Brophy sisters guide Laois to Leinster Handball triumph

Aoife and Úna Brophy of Cullohill Handball Club pulled off a fantastic victory in the Leinster Ladies Handball 40x20 Junior Doubles Final last weekend against a strong Kilkenny pairing in Deirdre and Margaret Purcell.

A sizeable Laois support travelled to Borris to support the Cullohill sisters in the final as they looked to go one step further having lost a competitive Leinster Final to Wexford’s Cora Doyle and Holly Hynes in 2024.

Both Aoife and Úna Brophy went into this final high in confidence having performed excellently at the 72nd US Handball Collegiate Championships played in Portland, Oregon the week before.

At these championships, Úna was crowned Ladies A Champion and finished ranked 9th overall after recording a remarkable 19-21, 21-16, 11-9 victory over Siobhán Treacy of University of Limerick in a pulsating Ladies A US Collegiate Final. 

The Ladies Leinster Junior Final proved a close affair between two evenly matched pairings. In the first game, the Brophy sisters showed excellent composure and skill to take it on a 21-11 scoreline. The second game was a far tighter and more competitive tussle with little separating either side throughout. Both sides were matching one another ace for ace and the second game was firmly in the melting pot with the scores tied at 16 apiece.

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At this point, the experience of the Laois paring proved telling. On returning to the alley after a timeout, the Brophy sisters switched tactics and began to use the Z-serve to good effect as well as changing up the speed of their play. This display of tactical nous proved telling with Laois winning the next five aces to claim the highly coveted Leinster 40x20 Junior title on a scoreline of 21-11, 21-16.   

This Leinster success was a well-deserved title for Aoife and Úna Brophy and is a reward for their dedication to the handball game. The Brophy sisters will now firmly set their sights on All-Ireland glory with the Ladies Junior All-Ireland semi-final scheduled for a couple of weeks.