Irish Matchplay Finalists Secured

SHANE O'CONNOR and Connie Finnan will contest the final of the Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay on October 9 at the Citywest Hotel ahead of the World Grand Prix final.

The pair won through to the decider of the competition through a 138-player field at the Green Isle Hotel in Dublin as the early stages of the tournament were played.

Tallaght's O'Connor will now travel the short distance to Saggart's Citywest Hotel in October to face Finnan in the final - with the winner earning a place in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.

O'Connor defeated youngster Martin Heneghan 6-4 in the semi-finals, and also overcame Benny Grace and Noel Gates in the latter stages.

Finnan, meanwhile, ended the hopes of Cappamore's PDC professional William O'Connor in the last four with a 6-4 victory, and also overcame youngster Daryl Gurney and Justin McGuiggan.

Last year's runner-up, Stephen Byrne, was defeated in the last 16 by Heneghan, while Darren Clifford and Seamus Sammon reached the quarter-finals.

The event is held in memory of the late professional darts player Tom Kirby, and was won for the past two years by Aodhagan O'Neill and Michael Mansell, who have both gone on to compete full-time on the PDC ProTour.

Tickets for the World Grand Prix, including the final which will be preceded by the Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay final, are available now from the Citywest Hotel Box Office on 00353 (0)1 401 0505.

Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay
Last 16

William O'Connor 5-1 Daniel Dunn
Darren Clifford 5-1 Kieran Kehoe
Connie Finnan 5-4 Justin McGuiggan
Daryl Gurney 5-3 Ali Powell
Martin Heneghan 5-4 Stephen Byrne
Seamus Sammon 5-3 Martin Carvill
Shane O'Connor 5-3 Noel Gates
Benny Grace 5-2 Kevin McDonnell

Quarter-Finals
William O'Connor 5-2 Darren Clifford
Connie Finnan 5-1 Daryl Gurney
Martin Heneghan 5-3 Seamus Sammon
Shane O'Connor 5-4 Benny Grace

Semi-Finals
Connie Finnan 6-4 William O'Connor
Shane O'Connor 6-4 Martin Heneghan

Final
Connie Finnan v Shane O'Connor
To be played on Sunday October 9 ahead of World Grand Prix final at Citywest Hotel.
For tickets, call 00353 (0)1 401 0505.