WORLD HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE:

Grudaire

In case anyone's interested, I would have loved to go to this myself! Is there any other handball enthusiasts out there on boards!? There's plenty to talk about between the games, what happened to Marcus Henry, and the WPH/USHA saga!

I must also give several thumbs up to this stream of the games http://www.niftytv.com/handballworlds/, download the player, and watch the finest in action!

GAA Handball website wrote:

Irish hopes of taking the Men's Open title at the World Handball Championships in Portland, Oregon now rest on Cavan’s Paul Brady.
Number two seed, Cork's Tony Healy was defeated by Arizona's Luis Moreno is yesterday's quarter-final and so Brady is the only remaining Irish man in the blue riband event. He faces California's Emmet Peixoto at 11.30am local US time (7.30pm Irish time).
Defending Ladies Open champion, Antrim’s Fiona Shannon, is also in action later today when she takes on Canadian, Jessica Gawley. Following a huge victory for Marianna Rushe over third seed, Lisa Fraser-Gilmore (Canada), she now faces Antrim's Aisling Reilly as the two official Irish team players go to battle.
In the juvenile events, the official Irish squad event got their world championship campaigns underway yesterday, where Wicklow's Shauna Hilley defeated New York's Danielle Daskalakis 21-6, 21-1. Cork's Catriona Casey defeated Mayo's Leona Ryder in the 17 and Under girls event and now faces a tough semi-final battle against Irish Nationals finalist Lorraine Havern (Down). In the Girls 15 and Under event, Roscommon's Lauren O'Riordan recorded a comprehensive 21-6, 21-2 victory over Waterford's Aoife Landers.
The boys on the official Irish team also got their championships off to winning ways, where Clare's Diarmaid Nash breezed through his first round game against Wicklow's Gary Donohue. Fellow Banner man, Jamie Lynch defeated Waterford's David Collins 21-4, 21-1 and now faces Dublin's John Walsh in the quarter-final. In the Boys 15 and Under, Monaghan's Padraig McKenna takes on Cork's Ciaran Buckley in his opening singles game of the tournament. Action continues to heat up in Portland, where Ducksy Walsh took the Master's A title yesterday and all of the top Irish doubles pairings sealed places in the quarter-finals, which take place later today. In this morning's Men's A Final, Tyrone's Ruari Kelly recorded a fine win over Tipperary's Ger Coonan on a 21-14, 21-15 scoreline.

To keep track of the event, click on: http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/divisions/listAllDivs.asp?TID=5406&sortBy=defaultOrder

For direct link to Men's Open Singles, click on:
http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/drawsOut/drawOut.asp?divID=890&combinedID=0&TID=5406&chatRoomUserID=&link=../drawsOut/drawOut.asp

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Kannon

Go on Gunner!
First ever to do the 3 in a row. Fair play to him. Great champion.

Mardy Bum

Unbelievable match. Garner deserves alot of credit.

P Brady is a true legend of the game now!

Kannon

I didn't know Garner was that good actually. Saw him in the Ulster Open a few years ago and Brady beat much more easily. He seems to have a few more strings to his bow now

Mardy Bum

He wasnt even up to much this year let alone the Ulster Open! He really really came on in a few months. Emmet Peixoto is a muppet for claiming he wasnt injured!

Kannon

yeah Peixoto just made himself sound really bitter. i mean even if you think the injury is a fake, don't announce it like that. He might regret it

Mardy Bum

I'd say hes regretting it right now! Chapman didn't make any bitter comments which i was more surprised about, though he did actually win something I suppose!

Kannon

yeah Chapman came across well. It will be interesting to see him come back and challenge Brady again. The had some class matches in the past.
On another note, good win for Robert McCarthy and Brian Carroll over Peixoto and Garner...Although Carroll is a great singles player too, he seems to excel at doubles. You'd have to fancy Kennedy and Finnegan to win it out though.

Mardy Bum

Nope in my books Favs now has to be Carroll and McCarthy! Finnegan and kennedy shouldnt have been pushed to a tie breaker against Mehilos and O Leary both have them players good years are long gone.

Chapmans finished now I think dont think he will challenge with the big boys anymore.

Kenteach

Can't see Carroll and McCarthy beating Kenendy and Finnegan. K and F will obviously have to improve, but no reason why they won't.

Mardy Bum

Kenteach wrote: »

Can't see Carroll and McCarthy beating Kenendy and Finnegan. K and F will obviously have to improve, but no reason why they won't.

Well hopefully they do (Cavan man here) but I just cant see them blending together. Peixoto and Garner were easily the best and they were beat!

Kenteach

K and F took the first game, although neither have their A game in the alley today.

Grudaire

Results are coming hard and fast : A link to every grade, the Irish are doing very very well!

We've a player in the Mens C doubles final - hopefully we'll get a title for the club

People on the Irish handball website won't be happy/have been proven right in the Men's C, sandbagging - an eternal handball problem!

And come on Kennedy! :D

Mardy Bum

Cliste wrote: »

We've a player in the Mens C doubles final - hopefully we'll get a title for the club

Neary the boy done the business! Finnegan and Kennedy won the doubles anyway! Seamus O Carroll must of played some stuff!

Grudaire

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Neary the boy done the business! Finnegan and Kennedy won the doubles anyway! Seamus O Carroll must of played some stuff!

Hang on - who is this!? (UCD scum :P)


And Yay - That'll buy the club brownie points!

Mardy Bum

We have a last 8 in the Open division so smoke on that!:D:p

Grudaire

Mardy Bum wrote: »

We have a last 8 in the Open division so smoke on that!:D:p

I just care about bragging/begging the college for funds! (And we're claiming Kennedy by the way!)

The Irish really swept up to be fair! Is the infighting over in America affecting handball standards (or are we simply better!? )

Mardy Bum

Cliste wrote: »

I just care about bragging/begging the college for funds! (And we're claiming Kennedy by the way!)

The Irish really swept up to be fair! Is the infighting over in America affecting handball standards (or are we simply better!? )

We are simply better at handball and sandbagging!!! Claiming Kennedy! Who Eoins father! :P The webcast was deadly!

Grudaire

Mardy Bum wrote: »

We are simply better at handball and sandbagging!!! Claiming Kennedy! Who Eoins father! :P The webcast was deadly!

We can claim them both - the young one as an ex-member, the equally legendary one as a professor!

The webcast was truly great - I hope that some of the non-handball peeps look at the games that are up on the site. It is well worth it, and shows handball in a very good light - as it should be!

Mardy Bum

Ye really well done commentary was grand too!:):) WPH have to be commended they raised alot of funds themselves on the BOD!!

Grudaire

So, does anyone want to venture an opinion on the rules debate that the yanks are all talking about? The talk on the WPH messageboard seems to be saying that the ref's don't know the rules well enough (I myself never heard of half of the timeout rules that they're talking about)

Also could this tarnish Bradies reputation - a tainted world title? It seems like maybe he shouldn't have gotten the long time-out, as it does seem to be a pre existing injury!

If anyone who understands what I'm talking about cares to venture a reply!

Mardy Bum

For a start the gobsh*te that started all this rubbish is Allan Garners brother. So that should put a bit of perspective on it.

Brady fell and hit his hip of the wall. This caused an injury or aggravated an existing one. He was 3 up at the stage and cruising. Brady didnt take an injury time out prior to that match. He is known for his honesty in the court so really its a hard case to judge.

They are talking some rubbish on that message board now though.Some referees are not great but that comes in every sport. The only thing that needs to be sorted is pre arrangened linesmen.

Mardy Bum

This USHA V WPH is getting way out of hand now. The USHA forced the closure of a WPH booth in a hotel during the worlds. F**kin DISGRACE. The USHA is a non-profit organisation!

Kenteach

The USHA v WPH is indeed a joke, but its predominantly battling for position before an inevitable compromise (the sport just cannot survive shenanigans like this in any meaningful way).
On the ref/timeout issue, I do agree that something needs to be tightened up on the time out rule. As my da would say, sure we played for hours and we'd never take a time out for fear we wouldn't get back into the alley! But a tarnished world title? No, current rules were not breached and Brady is not the sort to twist things like that. He has a fairly solid record of sportsmanship in the alley (slightly different on the football field!).

From talking to a few returnees, they were very complimentary about the tournament in general. Still disappointed I couldn't travel!

Mardy Bum

Compromise! The USHA hijacked the WPHs booth. The USHA dont want to compromise they want it all! Despite the fact they do nothing for the game apart from watch numbers decrease around them! A few seniors were not too happy with the tournament it seems from Dessie Keegans message on the WPH messagebord.

On a positive note the return of the Irish team was on the six one news!

Kenteach

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Compromise! The USHA hijacked the WPHs booth. The USHA dont want to compromise they want it all! Despite the fact they do nothing for the game apart from watch numbers decrease around them! A few seniors were not too happy with the tournament it seems from Dessie Keegans message on the WPH messagebord.

On a positive note the return of the Irish team was on the six one news!

Ah don't mind Dessie!! Can see where he is coming from on some issues raised, particularly one wall and four wall run off alongside each other, but anyone looking to compete at World level in an event should really have a more distinct focus. The USHA/WPH thing is massive and bitter right now, and left many i've spoken to with a bitter taste, but there has to be some kind of resolution (hence my previous mention of compromise), otherwise the game as we know it will die a death.

Mardy Bum

Kenteach wrote: »

Ah don't mind Dessie!! Can see where he is coming from on some issues raised, particularly one wall and four wall run off alongside each other, but anyone looking to compete at World level in an event should really have a more distinct focus. The USHA/WPH thing is massive and bitter right now, and left many i've spoken to with a bitter taste, but there has to be some kind of resolution (hence my previous mention of compromise), otherwise the game as we know it will die a death.

Agreed!

When is the singles championships- junior B Junior Intermediate starting does anyone now?January?

Grudaire

So I'm guessing it's the World Inter-Collegiate Handball Competition for you!?

{Instead of the USHA's US Collegiates }

Actually - while we're on an impartial forum - what is the story with the split? - is it really all the USHA's fault as it indeed would seem?

Mardy Bum

Well IMO the WPH came into existence with one motive: To get this dying game into the media so as to popularize the game for youngsters. They (Dave Vincent) put HIS money on the line to set up the web site and company. Fred Lewis then came on board as he was rejected by the USHA (similar to the coaches) for his manner of how o promote the game. The WPH began webcasting games at their own cost in order to promote it. They then started organizing pro events. They then became a Not for Profit Org and started promoting youth events the their juniors and the coaches Collegiates. They tried to arrange a compromise with the USHA and Fred Lewis along with Pat Boyd( USHA regional officer) scripted a non binding letter in regard to the juniors and collegiates, with the USHA forgoing their collegiates and the WPH their collegiates. This letter never even made it to the table at the USHA monthly meeting after the US Nationals. Why was this? USHA dont want to compromise.

The USHA see the WPH as a threat to their mantle. Vern Roberts USHA head has a six figure salery despite membership falling rapidly every year. Dave Vincent came to the USHA and applied for a job as their promotions officer after he started the WPH were he said he would dissolve the WPH if he was given a job. He was turned down unbelievably. Now the videos that the WPH have on their server is amazing- Casey Lawler Cup Simple Green Irish Nats etc. Then take a look at the USHAs dodge dodge site you wont see anythin like that.

Simply the USHA got lazy and now are jealous of the WPH who have support of all the top players and are becoming a force to be reckoned with.

I foresee the Collegiates numbers telling who will win the battle!

Thank god the IHC and GAA have always seen eye to eye:p;)