THE GAA Handball AllIreland 60/30 Championship semi-finals in both adult and juvenile will take pride of place in the 60/30 handball courts this weekend.

Starting with Saturday's programme in Broadford at 3pm John Herlihy, St Finbarrs, will face Monaghan player Conor McDonnell in Silver Masters 'A' Singles.

While the Monaghan player is talented it is expected that John Herlihy if he can play to his best form should win this one. John has gone very close to winning this championship in recent years reaching the final twice losing out narrowly to Billy Bourke, Kilkenny.

I would expect that all going well John will be back in the final this year. To date Cork players have qualified for five All-Ireland Final in the following grades: Ladies Minor Singles Catriona Casey, Ballydesmond; Ladies Minor Doubles Catriona Casey with clubmate Aishling O'Keeffe; Silver Masters 'A' Doubles John Herlihy partnered by John Hedigan, Liscarroll; Diamond Masters 'B' Doubles Tim Joe Healy, Ballydesmond, and Jim O'Rourke,Conna, and in Ruby Masters Doubles Pat O'Brien, Liscarroll, and his partner Michael Jordan, Fermoy.

Hopefully, John Herlihy will increase the tally to six on Saturday. Moving on to the All-Ireland Juvenile Championship our Mallow Credit Unionsponsored players are in one All-Ireland semi-final and in one final.

Ryan Harkin, Mallow, has qualified for the Boys U15 Singles Final where he awaits the winner of Roscommon Conor Egan or Carlow Martin Mullins on September 12th at a Leinster venue.

In Boys U16 Doubles Patrick Herlihy, Mallow, and Denis O Neill, Liscarroll, are due to play Cavan Owen Martin and Adrian Smith in the semi-final, that is one of three semifinals involving Munster players which must be rescheduled due to a clash with Munster Juvenile Hurling Competitions this weekend.

It is expected the rescheduled semi-finals will be played either during the coming week or next weekend.

The Munster 60/30 Juvenile team championship will be commencing shortly and as of now the Cork Juvenile committee are busy finalising teams for the U12/13, U14/15 and U16/17 team championship.

There was no joy for Tim Joe Healy, Ballydesmond, in the All-Ireland 60/30 Diamond Masters 'B' Singles semi-final played in Hospital last Sunday.

He was beaten by Michael Todd, Monaghan, in two straight games. Tim Joe having reached the All-Ireland final last year in which he was narrowly beaten was hoping to again get to the final this year, but it was not to be as the Monaghan player was much stronger on the day.

In the Munster Juvenile Finals played last week there was no joy for our Mallow Credit Union sponsored players.

In Girls U15 Doubles the pairing of Brid Horgan, Kilworth, and Mairead Brosnan, Ballydesmond, were beaten by Clare Natasha Coughlan/ Michelle Nihill after a very good game. The Clare pair won the first game 15/6, Cork came back strongly to win the second game 15/7 but Clare again finished the stronger winning the third game 15/3.

The game of the championship U12 Doubles Final was played in Broadford on Saturday evening with the Mallow pair David Walsh/Tadgh O'Neill taking on Tipperary pair Kevin Shinnors/Jerome Cahill and what a contest it proved to be.

It went to three games with Tipperary finishing the stronger, no doubt much will be heard of the four players involved in the years ahead as the level of skill in this game belied their years.

Cork won the first game 15/10, lost the second 15/10 and lost the tie break 15/8, but in reality there was no loser as the four players involved contributed to what was a most enjoyable game.

- Peter Dennehy