Two more nail biters this afternoon as Amanda Lawless and Paul Keane’s Irish Mixed took on Blainroe. With three at home and a good team selected there was an expectation that the team might well move to the next round.
First out in the Irish Mixed were Shane O’Connor & Vice Captain, Ciara Marmion, both well experienced in this competition. At one down through five they made par to win six but lost eight and nine to turn two down.
Adam Packman & Aine O’Rourke were next out and set the early pace, going three up after four and had a four hole advantage heading to the tenth.
Diarmaid MacGabhann & Amanda Lawless also got off to a quick start, winning the opening three holes. A win on the sixth got them to four up but they lost the ninth to move to the back nine three up.
In Blainroe, Murt Davis & Sandra Cotter were first out and despite winning the first two holes struggled on the front nine and found themselves three behind at the halfway point.
Our final pairing of Ray Nolan & Anne Costello came up against a strong Blainroe pair today and, while they took an early lead, winning the second hole from there it was all Blainroe. Ray & Anne were two down after nine and the match ended on the fourteenth 6&4.
Back in Greystones, Shane & Ciara took control of the back nine with some excellent golf. They won the first four on the back nine to go into a two hole lead. They lost fourteen to a birdie but bounced back with a win on sixteen to go dormi two up. Blainroe kept the match alive with a win on seventeen. Shane’s drive found the fairway bunker and after Ciara chipped out, his approach came up just short of the green while their opposition who had also laid up, played an excellent chip shot to six feet. On to eighteen….
Meanwhile Adam & Aine were not having the same easy game on the back nine as they had on the front. Their opposition came out fighting. Adam & Aine, lost ten and after a good half on eleven they then lost four on the trot to find themselves one down. Sixteen was halved and both pairs laid up on seventeen. Blainroe over clubbed and found the bunker behind the green while Adam hit a great shot to the back of the green, about fifteen feet from the back right pin.
Diarmaid & Amanda got to four up after a great up on down on eleven for par but lost twelve and thirteen which kept the spectators interested. An excellent shot from Amanda on fourteen set up a birdie win and a half on fifteen had the match at dormie three up.
In Blainroe Murt & Sandra had mounted a big fightback on the back nine. The won the tenth to reduce the deficit to just two but immediately gave the hole back with a loss on eleven. From there however they really picked up their games and won the next there holes to level the match. Fifteen, sixteen and seventeen were halved and the match headed to eighteen all square.
At this point it really was anyone’s game. Blainroe had one point in the bag. Shane & Ciara were on the eighteenth, one up, Adam & Aine were one down on the green on seventeen, Diarmaid & Amanda were dormie three up on the sixteenth and Murt & Sandra were all square on the eighteenth.
When Blainroe took two to get out of the bunker in Adam & Aine’s match this match also headed to eighteen all square. Up ahead Ciara had hit a great drive and the Greystones pair were on the green in three. Their opposition were over the green in three and chipped to ten feet. Shane rolled his putt to two feet and when the Blainroe player missed her putt the match was done – 2 up to Shane & Ciara and 1-1 overall in the tie.
Word then filtered through to the eighteenth green that Diarmaid & Amanda had closed out their match with a half on sixteen (3&2) which meant we just needed one more game to go our way to seal the deal. Aine & Adam were on the eighteenth fairway when the news came from Blainroe that Murt & Sandra had completed their fantastic comeback with a win on the eighteenth.
A great win for Amanda and Paul and all the team.
Straight after the mixed team Ed Davis’ Metropolitan Cup team were playing Old Conna in Greystones with the away leg having teed off an hour before in Old Conna. Before a shot was hit at home, at the six hole point in Old Conna, Craig Hazelton was two down, Milo Doyle was all square and John Egan was one up. It was clear already that, at least away, this was going to be a tight match.
Craig got his match back to all square with wins on seven an eight but lost nine and ten to go back to two down. Crag was up against a strong Old Conna player who managed the game well from there and a win on fifteen gave Old Conna a dormie three advantage and a half on the sixteenth gave them their first point of the day.
Milo turned two down. He won eleven but lost the next two holes to go to three behind. A spirited fightback on fourteen and fifteen and he had it back to just one, and sixteen and seventeen were halved.
John Egan was in a dogfight. One up through six became one down through eight and the match stayed that way till John made a great par to win the eleventh. One down after losing fifteen became dormi one up after wins of sixteen and seventeen for John. Unfortunately John was in trouble on eighteen and lost to tie the match and the pair headed back to the first to try to settle their match.
At home, Walter Gilbert was sent out first and played well today but had a tough opponent. The match was as it had started after nine but Walter played the better golf on the back nine and got it to three up with three to play.
David O’Toole was second out a home and he was one down after three without having done anything wrong. Four, five and six were halved before David took control of the game, winning five in a row and never looked like he might lose. in the end a par on the fifteenth for a win closed the match 4&3 in David’s favour and levelled the tie one all.
Gavin Nolan was third out in Greystones and he, like John in Old Conna, was in a tough match. He was two down after six but had leveled the match by the time they walked down the lane to the tenth.Old Conna took early control of the back nine, winning the first two holes but Gavin reversed this advantage immediately and was one up after wins on twelve, thirteen and fourteen. Fifteen was halved but Gavin made a great par on the sixteenth to go to dormi two up.
Our final man out today was the ever reliable Trevor Phillips. Trevor’s opponent today really struggled with the tight front nine while Trevor played his normal tee, fairway, green golf to turn four up and looking well in control. His opponent must have felt more comfortable on the back nine however as he won, ten and eleven to peg it back to two down. Twelve and thirteen were halved before Trevor made birdie on fourteen to three up with four to play. Fifteen and sixteen went to Old Conna (including an excellent par from the the thirteenth fairway).
Phones were being consulted by all the spectators at this stage as matches were in the final stages and, as with the mixed earlier, the tie could go either way.
Both sides had one point on the board.
Away, Milo was dormi one down on eighteen and John Egan was on the first tie hole.
At home, Walter was dormi three up, Gavin was dormi two up and Trevor was one up playing sixteen.
Walter made a solid bogey to win the seventeenth after his opponent was in trouble on the hole to close his match 2&1.
Greystones 2-1 Old Conna
Milo could only half the tricky eighteenth in Old Conna to lose a hard fought match 1 down.
Greystones 2-2 Old Conna
Gavin won the seventeenth to secure our third match point of the day by a margin of 3&1.
Greystones 3-2 Old Conna
Both remaining matches on the course were finally poised.
In Greystones, both Trevor and his opponent hit excellent drives on the seventeenth with Trevor one hole up. Trevor unfortunately flew the green with his approach shot, leaving himself an almost impossible shot from the hump to the back left of the green to a pin that was back right. The Old Conna man then hit a fantastic shot to eight feet. Trevor pulled off a brilliant recovery shot to fifteen feet but missed the putt and an Old Conna par brought the game to eighteen all square.
Word came from Old Conna that John had halved the 19th and had moved on to play his second tie hole.
Trevor hit a great drive on eighteen after his opposition had carved his drive into the trees on the right of the fairway. Unfortunately Trevor’s second shot found the bunker to the left of the green and the Old Conna man hit a magnificent recovery shot from the trees to fifteen feet short of the green. No doubt Trevor would have made his up and down from the bunker but we’ll never know for sure as reports from Old Conna confirmed that John had won the twentieth to secure the overall win for Greystones.
A great finish to a great day’s golf from both teams.
Many congratulations to all involved.
