County Roscommon handballer crowned Nationals champion

Roscommon handballer, Fiona Tully, claimed the Irish 4-Wall Adult Nationals title as she came through a tiebreaker to defeat Tyrone’s Eilise McCrory.

The win is a big boost for Tully as she was forced to dig in after losing the opening game 15-14. The St. Coman’s handballer led that opening game 13-12 and 14-13, but McCrory secured the last two points to take the lead.

Yet, the Roscommon handballer raised her level, coming from 5-4 down in the second game to rattle off 11 straight points to set up a tiebreaker.

The tiebreaker, which was first to 11 points, was a tense affair with little to separate the players in the opening stages. Tully rattled off a pair of left handed kill shots to give her a 6-5 lead before McCrory called a timeout.

However, Tully seized the momentum upon stepping back into the alley, securing the last five points. Her right-handed roof shot left McCrory unable to find a return, and Tully had done enough to secure one of the biggest titles in handball.

After the game, Tully told those in attendance that she needed to dig deep to secure the first 'Major' of the handball season.

“I just want to say thanks to everybody who has helped me along the way and coming up to senior with such a great amount of girls, Ciana (Ní Churraoin), Martina (McMahon), Caitriona (Casey) and Eilise (McCrory).

“Every time we played our underage games, it was always myself and Eilise, so I know playing Eilise is never going to be an easy game. 

"When she beat me 15-14 in the first game, I was thinking this is a throwback to the Worlds in one wall, so I knew it was going to be the same thing all over again. To win was going to be a hard one against her.”