Last two semi spots to be confirmed

Reigning Senior Softball champion, Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy will take on Mayo’s Joe McCann tomorrow night (Tuesday) in Mullingar. Kennedy remains at 4/5 on to retain his title, and is now gunning for an amazing fourth in a row.

McCann won the Intermediate title in 2004, and has collected numerous All-Ireland Club titles with Ballaghaderreen, including another Open title last week. Kennedy overcame Wexford’s Gavin Buggy with ease in his first outing of the competition two weeks ago and will be hot favourite against the Mayo player.

The last of the quarter-finals will follow the McCann v Kennedy clash, with an all-Ballaghaderreen clash when Dessie Keegan meets Vinnie Moran. Moran recorded an impressive victory over Cavan’s Michael Finnegan in the round of 16 battle last weekend, but will face a much tougher assignment in Keegan. Both players joined McCann last week in their All-Ireland club final victory over Ballina (Tipperary) but will now go head-to-head in search of the last semi-final spot. The winner will go on to face McCann or Kennedy.

In the other quarter-finals, Wicklow’s Michael Gregan knocked last year’s beaten finalist, Tom Sheridan out of the 2007 Senior Softball title race. In a tie-breaker finish, the 24-year-old Coolboy powered home with a 21-10 win to seal his semi-final spot.

Sixteen time champion, Kilkenny’s Michael ‘Ducksy’ Walsh also recorded an emphatic win over last year’s under-21 champion, Tipperary’s Ger Coonan in his quarter-final meeting. Walsh dominated the match from start to finish and was relentless in both games, eventually going on to win 21-3, 21-10.

Joe McCann in action