This Sunday a battle takes place along the banks of the River Slaney, the likes of which haven’t been seen in these parts in a couple of hundred years. Hyperbole? Perhaps! But the sentiment remains; every year that
Others will tell you different, and hindsight is great for the previewer, but I cannot remember a more open
I always look forward to the Championships played at under-exposed
courses. Call me a romantic, but I love the idea of the PPUI bringing their roadshow to the furthest reaches of the
PPUI umbrella. John Donne may have wrote that no man is an island, but no different to their northern cousins in Cloghogue,
St Patricks are a remote outpost of the union, and they should be commended for their commitment to their club, one of the
consistently impressive associated with the Union; for their commitment to the Union in general and spreading the word of Pitch
and Putt. They’ve supplied the PPUI with officers in the past, including President Mervyn Cooney who went on to represent
The Enniscorthy grounds of St Patrick’s Pitch and Putt Club are
modest. Like so many urban courses, you’ll find St Pats squished behind
While the putter is the brush that paints the masterpiece, it is the pitcher that is the canvass, and in St Pats, it is pitching that will be key; on the right side of the green and you’re in with a great shout – on the wrong side, and you’re in trouble. Firm conditions, a scenario few of the competitors will be used to, will mean that dictating where a positive putt starts will be more in the lap of the gods than usual, and we could see some creative putting on Sunday. This is one of the reasons why Wexford stand such a great chance this weekend. There is no denying that the host county are weak when it comes to tallying individual honours, however their performance in Portmarnock last year was an eye-opener, and given their intimate knowledge of the course, unique knowledge one might say, that is going to count for a lot.
When the scoring is close on the back nine, and you have to resort to the safe middle-of-green pitch, it will be hard to do so on a course that is both alien in sight and under foot, similar to Cloghogue in 2009 and it will be a field-leveller.
Undoubtedly there is something of a sea-change in Senior Pitch and Putt, with newer names emerging all the time, and we will hopefully see more of that this weekend.
To the teams: a far bigger field than the fairer sex, and a lot of quality within those teams. There is no masking the fact that at least half the teams playing on Sunday are playing for pride before a ball is struck, and that is something that we as a community must work towards remedying, but that’s a focus for another day.
I’ll go through the teams as they line out on the timesheet:
Louth: Lambe, Clinton, Cooney, McQuillan, Redmond, Greene.
Odds: 25/1
MVP: Shane Redmond: The double Under 16 champion has a fine future ahead of him.
Brief: They’ve suffered more dramatically than any other county, and when you think they’re the last team to win since
Prediction: A top half finish would be an excellent achievement, but will probably end in the lower half
Clare: Sheedy; Fawl;
Odds: 50/1
MVP: Marty Fawl – The giant killer. Always good for either a laugh or a 46 depending on how he’s feeling.
Brief: An achievement to just field a team. Their commitment to the Inter-Co weekend is a reminder to all that pride is just as important as success. Their showing in Tramore was a timely reminder that there are few mugs west of the
Prediction: Odds don’t reflect their desire to achieve. Bottom half, but fighting it.
Down: Quigley; McLoughlin; McMahon; O’Hagan; O’Hare; O’Hare
Odds: 50/1
MVP: Ciaran McLoughlin – Deccie McConville would still try and convince you it’s him, but yerra, it’s the team ethic that’s vital to the Mournemen.
Brief: The last time an O’Hare came this far south, the guards and the army had an overtime bonanza. Alas, the reality is that Down aren’t anywhere near their peak and it will take a lot of work to get back towards the honours list.
Prediction: Not good I’m afraid, battling to rise above the lower half
Kildare: Carey; Dillon; Ryan; Ronan; Delaney; Keogh
Odds: 50/1
MVP: Ian Dillon – despite the lack of honours, Dillon is very much the main man; will play a big role in pushing towards the top half.
Brief: It’s a testament to the lack of talent coming through and the haemorrhaging of under 16’s that make Kildare probably the most experienced team in the tournament.
Prediction: Top of the bottom half I think.
Odds: 12/1
MVP: Paul O’Brien – will be central to any chance they have. He shines, they shine. He fails, you know the rest.
Brief: Perennial underachievers. Missed a gig up in Cloghogue, and it could be a long time before they get the opportunity again
Prediction: They’ll aim for a medal, but they don’t pack the punch that some of their rivals do.
Westmeath: Whelan; Malone; Buckley (M); Buckley (L); Browne; Bloem
Odds: 25/1
MVP: Bloem – Given the circumstances, this guy should be on everyone’s list for player of the year honours. Probably not the MVP in the traditional sense, but his score will directly impact on their placing. Good and they can medal; not good and they’re back with the pack
Brief: Don’t dismiss Westmeath. They don’t have the talents of their McDonagh masterclass of 01, such as Hanlon & Bray, but in the Killer B’s they have consistency and a hunger to succeed.
Prediction: Just outside the medals.
Longford: At the time of writing, are not fielding a team
Odds: 5/1
MVP: Mark Millar – makes a good team a great team: If he shows up.
Brief: Simple - win. Nothing else matters now for
Prediction: Get ready to party like its 1999: Winners.
Odds: 12/1
MVP: Kieran Earls – time for a young fella to break through in
Brief: Odds reflect their sitting. Probably a player away from really challenging. The doubles will be vital, as if they have a platform to score, they have the weapons at their disposal
Prediction: Similar to Tipp – just hovering outside the honours list.
Kerry: Fleming; Goodall; McCarron; O’Regan; Blake; McGrath
Odds: 4/1
MVP: Jonathon Goodall – Goodall is acquiring titles quicker than a squirrel acquires nuts in autumn, and the Kingdom will look to him to shoot the lights out.
Brief: To challenge for the title. I’m not as convinced as others. A lot of pressure lies on the shoulders of Fleming and Goodall, and perversely if the duo do score well, then the rest will have to up their game. O’Regan will be a vital link between the two group in terms of scoring.
Prediction: Could be forced out of a medal by Wexford
Odds: 50/1
MVP: Eddie – no more needs to be said.
Brief: At the moment, survival in general is the only brief for
Prediction: Bottom half, but pride intact
Meath: Downes; McBride; Farrelly; Sheridan; Bissett; Gibney
Odds: 8/1
MVP: Sean Downes – often imitated, never duplicated. The prototype machine and up to the Murphy era probably the greatest of modern times.
Brief: Keep on keeping on. They never fail to impress, and will be there or thereabouts come the tournaments end.
Prediction: Probably will fall a bit short of a medal. Serious dark horses.
Offaly: Buckley Jnr; Scanlon; McGrath Jnr; Hogan; Maher Jnr; O’Connell
Odds: 25/1
MVP: Buckley – the go-to-guy for the Offaly team.
Brief: Tough gig this; always capable of individually shooting good scores, it is the combinations that fail them in the past. Need the 3 big guns to produce in order to have any chance.
Prediction: Midfield – too good to finish at the bottom, but too far off the top to really feature in the medals.
Wexford: O’Neill; Doyle; Hudson; Murphy; Redmond; Tobin
Odds: 16/1
MVP: O’Neill – the torchbearer of the Noughties for Wexford. Will be up to Murt to light a fire for the yellowbellies.
Brief: Home advantage comes with a big expectation, moreso given the lack of gametime most will have of St Pats. Managing the pressure could be vital.
Prediction: Bronze last time out, no reason why they can’t trade up for a nicer piece of metal in 2012.
Odds: 1/3
MVP: Walsh – despite national singles despair, the standout player in the past couple of years in
Brief: The superlatives have all been used. They are on some run, and their brief is straightforward. Keep winning. I don’t see the same backbone as previous years, and the practice of subbing their National champion is either majestic or mad. Time will tell.
Prediction: They’re favourites and with good reason. There is an underlying fear that they’ve reached the end of the run. Runner’s-up.
In summary I’m inviting the ire of
I won’t lose the run of myself either though. Dublin are as likely to repeat their Leinster performance as they are to push on, so I’m not trying to big them up.
Ironically I think Dublin’s display in Stackallen will be the making of them, and hand on heart I think they’ll have learned the lessons of last year’s disaster in Portmarnock where they simply failed to use the clear advantages that were available to be exploited. I think the hunger is there, not just amongst the 6 players, but throughout the county, for the men to get over the line.
As for
2012 is a unique change in the previews of the last decade which could have started, middled and ended with just one word. Cork, this it must be said is good for Pitch & Putt
Predictions:
Kerry, Meath, Westmeath