Pitch & Putt IrelandProvincial Matchplay previews
After being in the South West last year, this year’s Munster Matchplay Finals venture all the way over to the South East of the province this weekend as Cunnigar and Claycastle play host to this year’s finals. Jason O’Connor takes a look at this year’s event in the following preview.
While Cunnigar was visited only two short years ago for the resumption of the Munster Inter-County event, Claycastle returns as a major finals venue for the first time since 2011 and 2012 when it hosted both the Munster and National Matchplay Finals in consecutive years. For the Men this year, there is the added bonus that victory could mean progression to the National Finals on the June Weekend and these are two tough tracks in which to earn such an honour from.
We will start off with an overview of the Ladies events.
Junior Ladies
The biggest of the three Ladies fields with 24 entries defending champion Catriona O’Connor of Tralee will have to go the long route this year if she wants to retain her title as she faces a repeat of last year’s semi-final in facing Angela Royner of Bishopstown in Round 1.
11 of the field are from Cunnigar as the club are guaranteed at least one quarter-finalist with the meeting of Mary Walsh and Cáit Mulcahy in Round 2. There are also two all Cunnigar meetings in Round 1 as Stella Kinsella and Anne O’Connor start off the hole day with Carmel Flanagan and Mary Daly following in the fourth match.
Like Cunnigar, Tralee are also guaranteed a quarter-finalist with the meeting of Charlotte Blake and Bernadette O’Regan in Round 2. Some of the Ladies could have three matches on Saturday as it might be a test of stamina to make it through to the final four on Sunday.
Intermediate Ladies
A field of 10 for this event as like in the Junior, the defending champion will have to go all the way to defend her title as Lisa O’Connor of Tralee finds herself in a tricky little section to even make the quarter-finals. Margaret Courtney of Riverdale is her First Round opponent with the winner to face either Riverdale’s Margaret Forde or Collins’ Nicola Ahern for a last eight spot.
Riverdale as a club are guaranteed one semi-finalist with the meeting of former National Junior Ladies Strokeplay winner and Ladies Nett Matchplay winner Margaret Hennessy and Liz Forde. The bottom half of the draw guarantees at least one Cork semi-finalist with the meeting of Collins’ Vera McCarthy and Fermoy’s Ailish Sexton.
Last year’s runner-up Elaine Quinn of Lakeside will face Paula Nolan of Rocklodge in the other quarter-final as it might just be a case of one win for some to earn a semi-final spot on the Sunday.
Ladies Senior
Only six entries for this event but they all bring up some interesting possibilities. First and foremost, will be defending champion Sarah O’Neill taking on local hope Lorraine Troy around her own course in Round 1. In Round 1 also there is a repeat of the 2020 National Ladies Matchplay Final as Martha O’Brien of Lakeside will take on Breda White of Tipperary Hills.
We also have a repeat of one of last year’s semi-finals too as last year’s runner-up and 2019 National Matchplay winner Mary Murray of Rocklodge will face 2022 National Matchplay runner-up Sarah Byrne of Fermoy in the semi-finals on Sunday.
Despite the low entry the potential is there for this to be a cracker if all players hit form.
Gents Junior
The Intermediate and Junior Men must begin their voyage in Youghal on Saturday in their hopes of making it through to Dungarvan on Sunday morning. If all goes right for Claycastle in Round 1 they could be sending two quarter-finalists from the club to Cunnigar on Sunday.
In the top half of the draw if John Long defeats Bishopstown’s Tim O’Connor in Round 1 and Andy Hayden follows up against Hillview’s Alan Brannigan then the Claycastle duo will meet in Round 2. Conversely in the final two Round 1 Matches if club members James McCarthy and Noel Butler defeat Collins’ Paul Walsh and Crosshaven’s Dan Aherne respectively then they will play each other for a quarter-final spot.
There is the potential for a lot of all club meetings in Round 2 if results work out a certain way as there are two of the four County Junior Champions from last month’s finals in the field. Limerick champion Bobby Ryan of Bruff will face Hillview’s John Cawley in Round 1 as Cork winner Dylan Ahern takes on another Cork player in Douglas’ Mark Gosling. Although he lost the Kerry Junior Matchplay final, Tralee’s Mark O’Regan has qualified separately for this event as he will face Bishopstown’s Stephen Conlon in Round 1.
Cork runner-up Eddie Delaney of Bishopstown is also amongst the field this weekend as he takes on Hillview’s Alan Sutcliffe as it will be interesting to see how the county champions fare across the board with a new found prize for their local successes.
Gents Intermediate
No one will have home advantage on Saturday in Claycastle but there is a big incentive for Cunnigar’s Dylan Moroney in trying to make it through to the quarter-finals on Sunday as he would have home advantage from there in the competition. Hillview’s Adrian Anglim is his first task though as Cork Intermediate champion Tadhg Murphy of St Annes is in the same quarter of the draw.
Murphy’s Round 1 opponent is Larkspur Park’s Ken Hayes as there is a possibility of an all Cork meeting in Round 2 if he can defeat Hayes and former Munster U16 Matchplay champion Cian Murphy can come through his match with another Larkspur player in Celly Ryan. On the other hand, the Cashel club-mates will want to ensure there is a club representative going to Dungarvan on the Sunday instead!
Limerick’s Emmet Fitzgerald (Ardnacrusha) is the only other county champion amongst the field as he faces Bishopstown’s Colm O’Donnell in Round 1. The victor might be playing last year’s runner-up in this competition as Tralee’s Keith O’Brien takes on Riverdale’s Noel O’Connor in Round 1 to begin the bottom half of the draw. Another interesting name in the bottom half is another Bishopstown player in Cian O’Callaghan, 2021 National Junior Gents Strokeplay champion. He faces Tipp Hills’ Jason O’Dwyer in Round 1 as it is interesting also to see three of last year’s four Junior semi-finalists in the field.
Winner of the Junior in Tralee Colin Hennessy takes on Bruff’s Mike O’Donnell in the top half of the draw as his St Annes club-mate Dean Lonergan (2023 Junior runner-up) takes on another club-mate in Patrick Williams. Beaten Junior semi-finalist last year Korey Murphy of Raffeen Creek will Bishopstown’s Joe O’Donnell in the bottom half of the draw as there are a number of other tasty ties in both halves of the draw.
It will be interesting to see if a recognised name comes to the fore over the weekend at both venues or will some names not mentioned be driven on to ultimate success!
Gents Senior
Pressure may be for tyres as the saying goes but with this new dynamic of the winner getting a place in the National Matchplay field if they have not already done so in their own county it creates a different feel to this year’s event!
As it stands, to name just three, defending champion Jason Cregan of Tralee, three-time National Matchplay winner John Walsh of Collins and 2018 National Matchplay winner Bryan Delaney of ESB will not be heading to the first tee in Larkspur Park. This is their only mechanism (as it is for the others in the same category) to change that. Jason has a difficult start though as he faces club-mate Jamie Blake who is showing some decent local form at present.
There is Tralee opposition for John Walsh in Round 1 too in facing Darren Goodall and John will hope his can rediscover the form of 2015 when he won the National Senior Mens Strokeplay around the Cunnigar track. Bryan Delaney faces Ardnacrusha’s Michael Darcy in Round 1 as this is a tricky little section of the draw near the bottom not least for the presence of Irish No 6 Damien Fleming and Cork Senior Matchplay champion Daithi Sexton.
The Munster Matchplay is the only major Singles title Damien has not won yet in his career to date as one of his Munster team-mates from the Inter-Provincial last year in Tommy Hanley is his Round 1 opponent. Daithi faces Bandon’s Ivan Buttimer as the returning Cork club are represented in a provincial senior mens competition for the first time in many years. The player who defeated Damien Fleming in his sole appearance in a Munster Matchplay Final back in 2008, Frank Dineen has an interesting challenge in the First Round as National Matchplay holder Stephen O’Reilly gets a big runout before defending his title in Cashel on the June Bank Holiday Weekend.
Given Tipperary won the Munster Senior Inter-County event here two years ago don’t be surprised at a good showing for the Premier County players here this weekend. Their County Senior champion Mick Fennell faces former National Intermediate Strokeplay winner Michael Conway in Round 1 as there is also an interesting all Tipp Round 1 encounter between National Strokeplay holder Stephen Shoer and DJ Lynch. Limerick Matchplay holder and 2022 winner of this competition Kieran Earls will play in the second match in the grade against Cill Na Mona’s as the top section could see a clash of two brothers in Round 2.
Rob O’Donoghue and John Cahill will have a lot to say about that but if 2013 winner Gary O’Sullivan and Paudie O’Sullivan both win in Round 1, one of the O’Sullivan’s will be coming back for Sunday’s quarter-finals. Kerry Matchplay winner Alan Hobbart will face a certain Ray Murphy in Round 1 and it is amazing to think for all of his illustrious success in the game that he has only one senior provincial matchplay title to his name that being back in 1994.
The first match of the grade will be between James Cleary and Collins’ Eoin Walsh while the meeting of Liam O’Donovan and Jason O’Regan might see both reminisce about their battle for the 2002 National Senior Strokeplay in ESB!
Again if someone who is not already in the National Matchplay makes the latter stages, expect the tension and excitement to rise with the extra prize that may be on offer for the winner this Sunday.
Latest National News
| National Secondary schools review |
| Leinster Matchplay review |
| Munster Matchplay review |
| National Matchplay 2024 |
| Provincial Matchplay results |