Padraic Croke & Pat O’Neill’s JB Carrr team got off the a decent start this evening in the first leg of the Wicklow final of this event.
The team will take a slender 3-2 lead into Thursday’s away leg in Druid’s Heath where, hopefully the can finish the job.
Barry O’Leary & Tom Sheehy were out first tonight and were there down after nine. The Greystones men came back on the back nine however and got the match back to just one down with a win on fourteen. Unfortunately they came up just short with a loss on the seventeenth giving the match to Druids Heath, 2&1.
Second out were David Kirby & Martin McNulty who won the first five without reply and were six up through seven. A loss on nine had them five up heading to the tenth tee box. The back nine started with another loss but David & Martin were playing well and they stamped their authority on the match with wins on the eleventh and twelfth had the match dormie and they closed it out with a half on the fourteenth, 5&4.
Our third pairing was that of Colm Mulcahy & Robert Clarke who, despite a loss on the first were in control on the front nine, getting to four up at the halfway stage. That lead stretched to six up by the twelfth tee box. The Druid’s Heath pair included a 1 handicapper and he turned on the style for the following few holes but it was too late to save the match on this occasion an a par on the sixteenth for Colm & Robert was enough to close the match for Greystones 2&1.
Paul Keane & Gerry Browner were next to tee it up and they won the first three holes with solid golf. They lost the fourth but that was their only loss in the match. They turned four ahead and dominated the back nine also to win their match 7&6.
Martin Nolan & David O’Toole looked odds on to win the first when Martin’s tee shot landed just off the front of the green with a front pin which their opponents short sided in the bunker left but The Druid’s Heath pair made a great up and down while Martin’s par putt missed. One down after one and so it remained till the seventh hole. The match was nip and tuck from there to the fifteenth with each pair taking the lead throughout but a win for Druid’s Heath on sixteen got their noses ahead by one at a critical stage of the match. On seventeen, with a one hole lead Druids elected to lay up while David’s approach was just slightly long and found the bunker at the back of the green. The Druids Heath player then hit a great chip to three feet. Martin played a good bunker shot but was unable to hold the green and the ball ran to the front edge of the green. David missed the long par putt while Druids held their three footer to win the hole and the match 2&1. was halved and and the match was dormie in Druids Heath favour.
