Laois GAA handball duo book All-Ireland semi-final spot after Leinster final win

Last weekend, Ray Fogarty (Cullohill) and Kevin Brennan (Clough Ballacolla) travelled to Garryhill, Carlow, to face Stephen Hally and Joe Daly of Kilkenny in the Men’s Golden Masters B Leinster Final. 

This was expected to be a high-quality, close encounter between two evenly matched pairings, and the final certainly did not disappoint. In a thrilling final, where both sides enjoyed moments of dominance, the Laois partnership showed an abundance of skill and determination to fight for every ace and bring the Leinster final to an inevitable tie-breaker after the sides shared the opening two games. 

In the tie-breaker, the Cullohill and Clough-Ballacolla pairing showcased their battling qualities to build an early lead. Once they gained the ascendancy in the tie, Fogarty and Brennan upped their levels again, playing some truly superb handball and hitting an array of fantastic kill shots when the chances presented themselves. 

The impressive Laois duo showed great composure to finish out the game in style, winning the tie-breaker on a scoreline of 11-02 and claim the Leinster 60x30 Golden Masters B Doubles title. 

This victory is an impressive achievement for Fogarty and Brennan as their opponents in the final are the current Men’s B 45+ 40x20 Doubles World Champions. 

This victory also adds to a remarkable 12 months for Kevin Brennan, who has now claimed Leinster titles in the three main codes of handball- 40x20, 60x30 and Wallball. 

The Laois pair will now go forward to play in an All-Ireland semi-final in two weeks. 

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