Pitch & Putt Ireland2017 Provincial Matchplay Weekend: Day Two
Report on Concluding Day
Don’t forget that from today only Club Majors and Club Opens are to be entered in the Handicap System.
2017 Leinster Matchplay @ Navan Sunday
2017 Munster Matchplay @ Bruff Sunday
Communications & Press Officer Jason O’Connor reports on the closing day at the Provincial Matchplay Championships.
Leinster
DESPITE a presence in three of the five Finals this afternoon, there was ultimately to be no Meath success today in Navan as St Patricks of Enniscorthy will have the distinction of holding both the Leinster Senior Strokeplay and Matchplay titles in the club in the one year. Dean Grannell might have ended club-mate Martin O’Neill’s hopes of a personal double in this morning’s Quarter-Finals by 2&1 but a win over last year’s Runner-Up George Beardsley 1up in the Semi-Finals meant that he would make the decider against McBride’s Sean Goggin.
Goggin had similarly defeated club-mate Padraic Sarsfield 1up in his Quarter-Final this morning before following up with a 2&1 success over Bellewstown’s Peter Reilly. The Final was to be Dean’s however as he had a 4&3 win to add to an already successful year in Leinster for his club. The Junior Gents title would also go to the CKW region as Gowran’s Kevin Knox was the player to emerge victorious here. Knox started today with a strong 6&5 win over Barry O’Leary from the host club in the Quarter-Finals before winning a Semi-Final against his club-mate Derek Delaney by 3&2. Knox then defeated his second player from Navan on the day in the form of Stephen McAuley by 4&2. McAuley had earlier defeated Erins Isle’s David Roy 1up in his Quarter-Final as he followed up with a 4&3 win over Erry’s Dermot Maher in the Semi-Finals.
Speaking of Erry, it was the home club of the Intermediate Gents winner as Gerard Gallagher firstly defeated club-mate William Buckley Snr in the Semi-Finals 7&6 before going to the first tie hole in getting the better of Navan’s Jason Hughes in the decider. Hughes had earlier defeated Bagenalstown’s Martin Baird by 3&1 in his Semi-Final. In the Ladies meanwhile, the Intermediate event saw Margaret Keogh of Ryston follow up from her involvement in Kildare’s Inter-County success of three weeks earlier in defeating both Fairview CY members Geraldine Edwards (4&3) and Helen Greagsbey (5&4) to win in the end. Greagsbey had earlier defeated fellow Dubliner Pauline Balfe of Old County in the other Semi-Final by 3&2.
The Junior Ladies meanwhile saw Cement’s Francis Farrell go one better this time, making up for his Runners-Up finish last year in defeating Gaeil Colmcille’s Noreen Myles at the first playoff hole. Farrell had defeated Trim’s Margaret Conneely in the Semi-Finals 5&4 with Noreen a 2&1 winner over Loughlinstown’s Betty Cody in her Semi-Final.
Munster
TWO titles for the Limerick Board in Bruff, one for the host club but the big one went to Lakeside and Stephen Shoer as he overcame local favourite Liam O’Donovan in the decider. Stephen’s day started with a 3&1 victory over Tipp Hills’ James Ryan in the Quarter-Finals before he won a tight battle with Fermoy’s John Cahill 1up in the Semi-Finals. Liam had defeated no less as prominent of players such as Ray Murphy (5&4) and John Walsh (4&3) to make it to the decider but could find the same form to get the better of Stephen as 4&3 was the winning margin for the Lakeside player in a big success at senior level for him.
There was better joy for Bruff in the Intermediate grade however, John Farrell the winner of big wins over JJ Quirke of Fermoy (7&6) and Clint O’Keeffe of St Annes (10&9) to make it into the Final. Paul Malone of Tipperary Hills would be his opponent in the Final after Paul defeated club-mates John Martin (3&2) and Kyle Kennedy (6&4) with Farrell’s local knowledge to overcome in the Final. Despite a rough start (three down after nine holes), Farrell came good to eventually go on and win by a margin of 5&4. The Junior title went to Charleville meanwhile as Dom Kavanagh had two 5&4 wins over Parteen’s Brian Mason and Hillview’s Adrian Anglim to win the title, Anglim having defeated Castlelyons’ Willie Casey to make the decider by the same score.
The Ladies titles went to Cork and Clare meanwhile. Cill Na Mona’s Kitty Murphy defeated Cunnigar’s Mary Walsh in the Semi-Finals by 2up before having a winning margin of 6&5 over Riverdale’s Margaret Courtney in the decider. Margaret was a 3&2 winner of St Stephens Mairead Manning in the other Semi-Final. Mary Murray won the Intermediate title courtesy of a 6&5 win over Cunnigar’s Lorraine Troy while she was an 8&7 winner over Patsy O’Donovan in the Final.
Patsy had earlier defeated Hillview’s Pauline Lucey at the first playoff hole to end Pauline’s hopes of a provincial double at the grade in 2017.
Click on the above links to see how the other matches went today in both provinces
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