Reigning US and world champion, Cavan’s Paul Brady, has surrendered his number one spot in Ireland to Cork’s Tony Healy after the latest 40x20 handball seedings were released today.

Brady, who dramatically pulled out of the Cavan senior football squad earlier in the summer, is currently playing football for the St Brendan’s Club in Chicago while training for the US Handball Open in October. Having lost out to Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy in the Ulster Open semi-final in February, Brady has now slipped to third seed, with Healy leading the way and Kennedy taking the number two placing.

Kennedy defeated the Cavan star after a tie-breaker, 11-6, in the semi-final following a heated three game contest. The St Bridget’s clubman was unable to maintain his winning ways however, and lost out to Healy in the final. That win moves the Corkman to top stop in the Irish rankings, with Ricky McCann of Antrim also moving up a stop to fourth, while Mayo’s Dessie Keegan drops one place to fifth.


New Irish no. 1 seed ... Tony Healy from Cork