The eagerly awaited 60x30 Leinster Open takes place this weekend with some of the top names in the big alley code kickstarting the softball season on the Wexford handball stage. In the Men's Open, Mayo's Joe McCann and Dessie Keegan are the number one seeds and the Ballaghaderreen clubmen will be anxious to get their season off to winning ways. Keegan and McCann were set to contest last year's All-Ireland Senior Doubles Final against eventual winners, Dublin's Eoin Kennedy and Egin Jensen, but McCann suffered a collapsed lung and was forced to pull out of the decider. This big alley championship gets underway in two weeks, and many of the players are now making their final preparations. The Leinster Open will show how far many of these pairings have come, with Wexford's Cormac Smyth and Gavin Buggy looking to cause an upset on home soil. Another pairing from the Model County who are final contenders are Tommy Hynes and Colin Keeling, with all the Men's Open action taking place in the St Mary's Club in Wexford Town. Meanwhile, Ireland's top 40x20 players are preparing for their trip to Kansas next week for the US Nationals, where Cavan's Paul Brady will look to defend his title. Prior to his departure, Brady will line out with the Breffni Senior Footballers who take on Armagh in the Ulster Championship on Sunday. Cork's Tony Healy will also be in search of glory having already collected the Irish and Canadian National titles this year. Over twenty Irish players will travel to the Kansas event, with Kilkenny's Michael Ducksy Walsh also making the journey stateside. Back on the domestic front, the All-Ireland Junior Hardball title is up for decision tomorrow evening where Kerry's Dominic Lynch takes on Mayo's Joe McCann. Lynch and McCann are both top senior 60x30 players and this final looks set to be a cracker. Tweet

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