Gents Competition Results

Congratulations to Tim Hazelton, Pete Murray and Dermot Whiston who guided their Old Conna Seniors team to the finals day today, beating Old Conna in Greystones.

Greystones are the current holders of this competition and now head to Old Conna on the 21st of August, along with three other (to be decided) clubs, to decide who will be champions for 2023.

In this competition, six four-ball pairs play and the top five cards count to the team score, with the visiting team getting five courtesy shots added to their total score.

Our Greystones pairs had some excellent scores this afternoon:

Andy Nolan / Gearoid McKenna 41pts

Michael McNaughton / Colm Drew 46pts

Clive Woollam / Denis McGrane 46pts

John Burke / Niall Crosbie 33pts

Joe Grennan / Pete Murray 43pts

Tony Gorman / Tom Creed 42pts

After our discard we had a total of 218 points to Old Conna’s 211 and after the addition of the 5 courtesy shot we won by the narrow margin of just 2.

Well done to Tim, Pete, Dermot and all the players today.

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Karl Holmes’ Barton Shield team faced an extremely high quality Carton House team this afternoon on the Montgomery course at Carton House.

The combined handicap of the four Carton players was PLUS 13.3 while the combined handicap of our team today was 1.3, different gravy, as you might say.

David Byrne had to withdraw this morning with a back injury so Karl had called Shane O’Connor is as a replacement and had switched the team around.

Out first were Daniel O’Byrne & Shane O’Connor with Dylan Holmes & Jamie Anderson out second, in what was probably the youngest Greystones pairing ever fielded in this competition.

It became evident from the get-go that any mistake was going to be punished by the Carton team, and that if Carton did hit a poor shot they had the ability to recover with their next.

After nine holes both Greystones pairs were four down. Dan & Shane got one back on ten when Carton lost a ball in tall rough off the tee but eleven and twelve went to the home team to go five up. Behind, Dylan & Jamie lost eleven, to yet another birdie to also go five down. Holes unfortunately then ran out, with Dylan & Jamie halving twelve and thirteen and Dan & Shane halving thirteen and fourteen with the match finishing 10&9.

The day is perhaps best summed up by what happened on the 370 yard par four, twelfth. Dylan drove the green and his ball stopped twenty feet from the pin while the Carton player had hit a three wood which bounced short but shot forward through the green.  Jamie was left with a nice look at an eagle two whereas the Carton player faced a tricky pitch to an elevated green (think of a shot from the right hand side of our eighth green, but to a much smaller landing area). The Carton man played a great shot from where he was to fifteen feet, Jamie’s putt slid by and was picked up for a nice birdie, and then Carton held their fifteen footer for a half !

This was a great opportunity to see, first hand, what an All-Ireland contending team at this level looks like, and, for our younger players to see what the next level looks like.

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After the incredible excitement of the Wicklow final, when the JB Carr team won by the narrowest of margins down in Druids’ Heath earlier this month, it’s fair to say that the management team of Padraig Croke and Pat O’Neill were hoping for a slightly less dramatic win this evening.

This evening (30th June) they faced the Meath champions, Headfort with all five matches in Greystones on this occasion.

Padraig and Pat had, once again, gone for a strong line up, erring towards the low end of the handicap range for this competition whereas it was clear, once the team sheets were supplied, that Headford had gone for pairs that were at the higher end of the range.

The net result was that all our pairs were giving shots, ranging from four to eight. It wasn’t going to be an easy evening.

First out were Paul Keane & Gerry Browner, a pair that had won their matches in both legs of the Wicklow final. Tonight they had to give four shots in their match. Paul & Gerry lost the first but won the second. They had to give their first shot on the third and the hole went to Headfort which might not be unexpected, but when the fourth also went to the visitors Paul & Gerry needed to impose themselves onto the match and quickly, with another shot hole looming on the sixth.  The Greystones pair got into action and not only won the fifth but then won six, against the head, and seven to get into the lead for the first time. Eight was halved and on nine Jerry hit an excellent bunker shot from the green side bunker and Paul held the putt for the win to get to two up as the pair headed down the lane.

Barry D. O’Leary, back from injury, was paired with Tom Sheehy once again. Tom had played with Michael Keating in the second leg of the final when they were the deciding match.  Barry & Tom had played In the first leg of the Wicklow final, losing narrowly while giving shots, and tonight once again, they were on the wrong side of the shots ledger, giving eight to their opponents. Despite this, Barry & Tom were two up after seven, having given three of their eight shots, but the tide turned a bit at that point and they lost eight to a birdie, and then nine and ten where they were giving shots to go back to all square.

Colm Mulcahy & Robert Clarke, another pair that had played and won in both Wicklow final legs, were back in action and had to give five shots tonight. The first five holes were halved in this match before five and six were traded. Colm & Robert won seven and eight and halved nine to turn two up and with only two shots remaining to be given.

Tom Byrne & Michael Keating, a new pairing, were teeing it up giving four shots. Tom and Michael got off to a good start and were two up after four, five was shared and six, one of Headfort’s shot holes went to the visiting team. Wins by both teams on seven and eight cancelled each other out, and with nine being halved, Greystones were ahead by one heading to the back nine.

At the back of the field, Martin Nolan & David O’Toole were also back doing battle in the competition.  Martin & David had come close to securing the important last point in the second leg against Druids Heath. They lost on the 20th on that occasion and were hoping to make amends tonight, however this aspiration had to be tempered by the fact that they were giving six shots to their opponents. The first of the shots was given on the second and the hole went to Headfort but Martin and David reversed this match position winning the third and fourth despite giving another shot on the third. Six and seven went to the visiting team but eight and nine went to Greystones and, as with the earlier matches we were ahead, by one hole, halfway around the course.

There was no room for complacency however, Paul & Gerry were giving another shot on the tenth and lost the hole and then lost the next three on the trot to go to two down.  On fourteen Paul’s tee shot found the bunker but Gerry, under some pressure, hit a great shot to ten feet which resulted in a much needed win. Fifteen, sixteen were halved and the local men earned a miraculous half on the seventeenth when their opposition had been in the water, had hit a brilliant recovery shot but missed the shot putt for the win and the match.  The four players headed for eighteen with Headfort dormi up.

In Barry and Tom’s match ten went to Headfort with their shot, to level the contest. An excellent Greystones half on twelve while giving a shot was followed with a win on thirteen. Fourteen was lost to a birdie and Headfort’s second last shot hole, the fifteenth, also went to the Meath men. With Headfort just ahead and another shot coming their way on the seventeenth, it needed something special to keep to match alive and this came in the form of an excellent tee shot from Barry on the sixteenth to three feet. All square with two to go.  On seventeen, with the wind now swirling, Tom hit what looked like a great shot at the pin but it took a hard bounce into the bunker at the back of the green.  The Headfort approach shot was heading for the water, but held up in the rough three feet short.  The Headfort player hit his shot close and Barry and Tom were unable to get up and down. A second match off to the eighteenth with Headfort dormi one up.

Behind Barry & Tom, Colm & Robert managed a half on ten, giving a shot and won eleven with a brilliant up and down for par after average tee shots from both players. Robert snap hooked his tee shot on twelve and Colm’s tee shot found the trees on the right.  A very good recovery shot from Robert wasn’t enough however to avoid loosing the hole. Thirteen and fourteen were halved and fifteen, where they had a shot, went to Headfort. Sixteen was halved and Greystones remained one up with two to play but were giving a shot on the next hole. Robert hit a great second shot to the seventeenth, leaving Colm a nice uphill putt while their opponents were short right of the green also. A poor Headfort chip was the deciding factor and a Greystones par won the hole and closed the match out 2&1.

The penultimate match had Tom & Michael playing very well. While ten went to Headfort, where they had a shot, from there Tom & Michael never looked like they were anything but in control of the situation, winning eleven, twelve, fourteen and fifteen to a single loss on thirteen where Tom’s approach shot had hit the tree to the left of the green. A half in pars on the sixteenth was enough to finalise the match by a margin of 3&2.

In the last match of the day Martin & Dave, having turned one up, made a great half on ten before winning eleven to double their lead. Further wins on thirteen and fourteen without reply got them to dormi four up.

So at the halfway point, we were up in all matches but at the business end of the tie, we had two matches on eighteen, both dormi one down, two matches in the bag and our last match dormi four up.

So……

An incredible Headfort up and down from the left hand bunker sealed the first match for the visitors and an equally impressive bogey from the second Headfort pair, having been in the trees, gave the same result in the second match.

Two all but with Greystones dormi four up in the last match, which became,

dormi three up, which became,

dormi two up…

On seventeen David hit a great drive and when Martin’s excellent approach found the back of the green it looked promising for a Greystones victory.  Headfort had different ideas however and the higher Headfort handicapper hit a brilliant wood under pressure and found the front of the green.  Headfort hit an excellent putt to a foot for a par / nett birdie and when David’s putt ran past the hole it was off to the last hole to try to settle the tie.

On eighteen, the better of the Headfort drive was in the rough on the right while David had split the fairway with an excellent drive. The high handicap Headfort man hot another brilliant shot from the rough to fifteen feet, but crucially the ball was above the hole. Martin’s approach was to the front of the green, maybe twenty feet from the pin.  David hit a decent putt leaving Martin an uphill three footer for par.  Headfort misjudged the speed of their putt ( easy to do on this green as we all know! ) and it went five feet past.  When Headfort missed the return it was shake hands time and the tie was settled.

Many congratulations to Padraig, Pat and all the team. Next up is a Leinster semi final against the Kildare or Offaly champions.

Thanks to Headfort for the sporting manner in which the match was played tonight.

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Pat O’Dowd  and Joe O’Brien’s Best Cup team took on Ballinascorney this evening (26th June) in the last eight of the Leinster South section.

Jimmy Hempenstall & Tom Purcell were out first and set the tone for the home team on the front nine. After halving the first three holes, Jimmy & Tom upped the anti, winning four of the last six holes on the front nine without reply to move to the back nine with a nice cushion.

Out number two were Joe Grennan & Martin McNulty.  A nice win on the first was negated by a loss on the second but further wins on the third and ninth, without any additional holes conceded to the opposition on the front nine, had the pair two up heading down the lane.

Our final home pairing was that of Emmet O’Brien & Jim Kinsella. Emmet & Jim were in fine form and moved into a three hole lead after five, having won the opening two holes and the fifth.  Our sixth can claim scalps as we all know and neither home player played it particularly well and the hole went to the visitors.  Emmet & Jim bounced back immediately with a win on seven, then halved eight before an unfortunate loss on nine reduced their advantage to two, halfway around the course.

As Joe was going to be delayed this evening and wasn’t going to make the tee off, David J. Kelly stood in to see the matches off the first tee in Ballinascorney. In the first away match, Pat & Joe had selected last year’s Captain’s Prize winner Quentin Teggin, to play alongside Dermot Whiston.  It’s always tough when playing away but with both players in decent form recently they felt they had a chance to nick what could be a vital away win.  The Greystones pair were one ahead through four but lost three in succession to to go two behind after eight.  A great win on the ninth reduced the deficit to just the odd hole and an equally good win on the thirteenth got them back to all square and with all to play for.

Our final pair this evening was George Hughes & Pat Tracey who both know each other’s game very well. This was a tight match with George & Pat two up after the first two holes but pegged back to all square after losses on the fifth and sixth holes. A win on seven for the Greystones men was cancelled out by a loss on the tenth and after a half on eleven they were still as they had started on the first.

Back in Greystones, unfortunately for Jimmy & Tom, the wheels fell off for a time early on the back nine.They lost ten through to twelve to give up all of that nice cushion that they had worked so hard to build up on the front nine.

Joe & Martin started the back nine better and earned a good half on ten before winning eleven to move to three up.

As the home matches progressed the real drama (for now) was taking place in Ballinascorney, where Joe O’Brien was keeping his men focused.

Quentin & Dermot went ahead for the first time since the second hole with a win on the fifteenth but were back all square just one hole later.  Seventeen went to Greystones and got them to dormie but the home pair used their local knowledge well on eighteen to win the hole and take the match up the nineteenth, the difficult index 3, par four. Again, the Ballinascorney players took full advantage of their familiarty with the hole and, despite the best efforts of Dermot & Quentin, the hole was won by the home team and the first match point of the day went to Ballianascorney.

The second away match saw George & Pat sneak ahead with a fantastic win on twelve but the match was so tight, it was no real surprise when the home team levelled it once again on the fourteenth. With nothing between the teams, all the holes from there to the eighteenth were halved and, at all square after eighteen, this match too headed back to the first tee.  This time however, it was the Greystones visitors who claimed victory with an excellent win on away turf.

1 all, away from home.

As this was unfolding in Rathfarnham, back in Greystones, Jimmy & Tom had steadied the ship somewhat and had halved fourteen, fifteen and sixteen, but with a loss on seventeen, they were dormie, one down.

Joe & Martin however were going well after their win on eleven, halving twelve, thirteen and fourteen before a loss on fifteen, to be two up with three to play.  They finished the job on sixteen with a 3&2 win and edged the team ahead in the overall tie.

Having turned two up, Emmet & Jim got to three up with a win on twelve but were back to two after thirteen once again. Fourteen, fifteen and sixteen were halved and the pair were now dormie two up but with the treacherous seventeenth and tricky eighteenth left to play.

Up ahead, Tom & Jimmy had won eighteen to get their match back to all square and headed for nineteen, the third match this evening to go beyond the regulation holes.

Needing just one match from the two still on the course, Pat O’Dowd, faced with the impossible task of keeping tabs on the seventeenth and the first, elected to stay with Emmet & Jim’s match.

In the end it was this pair that got over the line first, with a strong win on seventeen to win the hole and their match 3&1 and secure the overall tie for Greystones.

By the time Pat and Lady Captain Celine, got back to the first, Tom & Jimmy had also won – a brilliant performance – many pairs might well have capitulated after losing a four hole lead.

Many congratulations to Pat, Joe and the whole team, on an excellent evening’s work. A semi-final now awaits.

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