Hardball Final

Handballer Beaten

This is an article which appeared in Co. Monaghan's local newspaper 'The Northern Standard' on October 7th, 1966. The reporter, Seamus Mc Cluskey, writes that 'keen disappointment was felt by the large Clones crowd who travelled to Kells on Sunday where the All-Ireland Softball Champion Seamus Mc Cabe, was beaten by Paddy Hickey (Tipperary) by 3 game to 2 in the All-Ireland final of the Hardball competition. It was a big blow for shamey, who was strongly fancied by the local fans to bring off the double and make Handball history...No doubt Shamey himself was bitterly disappointed for he had been training hard and felt confident of victory'.

Handballer Beaten

Handballer Beaten

This is an article which appeared in Co. Monaghan's local newspaper 'The Northern Standard' on October 7th, 1966. The reporter, Seamus Mc Cluskey, writes that 'keen disappointment was felt by the large Clones crowd who travelled to Kells on Sunday where the All-Ireland Softball Champion Seamus Mc Cabe, was beaten by Paddy Hickey (Tipperary) by 3 game to 2 in the All-Ireland final of the Hardball competition. It was a big blow for shamey, who was strongly fancied by the local fans to bring off the double and make Handball history...No doubt Shamey himself was bitterly disappointed for he had been training hard and felt confident of victory'.

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With one leg of the coveted Double safely tucked under his belt, Seamus now concentrated on the hardball game. For the second year in succession he reached the Hardball Final with a fine semi-final victory over the Talbot's Inch player, Joe Delaney by three games to one – 21-15, 14-21, 21-14, 21-19.


Having already captured the Softball crown and with the experience of the previous year's Hardball Final behind him, it was only natural that the Monaghan representative should feel more than confident for the forthcoming Final with paddy Hickey of Tipperary at Kells in October. Come Final day and this confidence was fully justified as he led by two games to one and had fourteen aces to spare (15-1) in the fourth game.
 

It looked as if only a miracle could prevent the Hardball trophy joining the softball trophy on the Clones sideboard, but that miracle happened and the game went under an amazing transformation as Hickey fought back to win that fourth game and also the deciding fifth game.

To this day I wonder how such a change could possibly have come about, but a rash change-of-toss appears to have been the main reason for the title taking that sudden change of direction and heading for Tipperary.