All-Ireland success for Kells duo Brian Carroll and Gary McConnell

Displaying plenty of skill and resilience Brian Carroll and Gary McConnell from the Kells Handball Club produced the level of performance required to win the All-Ireland 60x30 Senior Doubles title. 

The Carroll and McConnell combination defeated Dublin duo Eoin Kennedy and Carl Browne in a close, highly entertaining final at Croke Park on Saturday evening. 

Not that the contest started promisingly for the Kells duo.

They fell behind 1-9 in the first game with that score indicating they were facing a real uphill battle.

The Kells pair eventually went on to lose the first game 19-21. 

However, the Royal County duo started to find their rhythm and unleashed a range of shots that troubled their opponents.

They also showed their resilience by bouncing back to claim the second set 21-14. The contest was now really on. 

Encouraged, the Meath men again powered on carrying their form into the crucial third game - and once again unveiling their wide and considerable range of shots. 

Stamina and self-belief also became factors in that showdown and Carroll and McConnell showed they had those qualities as well.

They showed they had the right stuff. 

They scored repeatedly to win 21-17 in a titanic struggle with McConnell particularly prominent in the closing stages although this was very much a combined, united effort. 

The victory was another chapter in a fantastic year for the Kells Handball Club with one of the highlights the achievements of five young players from the club who won medals at the World Championships in Minneapolis last August. 

Dylan Sheridan, Robbie Fox, Troy Flanagan, Daniel Farrelly and Jack Rennicks all returned home with medals.