Katie Kane Narrowly Misses Out on Team Ireland Spot
Katie Kane started on her journey for the Irish team in the world handball championship 3 weeks ago in Kilglass, Co. Roscommon. She booked her ticket to Belfast by winning all her games in Kilglass. She headed to Belfast Saturday morning at 7.30 without her coach and family, due to a family commitment. That didn’t phase Katie however. If anything it made her even more focused. She knew she had a tough path from the minute the draw was made, she was playing a girl from the handball stronghold of Ballydesmond Co. Cork, Grace Murphy. Katie starting well going 5-0 up and her opponent had difficulty getting to grips with Katie’s intensity, however Grace used her time outs in quick succession to disrupt Katie’s game plan but Katie kept her cool winning the first set 15-11 and going on to win the second set by the same score, 15-11. Katie was relieved to have beaten one of the favourites.
Up next for Katie was Boo Murphy from Taghmon, in Wexford, Katie knew a win here and she was on the ticket for Ireland in the world championship. Katie had a tricky start and at one point she was losing 12-02 but she fought back and getting 11 aces in a row to bring the scoreline to 12-11. A disputed call went against Katie and it was now 13-11. Boo went on to take the game 15-11. Katie made a couple of mistakes in the next set trying to force the game and ended up losing 15-10.
Although her dreams of playing for Team Ireland are over for the moment, Katie knows that she’s can mix it with the best in the country, and will be keen to give the World Championship a crack. A determined Katie was back training Sunday morning after putting Leitrim and Fenagh handball back on the handball map.
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