Paul Keane’s & Dermot Whiston’s Fitzgibbon Cup team faced a strong Bray team in the final of the competition at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club today.
Paul has used 23 players during this Barton Cup rehearsal, but it would be wrong to suggest that a win in this competition wasn’t a priority at this point.
First out today were Brian Murray & Walter Gilbert who won the opening three holes to take a commanding lead at this early stage. Holes four & five were halved and Bray pegged them back to just one up with wins on six & seven. The lead was back to two after a fine win on eight but nothing was being given up easily today and the Bray pair then won two on the trot to get back to level. It was clear that this match could go either way.
Our second pair of Ray Crotty & Eugene Strong found themselves two down after just three holes but stuck at it and got the match all square with wins on four and six, before going into a one hole lead through seven. This lead was short-lived however and the match turned to the back nine all square after Bray had won the eighth.
Back on eleven Brian & Walty managed a good win, but as happened earlier their slender, one hole lead was short lived with Bray fighting back straight away, winning the tricky twelfth. Thirteen & fourteen were halved and the Greystones pair then took control of the match, winning fifteen and seventeen for a 2&1 win and the first point of the day for Greystones.
Greystones 1 – Bray 0
In the second match Ray & Eugene were very much the stronger pair in their match on the back nine but they still had to fight hard for their 3&2 victory and a crucial second point for Greystones.
Greystones 2 – Bray 0
Ben Crowley & Niall Stokes were in the fourth match and looked in total control after winning three holes on the bounce at the tail end of the front nine to turn three up.
Barry Massey & Trevor Phillips were third to tee it up and while they got off to a slow start, loosing the first two holes, these two experienced players weren’t about to give up and had a one hole lead by the eight tee. A run of three losses from eight through ten however left them with an uphill battle and Bray just managed to keep their noses in front to the end, winning 2&1.
Greystones 2 – Bray 1
Our final pair of Murt Davis & Declan Murray played steady golf at the back of the field, trading holes throughout the front nine in yet another tight match, reaching the back nine, as they began, all square.
While all eyes had been concentrating on the other matches, Ben & Niall had found themselves in a dogfight with their Bray opposition showing that they weren’t to be discounted. The Bray men notched up five wins without reply to move to two up after fourteen. Another fight back from Ben & Niall brought the match back to where it began with just two holes remaining. The seventeenth went to Bray however and Ben & Niall found themselves dormie one down.
Meanwhile Murt & Declan halved the first five holes on the back nine and were quickly looking like they might be the deciding match. The pair had to really dig deep to win the sixteenth and an excellent win on seventeen had Greystones dormie two up.
So after almost five hours of excellent (if nail biting) golf it came down to this…
Greystones leading 2 matches to 1, dormie one down in the fourth match and dormie two up in the last match – what a finish.
Ben & Niall won the eighteenth to halve their match but an excellent par on the seventeenth for Murt & Declan was enough to half the hole, win the match, and settle the tie.
FIRST PENNANT OF THE YEAR FOR GREYSTONES !!!
Congratulations to, Paul & Dermot and all involved in the campaign.
