Mayo pool player dramatically denied famous win in first national final

ON Saturday, Danny Feehan almost pulled off a sensational win in his first senior pool event.

In one of the annual Irish Cup events, the Westport man came very close to beating Robert Brady, multiple Irish champion.

But when Feehan had a chance to go 8-6 up, the black ball somehow magically spun out of the pocket and made its way back on the table again. A bit of an anti-climax for Feehan, as Brady then went on to win the game 9-7. As painful as it was to lose like that, it was Feehan's first senior event. 

“I'm delighted from that point of view. But now that I've been there, I feel like I can get there again,” Feehan told The Mayo News afterwards. 

He went to Dundalk for his first senior event and didn't expect much, but as Feehan progressed from round to round, it became clear that he can compete on that level, and he qualified for that final, which was held in Ballina last Saturday evening.

On a further note, Feehan has already racked up enough ranking points, to be called up to represent Ireland at the European Championship early next year in Cyprus.

Earlier this year, in February, Danny Feehan helped the Irish team win the U-23 European pool championship. It was a famous win in Malta, together with fellow Mayo man Pádraic Coyle from Geesala. A success that didn't come like a bolt from the blue: Coyle and Feehan won the All-Ireland U-23 title for Mayo last year, together with Dermot Kelly from Killawalla and Adam McAndrew from Erris.

NEXT: CONFIRMED: Our Team of the Week from the Mayo Senior Championship