Pitch & Putt IrelandNational Inter Counties statistics review
After what was a tremendous weekend of Pitch and Putt in Bagenalstown in the county of Carlow ,John Manning provides some statistics surrounding the Ladies and Gents National Inter Counties. One of the most coveted championships of the playing season, players line out in their County colours in the hope of becoming the next Inter Counties Champions of the year.
2024 INTER COUNTIES STATISTICS REVIEW
By John Manning
Cork Gents move on to a milestone 25 Inter-County wins, consolidating their position atop on the all-time Roll of Honour.
Ray Murphy now has 18 National Inter-County wins, John Walsh 17 and John Cahill 13. Bryan Delaney earned his eighth gold medal, Frank Dineen his sixth and Eoin Walsh a second.
Kerry were runners-up for the fifth time and for the second time in three years. Four of their five second places have been to near neighbours Cork.
Kerry’s five second places leaves the Kingdom tied fifth (alongside Tipperary) on the all-time list of runners-up behind Dublin (14 times silver medallists), Cork (11), Meath (10) and Kildare (6).
Damien Fleming and Jason O’Regan now hold three silver medals while Michael Conway, Jamie Blake and Darren Goodall each won their second at Bagenalstown. Jason Cregan notches a first silver at adult level to add to his juvenile runner-up performance at Deerpark in 2011. Michael Conway and Jamie Blake also hold juvenile silver medals won together at Waterford Crystal in 2001.
Six strokes was the winning margin for the first since 1996 when Meath beat Cork by half a dozen at Collinstown. Six strokes was the winning margin on only one other occasion – at Rocklodge in 1984.
Third-placed Dublin finished in the Top Three of the Gent’s Inter-County championship for the eleventh staging in succession.
John Ross Crangle has been on ten of those eleven sides, Chris Gallagher on nine, George McGreal seven, Stephen Murray six and Gary Healy five.
2023 winners Dublin took third place for the eleventh time since third place was officially awarded in 1991.
The Eamonn Birchall Trophy (for the Inter-County teams ranked 9-16 after Saturday play) was won by Tipperary. The Premier County join Wexford as Eamonn Birchall Trophy winners that have also previously claimed the Anchor Cup.
Westmeath took runners-up spot in the Eamonn Birchall Trophy for the second successive year. Jack Buckley, Mark Newman and Rene Jan Bloem played on both teams.
Offaly’s third position recalled the Faithful County’s four third places in the main championship (1992, 1993, 1996 and 1998).
Kildare won their 14th National Ladies Inter-County championship, which consolidates the Short Grass County’s second position in the championship’s Roll of Honour behind Dublin’s 21 titles.
Marian Byrne Courtney has been a member of all fourteen winning Kildare teams, Tara Dillon has been on thirteen, while Chrissie Byrne Sheedy has twelve wins.
Marion Gannon Kelly made a maiden winning Inter-County appearance. Marion is the first All Ireland Ladies Matchplay Nett Cup winner to claim an Inter-County winners’ medal in the same year.
Twenty-seven years have elapsed since Marian Byrne Courtney’s initial win in the Inter-County championship. That puts the Kildare lady into outright 6th place on the relevant ladies list. For Tara Dillon the gap is 25 years and for Chrissie 24 years.
Dublin finished second in the Ladies Inter-County championship for the 15th time. That puts the ladies from the capital one ahead of Cork at the top of the all-time list.
Meath delivered their Best National Inter-County championship performance since the Royal County ladies took third place at Seapoint in 2002.
Meath claimed bronze medals in the Ladies Inter-County championship for the seventh time since third place was officially awarded in 1991.
Ursula Dowd won her second National Ladies Inter-County championship bronze medal – 31 years since her first, at Lakewood in 1993.
Four players (three gents and one lady) that played in the Juvenile Inter-County at Bagenalstown in 1998 played again this year – Chrissie Sheedy, George McGreal, Paddy O’Connor and Niall McAteer.
The ladies winning margin was five strokes in the National Ladies Inter-County championship for the first time since 2014 (at Tullamore), when Kildare again beat Dublin. Five strokes has now been the winning margin three times.
Amy Galvin (Offaly) scored the lowest Gross (50) in the ladies championship. Top gents aggregate was returned by Wexford’s Dean Grannell with 94.
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