Brady returns to Senior Singles final after battling win over McCarthy

Handball

Paul Fitzpatrick at Croke Park

World champion Paul Brady has returned to the oneills.com Al-Ireland 4-Wall Senior Singles final following a tiebreaker win over Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy in this afternoon’s semi-final at the National Handball Centre, Croke Park.

Brady was on fire in the first game as he cruised to a 21-7 win but McCarthy played some scintillating stuff in the second, opening a 12-5 lead. Brady rallied to catch the Mullingar man at 12 and to lead 14-12 but McCarthy was on top by this stage and closed it out 21-15.

In the tiebreaker to 11, the Mullahoran native and Kingscourt HC clubman opened a quick 3-0 lead; McCarthy tied him at 3-all but Brady found a strong serve and some pinpoint kills from deep allied to hand errors from McCarthy saw the Cavanman win 11-3.

Brady will meet 25-year-old Corkman David Walsh in the final on May 10 after the Mallow right-hander reached his maiden Senior Singles decider with a 21-4, 21-19 win over Meath’s Gary McConnell.

Brady looked drained in the second game in particular and revealed afterwards that he had been bed-ridden with a virus in the days leading up to the game – but he didn’t use that as an excuse for dropping a game and praised the performance of McCarthy.

“Believe it or not, I was in bed all week with the flu but I felt great today - but I suppose it was still there a little bit,” Brady said.

“What happened in the second game was Robbie played really well as he can, he's a great champion and he played really well.

“I was at my best there today and I just had no answer in that second game. I think we were both tired, it was a tough game.

“You're learning a lot about yourself in these games, I'll just look forward to the final now.”

Momentum was on the side of McCarthy, who had claimed the title last year on an injury default after Brady got injured while a game up and well in front in the final, going into the tiebreaker but Brady leaned on his experience.

“You just stay relaxed, I've been there many, many, many times so I just stay relaxed and get back to doing what makes me good.

“I just reminded myself that I'm really hard to beat and there's still a long way to go here. The main thing is to stay relaxed, it's just a game and even in that pressure moment, to enjoy it.

“And that's what I did, I was thinking, 'this is what it's about, isn't it, to be challenged like this'.

“I'm sitting there thinking ‘let's go here, it's great to be in this situation’. View it positively.

“I've been there many times before and I've come out the right side of the result so I was just reminding myself of that. There are only a few people who have ever beaten me so it takes a lot, physically and mentally, to actually get that last point against me and I'm aware of that because I've only lost to a few people in 20 odd years.”

The match can be viewed on the player below: