Lady Captain Celine would like to wish all playing in her Captain’s Prize Day One today the very best of luck.
Latest News
Fred Daly Team book place in LS final, Irish Mixed bow out in last four
In the first of two Leinster South semi-finals today (24th June), Peter Anderson and his Fred Daly team were up against a strong Elm Park team. Pete’s team had three matches at home but had the memory of loosing out to Elm Park at the same stage of the competition last year when the last match went to the nineteenth.
Pete has a strong team this year and deployed his players strategically home and away.
At home, our number one player, Dylan Holmes led out the team, taking on the Elm Park number one. The wind was up in Greystones in the afternoon and a mis-clubbing on the first saw Dylan come up short of the green and, when he failed to get up and down, the hole went to Elm Park. Dylan halved the second and a lovely approach shot on the third set up his first win of the day. Four and five also went to Dylan and he kept the momentum going on the sixth with a great up and down from the bunker for par and a half. He also won the seventh but his second shot to the ninth overshot JD and the green to find the gorse and the hole went to Elm Park. As they headed to the tenth Dylan was two up.
Second out was William O’Riordan who held a twelve footer for birdie on the opening hole to go one up and followed this up with another birdie on the third after a magnificent second shot to three feet, to go two up, having halved the second. He made a great up and down for par on the sixth, to steal a half after a miscued second shot, and won seven with another par. A lost ball on the ninth off the tee precipitated a loss there and the match moved to the back nine with Will two ahead.
Our final home match saw Jack McGovern take to the course. Jack halved the first and went on to win the second and third, which was won in par after Jack made an excellent ten foot putt. After loosing a ball off the tee on four, Jack lost the hole and he also lost the fifth to go back to all square. A very good up and down on the sixth for par was required to win six and further pars on seven and eight got the Greystones man to three up. A par on nine wasn’t enough for even a half, but two up going down the lane seemed a reasonable return for Jack’s good front nine performance.
In Elm Park, Steven Gormley was out first and got off to a great start. Two up through three became three up after six and Steven was playing really well. A poor tee shot on eight lead to a loss and Steven’s opponent got a sniff of a recovery and went on a birdie trail to win nine, ten and eleven. Twelve was halved before the Elm Park man also won the thirteenth. So, from three up to two down in the space of six holes while playing well! Steven won the fourteenth to get to one down but was back to two down immediately with a loss on the fifteenth.
Out at number two in Elm Park was Boy’s Junior Captain, Jamie Anderson. Jamie didn’t get off to the best of starts and his problems were compounded by the fact that he was playing a gifted twelve year old, John Moran playing off 1.7. Jamie found himself two down after four holes, got one back with a win on five, but lost six immediately to go back to two. Wins on nine and eleven squared the match once again, and Jamie’s game face was on and he was now hitting the ball well.
Meanwhile, back in Greystones, Dylan was in control of his match, halving ten before winning eleven and twelve to go four ahead. On thirteen, Dylan hit three wood off the tee and found himself blocked out, just short of the river on the right. His opponent had pulled his the shot left but found the ball and then played a great recovery shot to get back into play, followed by a good approach shot which set up a par and the win. This win only delayed the end of the match briefly however as Dylan’s par on fourteen was enough to win the hole to go to dormie. A half on fifteen closed the match for Dylan by a margin of 4&3.
At the back of the field, Jack responded to his loss on the ninth with a win on ten and another on the eleventh after an excellent tee shot right over the pin to fifteen feet which set up his par. He wasn’t having it all his own way however and his opponent made a good birdie on twelve to win the hole. Jack went with driver on thirteen and ended up in the rough short of the water. His Elm Park opposition had elected to hit iron off the tee and then found the putting surface, fifteen feet from the pin with his second. Jack’s pitch came out hot and ran out to twenty feet. Two good two putts saw that hole halved. Jack then made a nice par on fourteen to go dormie four up and when fifteen was halved in bogeys the match was done with Jack winning out 4&3.
Despite the two early wins, the tension among the Greystones supporters was palpable with the three remaining matches so tight.
Will had lost ten to be just one ahead but an excellent tee shot on eleven set up a win for him there. Twelve was halved but thirteen went to Elm Park after Will found the river with his tee shot. The to and fro continued with Will winning the fourteenth after another fine iron shot but the match was back to all square after he lost the fifteenth and sixteenth holes.
In Elm Park, Jamie was one down having lost the fourteenth and had to make an excellent ten foot putt for birdie, to avoid going two down on the fifteenth, after his opponent had hit his second to a foot.
Just up ahead of Jamie on the course Steven halved sixteen and was now dormie two down. He was unlucky not to get a win on the seventeenth and the half was enough to give Elm Park the match win, 2&1.
Jamie was on the green on the sixteenth in two while his young opponent, John Moran, was faced with a very difficult thirty foot bunker shot for his third. The young lad hit a brilliant shot to six inches and Jamie had to make a good two putt for the half. Both Jamie and John hit excellent tee shots on the par three seventeenth and the hole was halved in par. Both players hit fantastic tee shots again up eighteen and after John hit his approach to ten feet Jamie hit his to six – brilliant golf.
Back in Greystones Will’s tee shot on seventeen was just sixty yards from the pin, however his opponent had hit screamer to be in the rough just short of the water. Neither player was able to convert the birdie and the pair moved to the eighteenth tee, still all square. With the pin bottom right, Elm Park’s drive was in the perfect position, thirty yards short of the green on the right hand side of the fairway. Will had driven up the left and was left with, perhaps, thirty five yards to the pin, but with an awkward angle. The crowd were on their feet when he hit a brilliant low pitch which checked on the second bounce, and came to a stop just five feet beyond the hole. Will’s opponent was not to be beaten easily however and he hit an equally brilliant shot under the circumstances to a foot which was conceded. Will now faced a five footer with break to keep the match alive and there was a collective sigh of relief among the Greystones supporters when his ball found the bottom of the cup. The supporters then rushed back to the first, as unwelcome memories of the 2022 loss on nineteen to Elm Park came to mind once again. The Elm Park tee shot missed the green right, leaving a straightforward chip and Will’s took a bad bounce on the left of the green, running through to leave a more awkward ship from over the green on the left hand side with the pin on the left of the green.
As this drama unfolded in Greystones, it was getting even more dramatic in Elm Park. On eighteen, Jamies opponent’s putt looked like it was heading for the hole but just ran out of steam and skimmed the hole edge. Elm Park needed both remaining matches while we only needed one of the boys to convert. Jamie duly obliged holing his six foot birdie putt to finish in style and close the tie out 3 1/2 to 1 1/2 for Greystones.
Their reward for the win is a place in the Leinster South final which is to take place in Greystones on July 24th when they will play either Bray or Stackstown, sure to be another tough assignment either way.
Congratulations to Pete and all the team, a great performance. Thanks also to Elm Park for the sporting way the matches were played.
Our Irish Mixed team, managed by Amanda Lawless & Paul Keane were out just after the Fred Daly team and came up against a strong Lucan team in the last four of the Leinster South division. With three away matches the team faced a tough challenge with very little margin for error.
At home today, Amanda & Paul had Lisa Croke & David Byrne out first in an attempt to get a point on the board early. It looked like this might not happen when, after after five holes, the home pair were two down, but wins on seven and nine had squared the match and they turned all square. The back nine started as the front nine had, with early wins for Lucan. Ten and twelve (where the Greystones pair found trouble in the trees to the right off the tee), went their way and it took a monumental effort from Lisa & David to wrest control of the match back. They won two in a row, fifteen and sixteen, to get the match back to all square, before halving seventeen and eighteen and holding their nerve on nineteen to win an excellent point for Greystones.
This was not in fact the first point for Greystones this afternoon however. Amanda Lawless & Diarmaid MacGabhann were out after Lisa & David but were finished ahead of them after a fantastic 4&3 victory. Both players were very much on their games today and turned two up. From this point they didn’t give their opponents any opportunity to get back at them and, having won ten and thirteen, a half on the fifteenth was enough to close the match, 4&3.
Away from home Aine O’Rourke & Adam Packman were out first and were all square through three holes but four, five and six went to Lucan and the Greystones duo were three down heading to the tenth tee box. Aine & Adam had a spirited fightback on the back nine, winning ten, fourteen and sixteen but the damage had been done on the front nine and they headed to the last dormie one down, having lost the twelfth. It was Lucan who recorded the win on the eighteenth and the match ended with a 2up win for the home team.
Match two in Lucan pitted Orla Delaney & Des Hickey against a very strong Lucan pair. Orla & Des were up against it from the get go and turned four down. The back nine was no kinder to the Greystones pair and the match ended with a 7&5 Lucan win.
Out last, and as it turned out, in the deciding match, were Sandra Cotter & Murt Davis. Sandra & Murt had produced a great away win against Blainroe earlier in the month when they had staged a brilliant back nine recovery to win one up. Today, the front nine was a closer affair with Sandra & Murt just one behind as they headed for the back nine. At three down, after losses on ten & eleven however, another epic comeback was going to be needed. Twelve and thirteen were halved and a great win on the index 1, twelfth gave some optimism however the match concluded on sixteen with a Lucan win, 3&2.
Hard luck to Amanda & Paul and all the team who put so much into the 2023 campaign.
Upcoming interclub matches.
Peter Anderson’s Fred Daly team take on Elm Park in what is sure to be a nail biting semi-final tomorrow at 3pm. Pete’s boys have three at home but Elm Park are expected to be particularly strong, as they usually are.
Straight after the Fred Daly team, our Irish Mixed team, managed by Amanda Lawless & Paul Keane face another tough assignment as they take on Lucan with three away matches.
With no matches on Sunday as day one of Lady Captain Celine’s prize is taking place, our next match takes to the course on Monday when, at 4PM, Pat O’Dowd’s Best Cup team play Ballinascorney in the last eight of the competition.
Best of luck to all involved.
Revive Active & Metropolitan teams results (June 20th)
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.
Mixed bag today (Sunday 18th June) for our teams
First out today was our Men’s Senior Cup team, managed today by Alan Keane at home with Dermot Whiston and David Kirby looking after the away team in Elm Park.
On a positive note we had three home matches today but on the downside were missing two players, David Byrne and Dylan Holmes, who were both abroad on holidays and might normally have played. This is what having a squad is all about, and the team management were still able to select a very strong team for todays match.
Our first at home was Adam Packman who played well today. Adam was three up after seven, lost eight but birdied nine to head for the tenth tee, three up. He extended his lead with a win on the tenth and despite a fight back from his opponent with wins on thirteen, and on fourteen with a birdie, Adam played some stunning shots to half fifteen and sixteen to go dormie two up.
Behind Adam, Shane O’Connor was up against a +2.8 handicapper and was far from having it his own way. Wins for Shane on three and seven were undone by losses on four and six. On nine Shane was just off the front of the green in two with his opponent in some bother, but a poor chip by Shane’s standards allowed his opposite number back in the hole, which was halved. Ten went to Elm Park but Shane made a good birdie on twelve to square the match once again. It was tight as tight can be from there with pars and birdies being matched from twelve through sixteen.
Our third man out at home was Daniel O’Byrne who was up against the Elm Park low man, playing off +3.8. Daniel relished this challenge and got off to a great start with an excellent, par saving, twelve footer on the first, followed by a great win on the second. His lead went to two after his opponent hit a really poor tee shot of the fourth which was, in fact lucky not to find the gorse on the right of the hole. Daniel lost the fifth to birdie but won six and seven to go three up. On nine, Daniel hit the trees short left of the green with his second shot but the ball fell kindly for him, leaving him a nice pitch to the hole. His opponent had hit his drive up the eighth fairway and had to play a blind second shot which flew the green and found the gorse behind it. He took a drop onto the seventh fairway but hit a great shot to eight feet, leaving himself a putt for par. Daniel hit a nice chip to twelve feet and narrowly missed his birdie putt, however this was still good enough for the win when the Elm Park man missed his par putt.
So it looked like Daniel was in full control at four up going down the lane. At this level of course each player is capable of birdieing any hole so any lead can evaporate quickly if concentration is lost. Daniel three putted on ten to lose the hole but looked in pole position to perhaps win eleven but for a great putt from the Elm Park player to save his par, halving the hole. Daniel was behind a tree on the left of the twelfth and hit a stunning punch shot to find the green and set up a par but this wasn’t enough as his opponent held another excellent putt for a birdie and a win. Slightly out of position again on thirteen, Daniel held a clutch putt for par to halve the hole and made an excellent up and down from over the back of fourteen to earn a half with his opponent who was in tight after his tee shot, missed his birdie putt. On fifteen Daniel found the left rough off his tee shot but his opponent was buried in the rough on the right of the fairway and was looking like he had no shot. Daniel hit a great iron to just short of the fairway bunkers, leaving himself a hundred yards to the pin. The Elm Park man had spotted a gap and hit an unbelievable escape shot up the thirteenth fairway to ninety yards. With Daniel playing first he hit a wonderful shot to fifteen feet while the Elm Park shot cleared the green, with the ball dissappearing into the base of the big Leylandii tree back left of the green. Daniel made his par to win the hole and was now dormie three up.
Meanwhile in Elm Park, Darren McCormack and Junior captain Jamie Anderson were flying the Greystones flag. Darren was playing great and was one up through six. From this point however, the home man found his rhythm and levelled the match with a win on the seventh before moving into a two hole lead with wins on the eleventh and twelfth holes. Darren got it back to just one with a win on fourteen but was back to two down standing on the sixteenth tee. Darren retained his focus and was not going down without a fight winning both sixteen and the tricky par three seventeenth to level his match.
Jamie was second out and playing really well today. He turned one up (wins on three and six with a loss on the fourth) and with both payers playing quality golf the match remained like this with holes seven through thirteen being halved. Jamie lost the fourteenth but won sixteen to go back to one up.
So at this stage it was still all very much in the balance. At home, Adam was dormie two up, Shane was all square after sixteen and Daniel was dormie three up, while in Elm Park, Darren was all square playing eighteen and Jamie was one up on seventeen.
Phone calls and messages were flying around the ether as the matches came to a conclusion.
First, Adam chipped in for birdie on seventeen after his second shot hit the bank and looked for a brief moment might roll back into the water. A well deserved 3&1 for Adam.
1-0 to Greystones
Daniel’s tee shot on sixteen rolled over the back of the green while his opponent hit a great shot over the pin to twelve feet. Daniel’s chip was sublime and was unlucky not to find the bottom of the cup with his par being enough to halve the hole and win his match 3&2.
2-0 to Greystones.
In Elm Park, Darren halved eighteen and moved on to the nineteenth which was also halved, while Jamie lost eighteen to go all square and also moved to the first to decide his match.
In Greystones, Shane and his opposition were both on the edge of the green in two on seventeen. The Elm Park player chipped to four feet and as Shane was lining up his chip word came through from Elm Park that Darren had chipped in for birdie on the twentieth hole to win his match and the tie.
Jamie (at one under for his round according to caddy David Kirby) and Shane were both all square when called in.
A tremendous performance all round and a semi-final V Castle awaits in Blainroe on July 8th.
After the Senior Cup our Powerscourt Cup team, managed by Trevor Phillips and Paul Cahill, took on Woodbrook. Trevor and Paul had two matches at home with three in Woodbrook in this Scotch Foursomes competition.
Debutante to this competition, Dermot Barry was paired with Niall Crosbie at home and were out first, ahead of Padraig O’Regan & John Brophy. Away from home Trevor had selected Neil Lawless & Jonathan Kirwan, Pete Murray & Heber O’Farrell and Michael Whelan who played alongside Andy Nolan.
In Woodbrook our second pair of Pete & Heber didn’t get going at all today and were, unfortunately for them, up against a pair on their A game, not a good combination ! At six down after the front nine it was going to be a big ask to come back and the match ended on twelve, 7&6.
All the other matches were much tighter affairs
Dermot & Niall were one down through nine but got to two up after winning ten, eleven and twelve. Thirteen went to Woodbrook after Dermot found the water in front of the green although, to be fair to the Woodbrook team, they had to work hard for the win. They had found the path between the thirteenth and fourteenth tee box and decided to play it as it lay as dropping was deemed a less advantageous option. The Woodbrook man played a great chip, negotiating the bridge and finding the front of the green. His partner then hit a lovely chip and run shot to two feet which was held to win the hole. Fourteen was halved but fifteen also went to the visitors to bring the match back to friendly. Sixteen and seventeen were halved and as happens regularly, it came to the last hole to try to decide the match.
Behind Dermot & Niall, Padraig & John were also in a tight match. A run of wins from three through six and a win on the ninth had Padraig & John two ahead at the turn. The back nine didn’t go to script however, with Woodbrook winning three of the opening four holes to move into a slender lead. Greystones’ wins on fifteen and seventeen set up another decider on eighteen but with Greystones dormie and only needing a half to win the match.
On eighteen, Dermot & Niall used Dermot’s drive and Niall hit a great shot to the edge of the green, twenty feet from the pin which was in the bottom right hand side position today. Woodbrook also took on the pin but found the heavyish rough on the back right of the green. With a terrible lie, they were only able to advance the ball to just ahead of the Greystones’ ball. Dermot hit a great chip to two feet and when Woodbrook’s chip ran out to ten feet it was game over and a crucial first point for Greystones.
Behind, Padraig & John’s drive was towards the trees on the right of the fairway and Padraig’s approach shot left John sixty yards to the pin. John hit a great chip to twelve feet while Woodbrook had found the green side bunker in three. The Greystones’ bogie was enough to halve the hole and win the match for a second Greystones’ point.
In Woodbrook Neil & Jonathan were one up through the front nine and going well. A loss on the eleventh squared the match and another on thirteen had them one behind. Fourteen through seventeen were halved at which point Woodbrrok were dormie.
Michael & Andy also turned one up after an excellent performance on the front side, and extended their lead with a win on the eleventh. The wheels fell off a bit from there however with Woodbrook recording wins on thirteen, fourteen and sixteen without reply.
With Greystones ahead 2-1, Woodbrook needed both remaining home matches to fall their way, and were dormie one up in both. Unfortunately for the Greystones team both matches went to the home team on the eighteenth, 2 up.
Hard luck to Trevor, Paul and all the team.
Alan comes up just short
Alan Condren came up just short today in the European Senior Championship which took place in Douglas Golf Club.
Alan was two behind the leader, Jody Fanagan after two rounds. It was Eddie McCormick from Galway Bay Golf Club who ended up victorious, shooting a 67 today to move from third to first. Alan shot a level par round of 71 today to claim joint second place with Jody Fanagan who shot a 73.
A great performance for Alan who is having a great year on the Seniors tour.
Comprehensive victory for Junior Cup team
Congratulations to Ray Crotty, Collie Dunne, Brian Frawley and their Junior Cup team who, despite having three matches away to Arklow today ran out as relatively easy winners, watched by Lady Captain Celine and Vice Captain Mark.
There was no room for error in terms of our home matches nor any room for complacency given the calibre of opposition, so Collie put out William O’Riordan and Chris Boylan as our two home matches, while away from home he opted to play Cian Gilmore, Toby Murphy and Harry Kirk.
The Greystones leg teed off forty five minutes ahead of the away leg and before a ball had been hit in Arklow, William was five up through six holes while Chris was also up, by one, after six.
In Arklow Cian won the second but lost the next two holes to go one down but this was the only point in his match that he would be behind.
Toby was in a tough match and found himself two down after four. He won six but seven went to Arklow and it took a spectacular win on nine to reduce the deficit to just the one hole at the halfway stage of the round.
Harry won the first and was playing well but his opponent had a purple patch from there to the seventh, winning four holes with three being on the trot from five through seven. At three down Harry had to fight hard to stay in the match, he won eight, lost nine and then reeled off two consecutive wins on ten and eleven to get his match to one down.
Back at home William was putting on a show, turning six up before loosing ten. He bounced back with a win on eleven but lost twelve after attempting a miracle recovery shot after his drive found the trees on the right, no doubt he might have selected a more cautious shot had he not been six up at the time. Thirteen also went to Arklow after an uncharacteristic three putt from William but he only needed a single putt on fourteen to make birdie and win his match 5&4.
Within minutes Chris had added a second point to the board after playing some great golf to prevent his opponent winning a second hole in the match. Wins on eight, eleven and twelve had him four up and his match finished on fifteen, 4&3.
Meanwhile, in Arklow, Cian had gone from one down after four to one up by the tenth tee box and he took total control from there, winning ten, eleven, thirteen and fourteen to close his match out 5&4 and the overall tie.
Toby was one up playing fourteen and Harry was one down after eleven when called in.
Congratulations to Ray and all involved.
Battle of the Boyne – round two
Orla Delaney and her Boyne Trophy team took on Lucan this afternoon in the second round of the competition. Orla had made a number of changes today to the team that beat Rathfarnham last month.
First out were Joyce Kirwan & Niamh Kielthy. Niamh didn’t play in the last match but Joyce won last time out when playing with Deirdre Ahern. Niamh & Joyce played well but the visitors were slightly tighter on the front front nine and were two up at the halfway point. On the back nine Joyce and Niamh started strongly, winning the first two holes to square the match and it was nip and tuck from there to the fifteenth which went to Lucan. Holes were traded from there with Greystones winning the eighteenth to take the match up the nineteenth. A great response from Niamh and Joyce.
Second out were Jennifer Moore & Anne O’Rourke. This was another new pairing with Aine coming in for Margaret McGirr on this occasion to play with Jennifer. Both Jennifer and Aine are both in great match form these days and there was signs of this when the went into a three hole lead after four holes. A loss on the ninth had the match at two up for Greystones at half way but wins on ten and eleven and Jennifer & Aine looked to be well in control at four up. Twelve went to Lucan but wins on thirteen and fourteen closed the match out 5&4 for Greystones. Another great performance from both players.
Our third pair today was that of Mary Hutch & Sandra Cotter. This pair had played away in Rathfarnham last time and had been beaten. Orla brought them home to play in Greystones for today’s match and they didn’t let her down. A string of wins from three through seven laid the ground work for an excellent front nine – five up heading for the tenth tee-box. From there it was a case of not letting the opposition get any foothold and Mary and Sandra certainly didn’t allow that to happen. They sealed the deal on thirteen with a half and without losing a hole during the match – 6&5.
Away from home, Orla had a completely new pair out first. President Marguerite Hamill was paired with Anne Browner who had won her Challenge Cup match last week so well. Despite going one down after two Marguerite and Anne were two up through eight after wins on three, four and eight. Nine was halved before the Greystones pair made another little run with wins on ten, eleven and twelve. The die was now cast and despite a loss on thirteen Marguerite and Anne closed out the match with a half on fifteen by a 4&3 margin.
Our final pairing in Lucan today was that of Iris Haughton and another Challenge Cup winner from last week, Grace Dodd. Iris and Grace were playing well but in a tough match. They lost the first but responded with a win on the second and holes were halved from there to the fifth. A loss on seven was chalked off with an immediate win on the eighth. From this point Iris and Grace took control, winning nine, ten and eleven to get to three up and were still there up with just four to play when they were called in on fourteen.
Niamh and Joyce were called in as they headed for the twentieth.
An excellent performance and a comprehensive win for Orla and the team – congratulations to all involved.
Best of luck to Alan tomorrow
Best of luck to Alan Condren who lies in second place on -4, two shots behind Jody Flanagan after two rounds of the European Senior Championships which are being played in Douglas Golf Club.
Second 2023 pennant for Greystones …
Huge congratulations to Padraig Croke, Pat O’Neill and their JB Carr team who finished the job off tonight with an incredibly exciting second leg in the Wicklow final of the competition.
The team headed to Druid’s Heath with a slender 3-2 advantage after the first leg which was played in Greystones last Monday.
Padraig and Pat elected to go with the same team with the exception of Barry O’Leary who was injured. Barry was replaced by the very capable Michael Keating. Druid’s Heath, in contrast arrived on the teebox with six new players for the second leg.
Out first for Greystones were Paul Keane and Gerry Browner who played very well this evening and took their match by the scruff in the middle of the round, winning eight, nine, ten and eleven to go into a three hole lead. The pair played smart golf from there in to maintain their advantage and a win on the fifteenth giving Greystones a 4&3 match point.
Also going like a train were our fourth pair out, Colm Mulcahy and Robert Clarke who were five up after nine and only lost a single hole (the twelfth) in their match before closing it at 6&5 on the thirteenth.
2-0 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.
So we just needed one more match ….]
Our third pairing this evening were David Kirby and Martin McNulty. The lads played well but got off to a slowish start and found themselves three down after three. They knuckled down and were one up after seven after a great run and were unlucky on the ninth when their opposition held a long range putt to win the hole and square the match. The back nine started as the first had unfortunately, and David and Martin found themselves three down once again by the thirteenth tee box but now with only six holes to recover. As it panned out, a Greystones win on the fifteenth only stalled the Druid’s Heath victory which was won on the seventeenth, 3&1.
Our first pair out was Martin Nolan and David O’Toole who were playing a lot better than they had on Monday evening but were in a tough tough match. Holes were being halved in pars and there was little room for error. The lads lost nine to turn one down and another loss on the par three eleventh, after a fantastic Druid’s Heath tee shot had them at two down. Martin’s approach to eight feet on thirteen was enough for a win on the hole but this was handed straight back on the par three fourteenth. Two down with four to play, Martin and David were unrelenting and won fifteen and eighteen without reply to take the match to sudden death.
The only new pair on the team, Tom Sheehy and Michael Keating were out last this evening. They got off to a good start and were three up through four. The Greystones pair were finding the greens tough and their opponents started finding their putting shoes and began holing everything. Three up after four quickly became one down through eight and it took a good win on the ninth to get it to all square after the front nine. Ten also went to Greystones but the eleventh once again proved to be tricky for the visitors and went to Druids. Twelve was halved and the very difficult par four, thirteenth was also lost to par. Michael held a 5 foot clutch putt on fourteen for a half and on fifteen both pairs played it well to secure another half. Sixteen might prove crucial as Greystones were getting a shot. Tom and Michael both hit excellent drives and Tom’s second shot came up just short of the green. Michael elected to putt and Tom then lagged his putt to an inch for the win. All square heading to seventeen which was halved after an incredible up and down from Michael & Tom. Michael was buried in the rough on the right hand side on the green after Tom’s approach shot took a bad bounce. Only Michael knows how he got the ball out, not to mind how he got it to stop on the green and Tom completed the job by holing the twelve footer for the half.
At this stage word came through that Martin and David had halved nineteen and were heading to the twentieth.
Michael’s drive on eighteen went right and looked like it was heading for deep rough, Tom followed Michael right but it was clear that his ball was not to be found. The first Druid’s player played a drive to just short of the fairway bunkers and his partner then took the Tiger line and nailed his drive way past the bunkers, leaving less than a hundred yards to the elevated green. The Greystones supporters anxiously walked the rough to try to find Michael’s ball and when one of the Druid’s men found it, it looked like a mixed blessing. The ball was absolutely buried and it looked like Tom was faced with an impossible shot. Tom threw both legs at it and extracted the ball from the rough and across the fairway – a fantastic recovery, and then Michael hit a magnificent hybrid to ten feet.
So we are on the green in three and on the correct level while Druid’s are about to play their second from a hundred yards and the word was that Martin and David are in a bit of bother on the twentieth – playoff holes beckon !!
Back on eighteen, the Druid’s player was perhaps a little too close to the green and duffed his approach. His partner then boned the next shot which ran through the green and down a hollow. Both teams were now on the green but Greystones were on the green as word came through that Martin and David had lost on twenty.
On eighteen the Druids’ player chipped and almost hit the hole, but didn’t and ran to fifteen feet. Tom hit a great downhill putt to four feet past the hole and when Druid’s missed their putt it fell to Michael to hit a pennant winning putt. Michael took his time over the putt and calmly slotted it home to close the match and the tie and the Wicklow title.
Well done to all involved and many thanks to Druid’s Heath for their hospitality and the sporting manner that the final was played in.
