Loughmacrory girls win in Wexford

Laura Duff and Lucy McCullagh maintained their phenomenal run of form in 2022 when they teamed up to capture the Irish 60×30 Nationals title in the 15 and under girls section in Wexford.

This was the only title to come to Ulster last weekend in an event that is always dominated by the Leinster and Munster counties where the traditional 60×30 code is strongest.

The Loughmacrory duo were viewed as underdogs to come through a small but select field but they took the honours home in style, bringing a rare trophy back to Tyrone from the softball nationals. For Laura Duff, this was her fourth major national title of 2022, and it was a third for Lucy McCullagh as she began her 60×30 juvenile career in impressive fashion.

Their semi final win over the Laois/Kilkenny pairing of Orla Brophy and Niamh Drennan, the number two seeds, was secured on a scoreline of 15-3, 15-13, and it clinched their place in the title decider against the number one seeds, Kilkenny’s Holly Byrne and Katie Jordan.

Laura and Lucy had familiarised themselves with the court in Templeudigan during their semi final tie and needed to raise their performance level significantly to secure the title.

The talented Kilkenny girls were clear favourites but Laura and Lucy were ready for everything thrown at them and they battled hard to edge home in a closely contested opening game.

The Tyrone pair performed with great skill and character to record a winning scoreline of 15-13 and their confidence really began to soar after taking the opener.

In the second game they delivered a stunning display, laced with brilliant serves, ruthless fly shots and stylish sidearm finishes, as they sealed a fabulous victory on a 15-3 scoreline.

To complete a great day for Tyrone in the girls 15 and under grade, Greencastle’s Caislin Treacy enjoyed a superb win in the plate final as she partnered Cork’s young star Carmel Kelleher to victory.

Caislin is a talented 40×20 player and has played very little 60×30 handball in her short career but she produced some great displays in Wexford and showed that she can compete at the top level in this code too.

Caislin will be joining Laura and Lucy in looking forward to representing Tyrone in the 60×30 championships later in the summer, and it means that the county will have a strong girls team to take on the strongholds of 60×30 handball from Leinster and Munster.