Holohan part of WIT double winning handball team.
3rd Level Colleges Intervarsity’s Handball Open Team Event.
Waterford Institute of Technology completed an amazing team double last weekend in St Joseph’s handball club in Wexford town as they added the 40 x 20 Intervarsity’s All Ireland team title to the 60 x 30 team crown they won a month ago.
Noel Holohan from Templeudigan in his final year in Waterford Institute of Technology picked up his fourth All Ireland medal with the Deise College, as he once again joined forces with Kilkenny trio of Patrick & Peter Funchion and Ger McGrath to wrap up the title.
In the quarter final WIT defeated IT Carlow on a comfortable margin. Next up on Saturday morning was a clash with a DCU team containing Ballyhogue’s Peter Hughes. Indeed Holohan and Hughes locked horns in this clash with both men playing in the doubles clash that finished one game each, however WIT had done enough in the singles games to claim a semi final spot.
The final had a remarkable turn-around in it as WIT completed a Lazarus like come back after Martin Mulkerrins from Galway gave UCD a 42-6 lead after the opening singles clash in the final. After the first game of the doubles it was looking all rosy in the garden for UCD as Noel Holohan and Peter Funchion could only manage to win their opening set 21-15, however the second set was a big springboard for the recovery as Funchion and Holohan both fired out some fine kill shots to romp to a 21-2 win in the second set leaving the combined score 59-48 in favour of UCD.
Patrick Funchion wrapped up the win however as he grinded down Barry Nash from Clare in the opening set of the singles game to win 21-13, and with the lead cut to 72-69, Funchion burned UCD hopes with a 21-0 win in the final set as WIT completed a unique double and first 40 x 20 team title since 1993 .
