NOEL HOLOHAN bowed out of the Leinster Junior handball championships at the first round stage as he lost out 21-11, 21-9 to William Love from Kilkenny in his first provincial action in over 18 months since suffering a cruciate ligament injury playing football.

There was much better luck for Darren O'toole in the first two rounds of the Junior 'B' singles as he disposed of Kilkenny and Carlow opposition to advance to the last 16 stage of this competitive grade.

In the first round, O'toole beat Diarmuid Burke from Kilkenny 21-10, 2113, and in the second round the Coolgreany man defeated Shane Fenlon from Carlow 21-7, 21-12.

David Kenny was successful in his first round game in the same competition as he beat John O'neill from Kilkenny 21-10, 21-18.

Kenny somehow came back from 17-3 down in the second set for this fine win.

Amanda Kelly from Templeudigan made a very impressive start to the ladies' Junior 'B' singles when she hammered Christina Duignan from Offaly 21-2, 21-2.

Peter Hughes and Paul Lambert stole the show in the opening rounds of the Wexford Farmers' Co-op 40 x 20 Senior singles when they both accounted for players from last year's Senior final.

Hughes' straight sets win over Gavin Buggy made all the Wexford handball fraternity stop with suprise as the young Ballyhogue man is emerging as one of the main contenders to take over from the current fine crop of Senior players in the county.

Hughes powered past Buggy from St. Mary's in the opening round of Group A with a 21-11, 21-7 win, and he further added to this success with a terrific win over Darren O'toole from Coolgreany (21-12, 21-14) to sit top of Group A on six points.

Gavin Buggy re-grouped from his first round defeat to get his title defence back on track with a 21-11, 21-17 win over his clubmate, Colin Keeling.

Paul Lambert sits proudly on top of Group B after a fine win over Barry Goff in his first game. In what was described as a superb game of handball, Lambert, who has been in fine form for the last three years, made clear his intent to add a Senior county title to his impressive medal collection. His 21-20, 15-21, 21-8 win over last year's runner-up, Barry Goff from Castlebridge, will make everyone sit up and take notice that a changing of the guard is just around the corner in the form of Lambert and Hughes.

Micheál O'neill marked his comeback from the handball wilderness with a win and a defeat in the Intermediate singles during the past week. In the opening round, O'neill from Templeudigan took care of Nicky Curran from St. Martin's 21-16, 15-21, 21-17. However, Galen Riordan, another star of the future from Balyhogue, knocked O'neill out in the next round after a 217, 21-19 win.

In the Intermediate doubles, Noel Holohan and David Redmond from Templeudigan turned around a 6-21 reversal in the first game to eventually overcome a strong challenge from St. Joseph's pair P.J. and Eoin Leacy, with the Templeudigan men winning the remaining two sets 21-7, 21-20.

Kevin Cowman from Templeudigan powered into the second round of the Junior singles with a thumping 21-3, 21-3 win over P.J. Leacy from St. Joseph's, and joining him in the next round is Dom Stafford from Davidstown who defeated Ned Connors from Coolgreany 21-11, 21-20.