep, pointing five times in succession, to regain a slender lead of 15-17. But that was the end of the Limerickmen's scoring, as the Dubliners began to produce their own armoury of pinpoint kill shots and smooth passing shots, allied to some explosive serving, pointing six consecutive times, to seal victory, on a narrow scoreline of 21-17.

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