Hitesh Sets Club Record as Rapparees Juniors Open Championship with Victory
Galway City Rapparees made an impressive start to their 2026 Junior Men’s Championship campaign with a strong win over Sporting Limerick at St Mary’s College, Galway.
The standout performer on the day was leadoff batter Hitesh Tahilramani, who produced a record-breaking display by scoring an incredible 7 runs — setting a new Galway City Rapparees club record in the process.
Of the seven times he crossed home plate, one came from a home run, while on four other occasions his batting got him as far as second base before he eventually came home.
While the game featured a high number of walks and free bases throughout, the Rapparees remained disciplined and took full advantage of the opportunities presented to them. Galway showed patience in the batter’s box and backed it up with aggressive running on the bases.
Hitesh helped set the tone from the opening inning, repeatedly getting into scoring positions and allowing the home side to build momentum early in the contest.
The victory was another significant moment for a Galway City Rapparees club that continues to grow rapidly. The Rapparees remain one of only two clubs in the country currently fielding two adult men’s teams, alongside reigning Senior Men’s champions Carrickmacross Emmets.
For a junior side featuring a mix of newer and experienced players, this was an encouraging opening performance and one that will give the squad confidence heading into next Sunday’s clash with Elphin.
Credit must also go to Sporting Limerick, who fielded a very new team and showed plenty of positive signs despite the result. As with many developing sides entering championship competition, there is clearly a learning curve, but the experience gained from matches like this will stand to them and they are likely to improve game by game as the season progresses.
There is still plenty of improvement left in the Galway side too, but opening the championship with a victory and a club-record individual performance represents a very strong start to the 2026 campaign for Galway City Rapparees.
