Padraig Croke & Pat O’Neill as managers of the JB Carr team this year stuck with the team that had won the quarter final against Headfort last month. With five matches at home today (24th July) the team had high hopes of making it to the final but were taking nothing for granted as they faced a strong Palmerstown team.
First out were Paul Keane & Gerry Browner who turned one up but it was clear that his match could go to the wire. Ten and eleven went to the visitors but Paul & Gerry squared the match with a win on twelve. Thirteen went to Palmerstown, fourteen to Greystones, fifteen to Palmerstown and sixteen to Greystones in a constantly changing match but, crucially, the Greystones pair broke this sequence with another win on seventeen to get one ahead with just one to go. Eighteen was halved and Greystones earned a point.
Second out were Barry D O’Leary & Tom Sheehy. Barry & Tom were one up after nine and the golf being played in the match was excellent all round. Ten and eleven went to Pamerstown but this sequence of wins was reversed as Tom & Barry won the next two holes to restore their slender lead. The Palmerstown players got to dormie one up with unanswered wins on fifteen and seventeen but a Greystones win on the last forced the game into extra time. The nineteenth was halved but Palmerstown got the rub of the green on the twentieth to win the tie. An excellent match with Barry & Tom only a couple over par in this scotch foursomes format.
Out third were Robert Clarke & Colm Mulcahy who had delivered the goods against Headfort with a 2&1 win last month. It wasn’t to be their day today however. At three down after three it took a win on the ninth to get to two down at the halfway point on the course. Their Palmerstown opponents got the better of the back nine however and wins on ten, twelve and thirteen that had them at dormie five up before they closed the match out 5&4, with a half on fourteen.
Tom Byrne & Michael Keating were out in our number four position today and were playing very well together as they have done in past matches. Their opposition didn’t win a single hole in this match which Tom & Michael won 5&4, and excellent result.
At two all in the tie it all came down to the final match, as it so ofter does.
Martin Nolan & David O’Toole had won their Headfort match and were playing well again this evening in the anchor match of the tie. There was little to choose between the two pairs in this match but Martin & David had to win eight and nine to get to all square heading to the tenth tee. The Greystones pair won ten and eleven also to move to a two hole lead and holes twelve and thirteen were halved. A birdie for Palmerstown reduced the lead to just one and, when fifteen and sixteen were halved, it was all to play for.
All four players hit good drives on seventeen where Palmerstown had a shot in the match, and it was David who elected to hit the Greystones approach shot. His shot went over the pin and stopped just at the back right edge of the green, perhaps twenty feet from the pin. The Palmerstown shot cleared the water but came up short right. It was Palmerstown to play first and their man hit a nice chip to five feet but leaving a nasty putt across the green. Martin’s putt came up four feet short and once the Palmerstown putt was missed David just had to remain calm and hole his four footer for the half which he did. One up with one to play.
On eighteen both David and Martin hit good drives up the right hand side of the fairway. The Greystones men elected to play Martin’s ball while Palmerstown elected to play the longer of their two drives from the left rough. The pin was towards the front of the green on the left and David’s approach hit the green just running out to the back of it, but on the correct level. The Palmerstown shot out of the rough found the first bunker on the right, leaving an incredibly difficult shot over the second bunker to find the putting surface. One of the toughest shots in golf proved to be just so tonight and the ball went from one bunker to the other. It was Martin to play next and his putt stopped five feet from the pin, an excellent putt under the circumstances. Palmerstown played their second bunker shot to fifteen feet but to no avail and the hole, tie and place in the final went to Greystones.
Congratulations to Padraig, Pat and all involved.
Pics from today’s matches ….
