THE All-Ireland handball finals programme at Abbeylara, Longford on Saturday takes pride of place this weekend with the Minor Singles, Intermediate Doubles and Senior Singles providing what should be a fascinating afternoon of handball.

Locally the big interest will be on the semi-final of the Munster U-12/13 team championship meeting Cork v Limerick at Broadford on this Friday in which we will be hoping our Mallow Credit Union sponsored players can make a winning start.

On Friday in Broadford at 7.15pm our Mallow Credit Union sponsored U-12/13 team line out against Limerick in the Munster semi-final. Cork have a reasonably strong team on duty but Limerick also have some very good players in these age groups at present, they were very impressive in the Munster 60x30 juvenile championship and wont be easily beaten.

The Cork team will be made up of three Kilworth players Oisin Hickey, Jamie Kenneally, Aidan O'Brien, three Mallow players Eoin Sheehan, David Walsh, and Tadgh O'Neill, two from Boherbue Shane Flynn and David O'Connor and Jerry Cronin, Ballydesmond.

Last Saturday in Broadford John Herlihy,St Finbarrs qualified for the All-Ireland Masters Singles Final with a fairly comfortable win over Monaghan player Conor McDonnell. Herlihy had it very easy in the first game as he completed dominated running out a very comfortable winner on a score of 21-4.

The Monaghan player was very slow to settle in that first game and never really got in a blow, that however was not his true form as was proved in the second game as he came out all guns all blazing and dominated the early part of the second game and looked for a long way that he was going to win the second. However, John began to get back into the game and dominated the closing stages to win 21-17 and book his place in the final, where he will meet old foe Kilkenny's Billy Bourke in a few weeks time. John's win brings to six the number of 60x30 All-Ireland adult finals Cork players will contest in a few weeks time.

In addition we have also qualified for two juvenile finals which are scheduled for the weekend of September 11/12 we should have an update on the fixtures for all finals next week.

Back to the Abbeylara programme on Saturday where the feature game will be Senior Singles in which reigning champion Dubliner Eoin Kennedy will take on Westmeath Robert McCarthy, Jnr.

This will be the typical clash of the experienced champion Kennedy versus the up and coming McCarthy. While McCarthy is capable of a big performance it is hard to see Eoin Kennedy being beaten. McCarthy will no doubt be boosted by his semi-final win over former champion Michael 'Duxie' Walsh but whether that is enough or not remains to be seen.

Saturday programme will commence at 2pm with the Minor Singles Final meeting of Limerick's Padraig O Carroll and Galway's Martin Mulkerrins, this clash will be of big interest to Cork players and followers alike as a number of Cork players have had some great contests with both in the past few years.

The Intermediate Doubles will follow and here Limerick will again be hoping for glory with Seamus O'Carroll and Paul Hedderman taking on Kilkenny Timmy Clifford/David Clifford which promises to be a very close contest. Limerick could achieve the double but neither final will be easily won.

- Peter Dennehy