Congratulations to Lisa Croke and her Revive Active team who took on Blainroe this afternoon. Lisa’s team had a tough task with three matches away from home and just two in Greystones but was hopeful after the excellent performance of the team against Coollattin earlier in the month.
First out at home were Aisling Marmion & Amanda Lawless. Both players were in fine form and got off to an excellent start winning the first and third to take an early lead. The Greystones’ pair got into trouble on the sixth and the hole went to Blainroe but a half on seven followed by an excellent win on the eighth restored their advantage to two holes. Nine was halved the Aisling & Amanda walked down the lane with a two hole advantage.
The usually extremely strong pairing of Jennifer Moore & Aine O’Rourke were next to tee it up but it was soon clear that their opposition were also very strong. Despite a win on the third, Jennifer & Aine found themselves two down through seven holes, but still playing well and they earned two excellent wins on the next two holes to level their match after the front nine.
In Blainroe, Mary Hutch & Sandra Cotter were out together once again and lost eight and nine to be one down after the first nine holes. They got ahead after wins on ten and eleven but were back at all square immediately after a loss on the twelfth. Both pairs were playing well and the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth were all halved and it was clear that either pair could win the match.
Niamh Keilthy & Joyce Kirwan were out second away from home and were also in a tight match. The front nine was halved but Blainroe got their noses in front, but only just, with a win on the par four eleventh. The home pair doubled this lead on the very next hole and maintained this lead after fourteen.
Our final pair this afternoon was that of Deirdre Ahern & Orla Delaney who got off to a flyer, two up through two but lost six, seven and nine to turn one down. Deirdre & Orla bounced straight back however, winning the first two holes on the back nine, as they had done on the front nine, to get back ahead.
On the back nine, Aisling & Amanda lost eleven but won thirteen with a par from Aisling. The fourteenth was halved in par also and the fifteenth was also shared. On sixteen, Aisling hit a good tee shot but the ball ran over the back and when she didn’t get up and down the hole went to the visitors. One up with two to go and the pressure was mounting.
Jennifer & Aine were also in a fiercely competitive match. They lost ten, won eleven but then lost twelve to go one down. Thirteen was halved with Jennifer making an excellent par and another tap in par for Jennifer on the fourteenth was enough to win that hole and bring the match back to all square. Fifteen was halved and when sixteen went to Greystones and with Aisling & Amanda also one up playing seventeen there was some optimism that the two home matches might go our way.
In Blainroe, Mary & Sandra had fought hard to be in a position to win their match for sixteen holes but unfortunately seventeen and eighteen were lost and their match went to Blainroe, 2 up.
Niamh & Joyce were also very much still in the hunt at two down with four to go, but a loss on fifteen had them dormie and as they could unfortunately only manage a half on sixteen, their match also went to Blainroe, 3&2.
Deirdre & Orla were playing great on the back nine. One ahead after eleven, they halved twelve and thirteen before taking control of the match with wins on fourteen, fifteen and sixteen to close out the match 4&2 and give Greystones the crucial away win.
All we needed now was two wins at home !
On seventeen Amanda and one of the Blainroe players had a shot in the match. Off the tee, the Blainroe pair both found the fairway but unfortunately Aisling’s drive went left and into the heavy rough while Amanda found the middle of the fairway. Aisling hit a blistering provisional which came into play when her first ball couldn’t be found. Amanda and the two Blainroe ladies laid up but lying three of the tee, and without a shot on the hole, Aisling had to go for the green. She hit a great iron to find the putting surface and was now there in four, no doubt adding a little pressure to the Blainroe pair’s next shots . The low handicap lady from Blainroe just cleared the water with her chip but was left with no stance, her playing partner cleared the water but was right of the green, leaving a tricky chip. Amanda then hit a great approach to ten feet and, after some back and forth, she ended up having her putt for the match which she duly held – a nice birdie to finish a great match, 2 up.
It was now all up to Aine and Jennifer. All four players laid up on seventeen with their second shots with Jennifer perhaps sixty yards from the green in the semi rough left of the bridge. Aine laid up a second time as did the higher handicap Blainroe player. The low lady from Blainroe hit a good shot for her third but found the rough behind the green towards the eighteenth the box and was left with a tricky shot made all the more difficult as the pin was back left. Jennifer hit a lovely chip to be twelve feet from the flag in three and Aine followed suit to be a similar distance away in four. When the third Blainroe shot from the fairway found the water, it all came down to whether the low lady could make an up and down. To be fair, she hit a good chip but it ran past the hole and off the green again and when her return chip ran out to ten feet it was shake hands time. A great 2&1 win for Jennifer & Aine and a wonderful win for Lisa’s team.
Congratulations to Lisa, Frances Twomey, who was looking after the home games tonight, and all the team.
Our Metropolitan Cup team, managed by Ed Davis were also in action this evening, playing Slade Valley. As with the Revive team the odd match was away from home, so another tough assignment. Anthony Byrne was looking after the home team this evening with Ed travelling to Slate Valley.
At home, Ed had picked Gavin Nolan to lead the way. Gavin lost the first two but got one back with a good win on the third. He was playing well and turned one up after further wins on the fifth, the seventh and the ninth and went two up with another win on the tenth. From this point it got very cagey indeed with the Slade Valley man getting the best of the match for a period, winning twelve, and fifteen to level the game and then winning the sixteenth to go ahead by one.
David O’Toole was out next and ran off four straight pars to win the first four holes, a great start. David lost five, the seventh and the ninth but still turned three to the good having won the sixth and eighth holes. On the back nine, he started on the par trail once again and having won ten and eleven and halving twelve he won the thirteenth to close the game 6&5.
1-0 to Greystones
Third out was Trevor Phillips who lost the first but made a good half on the second. Three went to Slade Valley as did nine and the game was set at one up for the visitors at the turn. Trevor won eleven, halved twelve and had good chances to win the thirteenth and fourteenth holes but three putts on each only yielded halves. On fifteen, Trevor’s drive found the fairway and he hit a nice layup and an excellent approach to ten feet, after his opponent had hit a good shot also to be just off the back fringe. A Slade Valley three putt wasn’t good enough as Trevor made his par to win the hole and bring the match to all square. Sixteen was halved in pars and off they went to the seventeenth tee as they had started the day, level.
In Slade Valley, Walter Gilbert was out first with Craig Hazelton next to tee it up. Mark A. Byrne was out number three and the man who had won the deciding match against Old Conna in the last round, John Egan, brought up the rear.
Walter was two down after the front nine and found the early back nine holes tough, losing ten , eleven and thirteen to go five behind. He fought back, winning the next two holes but unfortunately it was a bridge too far and his loss on sixteen by 4&2 gave Slade Valley their first point of the day.
1-1
In contrast, Craig was in full control of his game. He was playing really very well and turned three up and and got Greystones back in front when he closed his match out on the fifteenth, 4&3.
2-1 to Greystones
Mark’s match was nip and tuck from the off this evening with holes being traded early and he was one ahead after he won the ninth. Ten went to Slade Valley and when they also won the fourteenth and fifteenth to go two ahead with just three to go it looked ominous, but not impossible given Mark’s tenacity. Sixteen was shared and the match was now dormie but Mark got an excellent par on the seventeenth to bring the match to the eighteenth.
John was also in a dogfight and found himself one down at the halfway point on the course. Unfortunately he never got going on the back nine and whatever luck was going went against him and he lost on the fifteenth, 4&3.
2 -2
Meanwhile in Greystones, Gavin’s opponent was in trouble off the tee on seventeen, and Gavin’s par was enough to win the hole and level the game. The match headed for the eighteenth with both men hitting very good drives but both found the green side bunker and, with neither managing to get it up and down, they headed for the nineteenth.
Just behind, Trevor hit a good drive and when his opponent failed to make the green with his second Trevor took it on and hit a good iron which found the front of the green. Two putts from there were enough to get one ahead as they headed for the eighteenth.
On eighteen, both players drove left with Trevor’s landing in a worse position, in the rough and without a shot to the green. His opposition hit a good second shot which ran off the back of the green on the lower level with the pin up on the upper left level. Trevor had to lay up but then chunked his third and was still ten yards short of the green. He hit a decent chip but it ran out a bit, leaving him a twelve footer with left to right break, for bogey. The Slade Valley man hit a nice chip but it ran to fifteen feet and he failed to hole out, making bogey. All eyes were on Trevor as he eyed up his putt and there was relief among the crowd of supporters when it hit the bottom of the cup. Word then filtered back from Slade Valley that Mark had lost on eighteen there.
3-3
Everyone raced back to the first, where Gavin and his opponent were side by side just off the front left of the green with the pin back left, leaving tricky chips over a mound. The Slade Valley player elected to hit a low chip which landed on the top of the mound and rolled to three feet while Gavin attempted a more ariel route which unfortunately came up short. First to play, Gavin’s putt missed and the Slade Valley player hit a good putt to make a very good up and down, to win the match and the tie.
4-3 to Slade Valley
Commiserations to Ed, Anto and all the team this evening. They all put up a great fight.
