Regina Barry and her Minor Cup squad were unlucky this afternoon to have to play the final on their opposition’s home turf.
Beech Park had been selected by Golf Ireland as the venue for the final and, as it happened, the Beech Park team made it to the final themselves.
Helen Creedon lead the way this afternoon and got off to a good start at two up after three but was hauled back to a level match by the halfway point having lost the eight and ninth holes. Helen got to two ahead once again with wins on eleven and twelve but fourteen went to the home team.
Out number two was Joyce Kirwan who was in top form today from the off. Joyce was four up after the opening six holes and, while she was pegged back to just two ahead after losing the seventh and ninth holes this was no more than a blip in an otherwise fantastic performance. Ten went to Greystones, as did thirteen, fourteen and fifteen to secure a 5&3 win.
Janet Devin was up against it today, coming up against a very strong player. Despite playing well, Janet turned four adrift and got little or no luck on the back nine, going down 6&4 to level the tie one apiece.
Áine O’Rourke began well and was one up after the first five but her opponent obviously found something in her game at this point and ran off five straight wins from the sixth through the tenth to go four ahead. The next two were traded, one apiece before Áine struck back with two consecutive wins on the thirteenth and fourteenth. Two down with four to play unfortunately became dormie three down as Áine lost fifteen and the match concluded on the next hole 4&2.
Our final player this afternoon was Bernadette McGowan and this match was tight tight from the very start. After six holes it was all square without a single hole been halved however the back nine tussle ultimately went to Beech Park as the seventh, eight and ninth all went to the home team. Bernadette was not giving up however and took the match to her opponent on the back nine, winning the opening three holes to once again level the match. The pair went back to trading holes on the next two and incredibly, the first half of the match came on the fifteenth.
Up ahead on the course, Helen was fighting hard to maintain her slender, one hole lead and halved fifteen, sixteen and seventeen to get to dormie one up. If Helen could get over the line it looked like the incredibly tight last match might settle to tie in the end. Needing just a half on the last, Helen went one better, winning the hole, and her match 2 up.
So, all square and Bernadette’s dogfight of a match was now the decider.
The first halved hole of the match on fifteen was followed by another on the sixteenth but Bernadette won the seventeenth to take what could be a crucial one hole advantage to the eighteenth tee.
At this stage nerves among the supporters were beginning to shatter and when the eighteenth went to the home team we were facing yet another Minor Cup grandstand finish. On the nineteenth it was Bernadette who once again held firm, parring the hole to win her match and the pennant for Greystones !!!
Well done to Regina and all her team.
