Young Sports Stars of the Year Award winner No. 20: Patrick Murphy

Sharing the December monthly award with Cillian Melly in our Young Sports Stars of the Year Awards was handballer Patrick Murphy.

It was only a matter of time that the national success of Patrick Murphy, who has won numerous All-Ireland titles at senior and minor level, would transfer on to the world stage.

He was one of those who made the 6,000km trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States to test himself against the best.

Patrick had a lot of experience at this level, including the World Championships in Calgary, Canada, in 2015, and Dublin, Ireland, in 2012, and he was looking for some reward having come so close to a silver medal in 2015, just missing out by two aces.

The one-wall code of handball proved to be the most memorable for Patrick, particularly in the doubles, where he partnered James Prentice of Tipperary in the 19 & Under bracket.

The gold medal match was against Galway pair Donohue/O’Conaghaile, which went to a thrilling tie-breaker which they won 11-1 to claim the World Championship.