Dublin City University (DCU) and St Brigid’s GAA Club played host to the Collegiate One Wall Intervarsities competition at the weekend, where Trinity Handball came away with silverware courtesy of Ciara Mahon, Michael Varley and Conal Cosgrove, who helped the club end the season on a high note with some well-earned success.
Mahon claimed the Women’s Open title first, with the former club captain facing stiff competition against DCU’s Fiona Tully. A tight battle ensued between the competitors, with Mahon coming out triumphant, adding to a successful personal season during which she won two out of three singles titles, only to have the 40×20 title taken by Tully.
Trinity also saw competitors in the Men’s B and C final. Varley, in his second ever collegiate tournament, won all three of his group games, facing off against stiff competition from players in NUI Galway, Maynooth University and Carlow Institute of Technology. Varley then reached the knockout stages, competing against Maynooth’s Laurence Dunne. Unfortunately, Varley simply was not able to complete a clean sweep, with the club’s incoming secretary receiving a silver medal for his efforts.
The final piece of silverware was earned by club captain, Conal Cosgrove. Cosgrove started off slow in the group stages, but came alive in the last few games of his group, seeing him record steady victories over competitors from Queen’s University Belfast and University College Dublin (UCD) in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively. Facing Maynooth’s Seán Stoll in the final proved to be too much, considering Cosgrove had played his final games very close to the final. Stoll’s speed and agility saw him emerge victorious, with Cosgrove having to settle with a silver medal.
To return to Trinity with three pieces of silverware is a huge achievement. With the season coming to a close, along with the excitement for next year and the construction of an alley on campus, the future looks bright for Trinity Handball.
