Pitch & Putt Ireland2017 Provincial Matchplay Weekend: Day One
Report on the opening day
2017 Leinster Matchplay @ Navan Saturday
2017 Leinster Matchplay @ Castletown Saturday
2017 Munster Matchplay @ Parteen Saturday
2017 Munster Matchplay @ Bruff Saturday
Communications & Press Officer Jason O’Connor reports on the opening day of the 2017 Provincial Matchplay Championships.
Leinster
IAN Donnelly’s defence of the Leinster Senior Gents Matchplay came to an end at the Last 16 stage in Navan this afternoon after fellow Louth player Sean Goggin got the better of Ian in the Second Round by 4&3. Sean had opened with a strong 7&6 victory over Sean Dinnegan of Lough Owel and he will move on to face Dessie Baker of Lough Owel in tomorrow morning’s Quarter-Finals after Dessie began with a 5&4 victory over Glenville’s Derek Courtney and followed up with a 7&6 victory himself over Meath native Ian Farrelly.
The second Quarter-Final will be between Leinster Strokeplay Runner-Up Frank Ryan of Athgarvan along with Bellewstown’s Peter O’Reilly. Frank defeated Dennis Monaghan of Shandon 4&2 along with another Dubliner Julian Kelly of Glenville 5&3 to reach the last eight as Reilly started off by defeating Ringcommons Colin Byrne 4&3 and defeated fellow Meath player Niall Winters Jnr by the same score in the Second Round. The third Quarter-Final is an all Enniscorthy affair as Martin O’Neill hopes of doing a provincial double will have to go through his club-mate Dean Grannell. Martin started off with a 5&4 win over St Bridgets Ian Dillon before getting the better of Old County’s Anthony Carroll by 3&1. Dean needed the first playoff hole to get the better of McBride’s David O’Brien in his first game before having a bit more to spare over Anthony Gibney from the host club in his next game by 7&6.
The final Quarter-Final will be between last year’s Runner-Up George Beardsley and another Louth player in McBride’s Padraic Sarsfield. Beardsley started with a 7&6 win over Derek Ryan before also having a strong margin to spare over Collinstown’s Liam Buckley by 6&4. Both of Padraic’s wins today came by the same score of 3&2 over Erry’s Laurence Maher and Laurence’s club-mate Aongus Coughlan in the Last 16. The Junior Gents will also have Quarter-Final matches to contend with tomorrow as the host club will have an interest in three of the four matches. Stephen McAuley got the ball rolling for the hosts with a 3&2 win over Laytown’s Mark Fay before he improved to a 4&2 win over Ferbane’s Michael Kenny. Erins Isle’s David Roy will be his opponent in the Quarter-Finals, the Dubliner starting off with a strong 9&8 win over Paddy Bird before having a tougher encounter with Ryston’s Joseph Deegan in the Second Round winning at the 38th.
Jimmy Burke is the next Navan player through to Sunday, 4&3 the winning margin in both his matches after his won against both Rathfeigh’s Errol Carry and club-mate Gerry Allen. Barry O’Leary is also very much keeping Navan’s hopes alive in this grade, 3&2 his winning margin over club-mate Jonathon McCabe in the First Round before he dominated his match with Cement’s Paul McEntaggart by 10&9. Kevin Knox of Gowran will be his opponent after he began with a 3&1 victory over Paul Fitzpatrick before following up with a 4&3 success over another Navan player in Gerry O’Brien. The Kilkenny club still have a chance of an club meeting in the Semi-Finals as Knox’s club-mate Derek Delaney also won through to the last eight.
Delaney defeated Declan Penrose of Collinstown 2&1 firstly before defeated Loughlinstown’s Noel Flanagan by 3&1. Inniskeen’s Aidan Vaughan will be his opponent in the Quarter-Finals, Vaughan a 1up winner of Granard’s Raymond Fay in his first match before having 5&4 to spare over Laytown’s Joe Macken. Over in Castletown meanwhile the Intermediate grade played down to the Semi-Finals with an all Erry meeting the outcome in determining the first Semi-Final. Gerard Gallagher will take on William Buckley Snr after wins over McDonagh’s John Doran (3&1), Colm Lynch from Navan (37th) and Ferbane’s Brian Doyle by 6&5 for Gerard. William Snr started with a 3&2 win over Gaeil Colmcille’s Peter Dolan followed by a 2&1 win over Erins Isle’s David Beatty before beating Lough Owel’s Niall Corcoran in his final match of the day.
The Second Semi-Final saw Jason Hughes win through to his home course of Navan for the second day of play. He started off with a 6&5 win over Gel Martin of Cement followed by a 2&1 win over Darren Heeney of Bellewstown before just about beating Inniskeen’s Michael Vaughan 1up to ensure home advantage for Sunday. Bagenalstown’s Martin Baird will be his last four opponent, Martin defeating Cloghogue’s Ciaran McLoughlin 2up in his first game before having a 2&1 success over Gaeill Colmcille’s Barry Nelis in his second game. A 1up win over club-mate Darren McNally in his third match saw him ensure he would be involved on the final day of play.
The Ladies Semi-Finals tomorrow will see Ryston’s Margaret Keogh take on Fairview CY’s Geraldine Edwards in the first match of the Intermediate as the second Semi-Final in the grade is an all Dublin affair between Geraldine’s club-mate Helen Greagsbey and Old County’s Pauline Balfe. The Junior Semi-Finals meanwhile see Cement’s Francis Farrell bid to reach the Final for the second year-in-a-row is still on as she will play Trim’s Margaret Conneely in the morning while the other Semi-Final will be between Gaeil Colmcille’s Noreen Myles and Loughlinstown’s Betty Cody.
Munster
HEADING to Bruff tomorrow, local hopes lie in the Senior and Intermediate Gents grades and on the shoulders of Liam O’Donovan and John Farrell respectively. World Strokeplay Champion O’Donovan had a 3&2 victory over Tramore’s Eddie Hennessy to begin the day before he then defeated club-mate Pacelli Darcy 5&4 to make it through to Sunday. Ray Murphy will be his opponent in the Quarter-Finals, the St Annes player accounting for two of O’Donovan’s club-mates today. A 6&5 victory over Patsy Farrell was followed a 5&4 win over Thomas Hanley to set up a promising encounter. The defending champion also stayed in the hunt on the closing day as John Walsh had 4&3 (Jamie Blake of Tralee) and 4&2 (Frank Dineen) wins to set up a match with Lakeside’s Mick Fennell in the last eight.
Fennell began with a 1up victory over Jason O’Regan from Tralee before he enjoyed a 3&2 success over Martin Keohane in his Second Round match. The top half of the draw will see a battle of the Cahills in the first Quarter-Final, John from Fermoy defeating Tipp Hills’ Robert O’Donnell 6&5 and Barry Morrissey 2&1 to face Brian from the Lakeside club. Brian began with a 3&2 win over Larkspur Park’s Jimmy O’Neill before improving to a 6&5 success over Tralee’s Tony Blake in the Last 16. One Tipperary player is guaranteed in the other Quarter-Final match as Tipperary Hills’ James Ryan will take on Lakeside’s Stephen Shoer tomorrow. James began with a 7&6 win over Larkspur Park’s Shaun Ryan before having a far tighter 1up win over Kieran Earls in his next match. Lakeside’s Stephen Shoer will be his opponent, Shoer defeating Listowel’s Declan McCarron 8&7 before also having 6&4 to spare over Michael Darcy from the home club in reaching the Quarter-Finals.
The Intermediate will see John Farrell take on JJ Quirke of Fermoy in the Quarter-Final of local interest. John defeated Raffeen Creek’s Bryan Murphy 4&2 in his first match before improving to an 8&6 win over his club-mate William O’Donovan subsequently. JJ started with a 39th hole win over Riverdale’s Sean Minogue with a subsequent 3&2 win over Paul Shoer Jnr of Lakeside. The winner of that will play either Tralee’s Eamon Sheehy or St Annes’ Clint O’Keeffe in the Semi-Finals. Eamon had 5&3 and 8&7 wins over Hillview’s Paul Sweeney and Bruff’s William Farrell respectively while Clint was a 7&6 winner over last year’s Runner-Up in this grade Alan Bennis along with and a 4&3 winner over Collins Trevor Carroll. The top half of the draw is of big interest to Tipperary Hills meanwhile as three of the four players are from the club! It’s guaranteed that either Paul Malone or John Martin will represent them in the last four. Malone beat Paul Shoer Snr in his first match by 8&6 before 4&3 was his winning margin over St Stephens Gerard Hogan subsequently.
John Martin defeated Cunnigar’s Aidan O’Rourke in his first match 8&7 before going on to defeat St Annes Ryan Towler in the Last 16 4&2. Kyle Kennedy will be hoping to give the club even more reason to be excited if he can manage to get the better of St Annes Ian Leech in his Quarter-Final. Kennedy defeated the defending champion Craig Cahill of Rocklodge in the Last 16 having started out with a 2&1 win over last year’s Junior Runner-Up Anthony Maher of Lakeside. Ian Leech meanwhile had a 5&4 win over Riverdale’s John Minogue and a 2&1 win over club-mate Brian Barry to qualify for the second day.
Over in Parteen at the Junior Gents competition there was an extra round played brining us down to the Last Four but Hillview’s Adrian Anglim had the longest match of anyone in either province trying to make it through to Sunday after going to the 43rd hole before finally defeating Collins’ Callum O’Donovan. Anglim had begun his day with a 4&3 win over Cunnigar’s Cormac Coleman before going on to beat Deerpark’s Darragh O’Callaghan 6&5. Willie Casey of Castlelyons will be his opponent in the first Semi-Final tomorrow, Willie enjoying an 8&7 win over Bruff’s Michael McGuane, a 2&1 triumph over Larkspur Park’s Jamie Kearns and a 1up win over Larkspur Park’s George Goodman in winning through to play in Bruff.
The second Semi-Final will be between two Limerick Board players, Parteen’s Brian Mason and Charleville’s Dom Kavanagh. Mason’s wins on Saturday included an 8&7 margin over St Annes Declan Sheehan, a 5&4 win over Tralee’s Tommy Higgins before he defeat Ardnacrusha’s Brian Dillon 10&9 in the Quarter-Finals. Kavanagh meanwhile had a 6&5 win over Bishopstown’s Colm O’Connor, a win over club-mate Joe Mulvihill by the same margin and a narrow 1up win over Bruff’s PJ Ryan in preventing the host club having representation in this grade on Sunday.
The Ladies grades meanwhile will see Munster Intermediate Strokeplay Champion Pauline Lucey take on Patsy O’Donovan in the first Semi-Final of that grade while Rocklodge’s Mary Murray will play Cunnigar’s Lorraine Troy in the other encounter. The Junior Semi-Finals meanwhile sees four different counties represented as St Stephens Mairead Manning will play Riverdale’s Margaret Courtney while Kitty Murphy of Cill Na Mona will play Cunnigar’s Mary Walsh in the second match.
Click on the above scoreboards to see how all the other matches panned out today in the four venues.
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