Anyone who stuck their nose out today and ventured up to Greystones enjoyed, as predicted, a golfing treat.
Greystones ladies were playing their Senior Cup match against Carton House who would always be expected to field a very strong team.
There was a stepped start for this match with the Greystones leg teeing off at 14.00 while the Carton matches would only kick off an hour later. First out at home was Aisling Marmion, our lowest lady playing off 9, who was up against Kate Lanigan who qualified for this event with a handicap of +3.4. Second off was Mary Lockhart with Trish Shiels playing the anchor match. Away from home we had Niamh Kielty and Iris Haughton who had to stand in for the injured Mary Hutch at the last minute.
In our second home match, Mary went two down after two and it looked like it might not be her day when she unluckily lipped out for a win on the third after a lovely approach putt from off the edge of the green. Her opponent was unrelenting from there on and got whatever rub of the green was going on the day. Carton closed out the match on the fourteenth 6&5.
Trish started well, a par on the first earning her a win and, after her opponent found the heavy rough on the left of the second with her tee shot, Trish capitalised and went into a two hole lead. A half on the third was followed by three losses on the front nine to turn one down. Holes were traded till the fifteenth with Trish still just one down and very much in the match. The Carton House player however had a distance advantage and made full use of this on the par five fifteenth to win the hole before closing out the match on the sixteenth 3&2.
While all this was going on the first match out between Aishling and Kate was being enjoyed by all those following it. Aishling started well, birdying the first but Kate put her own marker down by making birdies on each of the second, third and forth holes to go two up. Aishling then birdied the fifth – for a half ! On the sixth a fairway splitting dive followed by an excellent approach shot set up yet another birdie chance for Aishling and she took full advantage, yet another birdie but still two down. The seventh saw Kate hit her approach shot to 4 feet – another birdie. Aishling had, at this stage developed a blister on her hand and made bogey on eight and nine to Kate’s two pars. At this stage Aishling was four down after playing an unbelievable front nine. The pair went down the lane and Kate hit a drive leaving just 200 yards to the ladies par five. Aishling was a fair bit behind and laid up to 70 yards. Kate’s approach hybrid stopped fifteen feet from the pin and Aishling pitched to six feet. Kate’s eagle putt hit the hole and she had a tap in birdie conceded. Not to be outdone Aishling calmly rolled in her own birdie putt.
At this stage Aishling was one under par gross and four down and the pair had hit ten birdies between then in the first ten holes. A relatively shot par putt was missed by Aishling on the eleventh to go five down. On the twelfth, Kate three putted after a lovely 70 yard shot to the green off her drive ran out more than expected, for a half and to go dormie. On thirteen, Aishling played a lovely tee shot while Kate found the rough on the left just beyond the tree on the left with her hybrid. Aishling hit a great shot which spun back off front of the green. Kate had to hook her approach shot around the trees in front on her and played it beautifully finding the back of the green. Both just off the green, however another two unexpected three puts saw the hole halved. Onto the fourteenth still dormi. Aishling’s tee shot was just short of the green and Kate hit hers to 8 feet. Aishling hit a lovely putt which had a chance but slid just past the hole and Kate left her birdie putt on the lip to close out the match and what was a fantastic display of golf by both players.
When called in, Niamh was one up through nine and Iris was one down through nine in Carton House.
Hard luck to Mary Kavanagh and all the panel.
After all this excitement, Des Malone was taking charge of the home team in Greystones for the second round of the Jimmy Bruen V Newlands. Two matches away meant it was sure to be a tense afternoon for all involved.
First out at home were Gerry Kenny & Marc Hamilton, followed by Walter Gilbert & Craig McCormack. Away from home Derek O’Regan was paired with Paul Keane, Keith Lewis partnered Craig Hazleton and our final pairing was that of Liam Moulton & Colm Mulcahy. As with the ladies match, there was significant gap in the tee times home and away with the home team teeing off forty five minutes ahead of the matches in Newlands.
There was never much between the pairs in the first home match which turned all square and stayed like that till Gerry & Marc won two holes on the trot, twelve & thirteen, to go two up. This invoked an immediate response from their opponents however who won both the fourteenth and fifteenth to take the match back to friendly. A great tee shot by Gerry on the sixteenth set up another win to go one up with just two holes remaining.
It wasn’t so straightforward for Walter & Craig in their match. At three down after seven it looked ominous, however a win on the eighth and a half on nine steadied the ship a little at least. Going down the lane Des had a chat with the lads and whatever he said should be bottled. Halves on ten and eleven were followed by wins on twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen to go from two down to two up. Sixteen was halved and Greystones were dormi two up.
Meanwhile, on the seventeenth, Gerry & Marc were seventy yards out after Gerry laid up while their opponents were in the rough on the right of the fairway a hundred and fifty yards out in two. A fantastic shot by the Newlands player found the green and when Marc hit his approach a little to hard, finding the back bunker he left Gerry a tricky shot out of very wet sand. They didn’t manage an up and down and moved to the eighteenth back where they started on the first, all square. Both pairs found bunkers in two on the eighteenth and while both hit excellent bunker shots each rolled from the top to the lower level leaving difficult putts. Hole halved in fives and on to the nineteenth.
Meanwhile, back on the seventeenth, Walter was faced with a similar shot to the green to that which Marc had attempted a few minutes before. This time there was no drama as Walter hit a gorgeous pitch to ten feet which was enough to half the hole and settle their match. One point on the board.
Up ahead back on the first, Newlands hit the front left of the green with their tee shot. Marc then struck a lovely iron up the right hitting the green and leaving Gerry twenty feet to the pin. Newlands’ approach putt ran out to four feet past the hole while Gerry left Marc a three footer. After the Newlands’ putt lipped out Marc dropped his three footer to win the match and secure our second point.
Away from home Derek O’Regan & Paul Keane were having a good day, turning three up. From there they managed their match well winning both the eleventh and twelfth and, despite losing the thirteenth, were able to close the match out with a win on the fourteenth, 5&4. Three points for Greystones and on to the next round. When called in, Keith Lewis & Craig Hazleton and Liam Moulton & Colm Mulcahy were all square after twelve holes.
A great win for managers, Gavan McGirr and Pete Murray and all the team.
