Pitch & Putt IrelandNATIONAL MATCHPLAY 24 PREVIEWS
Gents senior
Gents Senior
The draw has thrown up an absolute humdinger of a first round match with holder Stephen O‘Reilly (Hillview) facing three-time champion (2011, 2019 and 2021) Damien Fleming (Deerpark). Stephen was in the semi-finals at Larkspur Park four years ago. Fleming has won all four semi-finals that he has contested.
Two Cork County Board officers are pitted against each other with 2008 National Strokeplay champion Frank Dineen (St. Anne’s) facing his 2018 Under-20 counterpart Eoin Keating (Douglas).Dineen has twice made it to the Matchplay quarter-finals.
2018 National Boys’ Matchplay champion Evan Carry (Castletown) has been handed a first round assignment versus 2014 Kildare Matchplay runner-up Declan Mulpeter Senior of Ryston.
Custume club champion Bernard Moylan (dual Cork U-16 winner in 1975) confronts reigning Cork Strokeplay kingpin Eoin Shannon (Collins), the 2006 National Intermediate Strokeplay champion.
Jason Cregan (Tralee) and Ray Murphy (St. Anne’s) could be reprising their 2023 provincial Matchplay final showdown but they will first have to clear their initial round hurdles, six-time All Ireland Matchplay kingpin Murphy versus Stackallen’s Meath Inter-County star Francis Feeley and double Munster Matchplay champ Cregan against Anthony Culhane (Tipperary Hills), a Munster and National Inter-County winner with Tipp.
Bruff’s Kieran Earls, the champion when the Matchplay was last played at Larkspur Park in 2020, is opposed by 2022 quarter-finalist Rob O’Donoghue (Douglas). Victory for Earls could set-up a repeat of the 2020 decider with 2023 Leinster Matchplay champion Ian Dillon (St. Bridget’s) who must first play Thomas Roche (Tralee), the 2003 Munster Juvenile Matchplay champion.
2017 Inter-County Division B winner with Waterford, Edward Hennessy (Tramore), whose father Jim was a 1981 semi-finalist will take on 2010 winner (at the 2024 venue) and otherwise twice finalist Chris Scannell (Collins) who also won a Munster Strokeplay at Larkspur Park..
Friendly rivals will be 2000 and 2001 victor Mark Millar and 2013 Dublin Matchplay champion and 2016 Leinster Strokeplay titleholder Keith Redmond (Erry), who helped the Dubs to 2016 Inter-County success.
Chris Gallagher (Lucan) is a six-time (twice in Matchplay) Dublin champion and a proven Inter-County winner who has reached three National Matchplay quarter-finals. Gallagher’s opening round opponent is Tralee’s Alan Hobbert, who has represented the Kingdom with distinction at both juvenile and adult level.
James Ryan (Bruff) has qualified impressively for the final round of the last two National Strokeplay championships. James’ passage to the second round is blocked by Trim’s David Campbell, who has enjoyed couple of provincial podium finishes with Meath intermediates.
Four-time Dublin champion Dennis Monaghan (Shandon) won his National Inter-County championship a quarter of a century ago and will put that bank of experience on the line against Bruff’s John Farrell, National Intermediate Strokeplay runner-up in 2019, the year he won the Munster Intermediate Matchplay championship at Larkspur Park.
The winner of that one will qualify to vie for a third round spot with the survivor of the contest between Munster and National Inter-County winner Michael Fennell (Lakeside) and his Westmeath counterpart Mark Newman (Rochfortbridge), the holder of the Lough Owel Scratch Cup and the Meath Masters.
Former Leinster Matchplay champion and World Pitch and Putt Tour Ireland Master meet as Dean Grannell (St. Patrick’s) faces Lucan’s Damien Creevey. Dean made the 2021 National Matchplay quarter-finals. Both players have seen success in the Inter-County arena.
2022 National Strokeplay champion and 2013 Matchplay finalist Sean Goggin (MacBride) tackles Michael Darcy (Ardnacrusha), who was third in the 2008 National Juvenile Strokeplay.
Reigning All Ireland Strokeplay champion Stephen Shoer (Riverdale) has been in outstanding early season form as he contemplates his first round encounter with Kerry Inter-County star Jamie Blake (Tralee), a consistently high quality performer dating back to his juvenile days during which he helped the Kingdom to national silver medals in 2001.
David Sexton (Fermoy) will be hoping to build on third place in the 2023 National Strokeplay championship and his last eight Matchplay performance in 2019 as he challenges Tipperary Inter-County player Brian Cahill who won provincial and national junior titles back in 2009.
The great Derry McCarthy (Deerpark) returns to the National Matchplays stage 20 years after his famous 2004 victory in Killarney. Derry will play Meath Inter-County stalwart Ian Farrelly (Bellewstown), 2007 and 2014 quarter-finalist and the 2011 European Strokeplay champion.
Twice a semi-finalist, 2003 National Strokeplay champion William Buckley Jun. (Erry) is anticipating an all-Offaly clash against Tullamore’s Denis Hill, who reached the last four of the recent Leinster Matchplay championship.
A past National Scramble runner-up, Paddy Noonan (Douglas) will duel with D.J. Lynch, a National Inter-Club medallist with Tipperary Hills in 2017.
Last year’s defeated semi-finalists, Peter O‘Donovan (St. Anne’s) and Jim Judge (MacBride) are both drawn in the third quarter. O’Donovan faces 2009 quarter-finalist Stephen Murray (Old County) while Judge will do battle with Erry’s Leonard O’Meara, who played so well in the 2022 Irish Open at Tullamore
2022 Dublin Strokeplay champion Jason Larkin (Portmarnock) helped his county to national glory at McDonagh in 2019. Jason will cross swords with Darren McKenna (Killineer), Louth/Down/Monaghan Regional Matchplay runner-up in 2019.
2005 semi-finalist George Beardsley (MacBride) will bring a wealth of experience to his joust with Loughlinstown’s Gary Healy, the 2022 National Strokeplay silver medallist.
An all-Cork battle sees 2022 champion Barry Morrissey (Bishopstown) playing 2012 runner-up and 2015 semi-finalist Eoin Walsh (Collins) who has shown unbeatable form in Leeside Scratch Cups so far this season.
Tom Lynch (Collins) was a semi-finalist at Larkspur Park in 2010and reached the last eight in Cashel four years ago. Lynch plays 2018 European Team championship winner (with Ireland) Tom Hanley (Bruff), the 2015 Munster Matchplay champion.
Kerry Inter-County star John McGrath (Deerpark) will be hoping to improve on his semi-final performance at Tullamore six years ago. First, he will have to deal with the challenge of Hillview’s Eoghan Aylward who achieved much as a juvenile in the colours of Tipperary and High School, Clonmel.
2015 Munster Matchplay runner-up Pat Martin (Tipperary Hills) will be a tough opponent for two-time National Inter-County winner, Old County’s George McGreal, the 2010 Leinster Strokeplay champion.
Newly-crowned Leinster Matchplay champion and twice a National Matchplay quarter-finalist Eamon Gibney (Castletown) will dispute matters with prolific County League winner Liam Myers (St. Anne’s), the 2011 Cork Strokeplay champion.
Four-time National Inter-County winner with Cork and 2006 semi-finalist Paudie O’Sullivan (Majestic) plays 2016 quarter-finalist Darren Keogh (Ryston), a former National and Leinster Inter-County runner-up with Kildare in 2001.
2001 National Strokeplay champion John Cahill’s bid to reach a third successive final gets underway with the Fermoy man tackling Gavin Carroll (Tralee), a Munster Intermediate Inter-County winner in 2014.
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