Mixed fortunes for Buggy
Wednesday February 17 2010
IT WAS a busy week for Gavin Buggy in his quest for a Leinster Senior 40 x 20 handball medal. His week began well when he joined forces with Paul Lambert for the first time in competition and they had a fantastic win, beating the Kilkenny duo of Michael 'Duxie' Walsh and Timmy Clifford after a tough and entertaining contest in Garryhill on Monday of last week.
Despite losing the opening set 21-15, the Wexford players recovered to force a tie-breaker with a 21-10 win in the second set.
The fitness and hunger of the Model county men proved enough in the third set, and a 21-11 win followed to send Gavin and Paul into a Leinster semi-final next weekend, where they have the daunting task of Eoin Kennedy and Egin Jensen lying in wait.
Kennedy has already been a thorn in Buggy's side in 2010 as the Dublin ace proved too hot to handle on Saturday night last in the semi-final of the Senior singles, as the metropolitan romped to a 21-2, 21-4 victory.
Gavin saw the game pass him by before he knew where he was. Credit to Kennedy though who is an awesome handball player at the top of his game and will be a close contender for the AllIreland title. David Redmond and Noel Holohan were knocked out of the Junior doubles during the past week as they lost out to Offaly opposition in Monevea, Co. Laois, on Wednesday night. They suffered a 21-7, 21-12 defeat to last year's beaten All-Ireland finalists, David Hope and Noel Murphy. Paul Lambert and Peter Hughes moved into the quarter-finals of the Junior ' B' doubles at the expense of another Wexford pair as the St. Joseph's/Ballyhogue combination proved best against Coolgreany duo Damien Kelly and Darren O'Toole.
The first game went to the winners 2117, but the Gorey men recovered to take the second set 21-12.
They were unable to keep in control, losing out in the third game 21-7. John Roche and Malachy Whelan have also secured a quarter-final spot as they received a walkover during the past week.
Declan Hart and Fintan Doyle are back on the winning scent again and are hungry for success.
They were awesome in their win last week, beating Eamonn Purcell and John Purcell from Kilkenny 21-6, 21-10.
