John Manning runs through the significance of last weekend’s National O55’s results in Glenville.

Ladies

Geraldine Ward is the seventh former winner of the National Ladies Strokeplay Championship to also win the National Ladies Over-55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship (joining Margaret Hogan, Sheelagh Elmes, Rose Kelly, Chris O’Shaughnessy, Ann Maloney and Breda White on that particular list).

Ger Holland took second place in the National Ladies O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship eight years after her win in the event at Old County. She becomes the seventh player in history to hold at least one National Ladies O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay gold medal and at least one silver medal. The others are Geraldine Ward, Margaret Hogan, Mairead O’Toole, Kathleen Geraghty, Rose Kelly and Phil Condron.

Sheelagh Elmes has now been winner four times and third twice in the National Ladies O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay championship. Sheelagh also won the Nett in 2018.

Mary Quinn joins Mary Murray as a Munster Intermediate Strokeplay Champion who went on to be National Ladies O55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay Champion. The two Marys also share the distinction of winning the Munster Intermediate Matchplay Championship and the National Ladies O55 Inter Grade Strokeplay.

Mary makes it two Lakeside wins in three stagings of the National Ladies O55 Inter Grade Strokeplay Championship and a third win in all for Co. Tipperary in the event. Joyce Keane is the second successive Dublin player to be National Ladies O55 Inter grade Strokeplay Championship runner-up and the third in all. Joyce is the first Glenville member to achieve that.

Former All Ireland Ladies Matchplay Nett Cup quarter-finalist Liz Forde’s excellent record in the National Ladies O55 Strokeplay Championships continued– Junior third place at Cloghogue in 2017 and now Inter Grade third in 2023.

Anne Sweeney continued Kildare’s phenomenal run of success in the All Ireland Ladies Over-55 junior grade Strokeplay Championship. Anne is the ninth Co Kildare winner in the 18 stagings of the event.

Having previously triumphed at McDonagh five years ago, Anne Sweeney joins Nora Tierney (three titles) and Margaret Clear (two golds) as multiple winners of the All Ireland Ladies O55 Junior Grade Strokeplay Championship.

The performances of 2022 Dublin Junior Matchplay Champion Nora O’Meara and club-mate Bernadette Morgan at Glenville means Glenville players have now secured gold (Catherine Fox at Old County in 2015), silver (Nora) and bronze medals (Ann Flynn twelve months ago and now Bernadette) along with Best Nett (Breda Boyle at McDonagh in 2018) in the National Ladies O55 Junior Grade Strokeplay Championship.

Mens

Anthony Malone joins Frank Ryan and Pat Greene as three-time winners of the National Gents O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay championship. He remains the only National Gents Strokeplay Champion to go on to win the National Gents O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship.

Anthony is the second Dublin County Board Chairman (after Christy Broe in 2010) to win the National Gents Over-55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship. He won his third National Gents O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay championship 40 years on from his first National Gents Inter-County win with Dublin – at Navan in 1983.

Having won at Old County eight years ago, Anthony Malone is the first player to win the National Gents O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship twice in the same county.

Frank O’Donoghue is the first player from the Raffeen Creek club to be runner-up in the National Gents Over-55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship. (Raffeen Creek previously had a third and Best Nett).

Frank is the third player from Cork to achieve that position.

Frank is the second former National Strokeplay champion (after Anthony Malone) to finish second in the National Gents O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship.

Declan Freeman achievedthe best Fermoy performance in the National Gents O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship since the late Mick Cahill RIP contested the 2010 play-off.

Gerard JJ Quirke is the sixth different Cork player in history to win the National Gent’s Over-55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay championship.

JJ is the first player since Templebreedy’s Sean O’Brien (in 2007 and 2008) to win successive National Gents O55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay championship titles. His twin successes were achieved with exactly the same score - 104. 

Dominic Kavanagh is the first player from Bruff to finish runner-up in the National Gents O55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay Championship. Bruff already have a silver medal in the Senior grade and two in Junior.

Dermot Heffernan ensured Leinster claimed bronze in the National Gents O55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay for the second successive year. Dermot’s was the best Lucan result in the event since James Thompson won in 2010 at Lakeside.

Nicky Byrne is the second player from Collins to win the National Gents O55 Junior Grade Strokeplay following Finbarr Looney’s victory at Collins 11 years ago. Nicky is the third player representing a Cork club to annex a National Gent’s O55 Junior Grade Strokeplay title.

Benny McCarthy ensured a Cork 1-2 for the first time ever in the National Gents O55 Junior Grade Strokeplay championship when he finished second (mirroring fellow ESB man Pat Desmond’s performance in the 2007 Senior Grade Championship. It’s the first time that the champion and runner-up in the same year have represented the same county.

2022 National Gents O55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay Nett winner Oliver Plunkett finished on the podium for the second successive year, this time capturing Junior third place.

Thomas McInerney will forever be known as the man who collected the initial National Gents O55 Junior B Grade Strokeplay crown. In so doing, he guaranteed that Cloghogue is the first club to have Junior A and Junior B champions, following Matt McArdle’s success six years ago.

Seamus Gleeson filled runners-up slot in the National Gent’s Over-55 Junior B Grade Strokeplay championship 18 years since he was third in the second-ever Junior event at Shandon.

Vincent O’Brien ensured another National Gent’s O55 Strokeplay podium finish for Bellewstown (their third in two years), taking the inaugural Junior B third place.

Latest National News

National Inter Counties Preview of Teams

National U16 review and stats 2024

2024 National Interclub Qualifying Update

National U16 Matchplay 2024

Leinster Inter Counties review

Latest Regional News

Ryston Nett cup postponed

Bishopstown Scratch Cup

Hillview Practice times for Under 16s National Strokeplay

SCRATCH CUP RESULTS (Provisional)

Bellewstown Open Strokeplay