PAUL LAMBERT successfully negotiated the first hurdle in the GAA Handball Leinster 40 x 20 Intermediate singles championship with a two sets to one win over Keith Burke from Dublin. The Metropolitan struck back in the second set after Lambert had won the opening set 21-5.

However, the Dublin player took the second set 21-19, but St. Joseph's clubman Lambert regrouped and saw off this stiff challenge with a 21-10 win in the third set.

William and Daniel Love from Kilkenny put paid to the chances of Michael O'neill and Noel Holohan in the Junior doubles 21-14, 21-11.

Justin Heffernan and Dinny Lyndon cruised through to the second round of the Junior 'B' doubles as they hammered Paul Treacy and Joe Stafford from Wicklow 21-3, 215.

Richard Martin and Pádraig Foley both crashed out of the Minor singles championship after going down to Kilkenny and Carlow opponents during the past week. Martin lost out 21-20, 21-5 to Stephen O'Dwyer from Kilkenny, while Carlow's Daniel O'leary took care of Pádraig Foley 21-15, 21-15.

There was better luck for Foley in the Minor doubles as he and Galen Riordan hammered Adam Brennan and Patrick Farrell 21-2, 21-1.

Two wins from three was the return for Wexford in the Ruby Masters singles. Tom Rossiter, former County Board Chairman, won through 21-16, 21-15 against Paddy Lennon from Wicklow, and Jim Doyle hammered Marcus Henry from Dublin 21-5, 21-0. However, Pat Leacy bit the dust 21-14, 21-10 against Jim Dooley from Kilkenny.

Anne Boland fell at the first hurdle in the ladies' Junior singles, going down 21-5, 21-10 to Aine O'gorman from Dublin. In the ladies' Junior 'B' singles, there was two purple and gold wins as Michelle Boland beat Tina O'brien from Kilkenny 20-21, 21-9, 21-17, and her Templeudigan clubmate, Amanda Kelly, had a facile 21-2, 21-2 win against Ciara O'donohue from Offaly. Laura Anne Furlong was not so lucky however, as she went down 19-21, 21-12, 215 to Shauna Carroll from Offaly.

Paul Lambert secured top spot in Group B of the Wexford Farmers' Co-op 40 x 20 Senior singles with a tough 21-19, 21-10 win over Jason Murphy from Castlebridge in Bree on Monday night last. Also in the Senior singles last week, Darren O'toole from Coolgreany defeated Colin Keeling from St. Mary's 21-11, 21-12.

The Intermediate singles is almost at the quarter-final stage, with a host of last 16 games being played last week. David Kenny secured his berth with a 21-17, 21-11 win over Noel Holohan from Templeudigan, and joining the Castlebridge man in the next round is James Bergin from St. Martin's who defeated John Roche from Castlebridge 2111, 21-7.

Mick Armstrong (Davidstown) is also safely through to the next round with a 21-11, 21-15 win behind him over Frank Maddock from St. Martin's. Justin Heffernan (Oulart) got the better of Pechelli English from Davidstown 21-14, 1121, 21-4. Malachy Whelan from Castlebridge is the final player to secure a quarter-final position as he defeated James Smith from Oulart 21-14, 21-10.

Declan Hart and Benny Doyle (Horeswood) beat James Freeman and Dom Stafford in the opening round of the Intermediate doubles 21-10, 21-7.

Fergal Mcwilliams from Horeswood won the only game in the Junior singles championship last week as he defeated Robert Dunne from Oulart 21-9, 21-5.

Tom Murphy from Oulart progressed in the Junior ' B' singles with a 21-8, 21-14 win over Seán Flood from St. Joseph's. In Junior 'C' singles there was opening round wins for Alan Armstrong from Davidstown over Tom Dempsey from Ballyhogue (21-5, 21-20), and Eugene English from Ballyhogue over Paul Reddy from Ballymitty (17-21, 21-7, 21-5).

Kevin Doyle was another winner in Junior 'C' singles (21-20, 21-5) over Stephen Murphy from Castlebridge, while also through to the next round is Robert Byrne from Bridgetown who beat Tomás O'shea from Davidstown 18-21, 2111, 21-20 in the closest game of the handball week in Wexford.

Templeudigan celebrated a hattrick of wins in the Junior 'D' singles grade as Robbie Codd defeated Graham Moore (St. Martin's) 21-0, 21-3, Seán O'neill defeated Tomás Cummins (Horeswood) 21-10, 2113, and Dermot Flynn defeated John Byrne (Ballymitty) 21-2, 21-7.

In the Masters 'B' singles three games were down for decision. Tom Connors (Barntown) defeated Phil Coleman (Ballymitty) 21-19, 219, Ricky Barron (Barntown) beat Richard Ryan (Horeswood) 21-4, 21-13, and Shane Rossiter (Ballymitty) beat Tomás Cummins (Horeswood) 21-7, 21-2.

In the Diamond Masters doubles, Tom Donohue and James Bergin (St. Martin's) beat Niall O'byrne and Billy Heffernan from Oulart 21-13, 21-15.

In the ladies' open singles championship, the first two games were played over the past week. Laura Anne Furlong (Bridgetown) beat Chloe Cash (St. Joseph's) 9-21, 2116, 21-12, and Michelle Boland from Templeudigan defeated Lorraine Maddock (St. Martin's) 21-4, 21-14.