Geoff Walsh
Accolades & Accomplishments
3-Wall
Australian Open Singles
- 1963
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Australian Open Doubles
- 1963​
- 1965
- 1966
Australian Team Selections
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966 (Captain)
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VIC Open Singles
​- 1960
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
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VIC Open Doubles
​- 1958
- 1959
- 1962
- 1963
- 1965
- 1966
O'Connor Cup Champion
​- 1957
- 1960
- 1963
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1969
Geoff Walsh
Geoff Walsh’s wonderful record as schoolboy, three Australian singles titles and a doubles title, foreshadowed a senior career truly worthy of his eventual inclusion into the AHC Hall of Fame. You may not have been "faster than a speeding bullet" but certainly faster around the court than any handballer I have ever seen - and also so very fit. Besides this, his power hitting was equal to the likes of Frank Green and Peter Dempsey. Geoff’s ability to attack, unexpectedly butting from all parts of the court, made you a formidable opponent. He could string a number of points together before the opposition knew what was happening. Matches with Vic Di Luzio for the Victorian Singles titles must have produced the highest quality handball, unfortunately not witnessed by interstate handball followers.
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When George Macris and I played Fred Italiano at Bathurst in NSW for the Australian Doubles Title, I had figured from past encounters that Geoff did not relish high lob serves. This made me feel quite good! So my first serve to him was high and deep. To my dismay I had hardly turned around after my serve when the ball flashed past me, low and hard into the right corner. I'm out! Rationalising furiously and with a little difficulty I figured it was a fluke, so my next serve was even higher. On the full again Geoff replied with an even faster and lower butt in the right corner. So, no more high serves to Mr Walsh!
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Forty years later he told me he hated high serves but he thought at the time, "What the hell, I'll go for it."
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Great athlete, squash player, footballer and CHAMPAGNE HANDBALLER. - Paul Fallon