When Michael Long v Ger Roche (Intermediate) and Tommy Lacey v Dylan Power (Junior) tee-off this Saturday they truly will be starting a new era in our sport when the new expanded National Intermediate and Junior Mens Matchplays get their first staging in South Tipperary between both Tipp Hills and Larkspur Park. Jason O’Connor looks ahead to the two tournaments in the following piece.

Junior Mens

While they will be the last tournament to get underway on Saturday at 2.50pm, the Junior Men won’t face the gruelling Sunday schedule of the two grades above them in having only two matches to negotiate on the second day.

Only one player (Gerry O’Connor) has the potential advantage of being on their home course for the Bank Holiday Monday conclusion in Cashel but there are three Tipperary Hills players in the field who have the chance to use home advantage to full effect on both Saturday and Sunday. Ryan Jones tees off in the second match of the grade against Royal Meath’s Gary Flanagan while in the bottom half of the draw Michael Murphy will face Riverdale’s Conor Cleary in an all Tipp affair.

The Provincial Junior Matchplay champions are both in the bottom half of the draw and have the potential to meet each other in the semi-finals should they win through. Leinster winner Luke Mannering has a tricky start in facing the third Tipp Hills player amongst the field in Jonathon O’Neill while Munster winner Paul Walsh plays in the penultimate First Round tie against Tralee’s John Fitzgerald. There are some other interesting First Round ties amongst the 32-player field.

MacBride’s Bozidar Stepanovic flies the flag not only for his club but also Croatia as last year’s Leinster Junior B Strokeplay winner will face Athgarvan’s Jessie Dunne in an all Leinster affair. Another match that should be interesting too is the meeting of Munster Matchplay runner-up Dylan Ahern of Collins and Bruff’s Charlie McCarthy who were both defeated by the eventual winner in the southern province three weeks ago. Ian McCarthy of Bishopstown was a prizewinner at the Munster Scotch Foursomes on home turf (on the double) as he faces Laytown’s Thomas Hodgins in Round 1.

For the aforementioned Gerry O’Connor, he must win three times in Tipp Town to get home advantage for Monday as he will face Loughlinstown’s Graham McKeown in the First Round at the top half of the draw. The final match of Round 1 is timely for the fact that Alan Kierans of Killineer enters off the back of winning the Leinster Scotch Foursomes Non-Mixed section last Sunday. He faces Loughlinstown’s Noel Flanagan as both players will be the first two of the entire weekend to get their campaigns going.

The relatively lack of County Champions in the Junior grade amongst the field in Tipperary is maybe one of things you notice most about looking at the draw first but the beauty of this is the unknown in some respects. How will these players find playing for a National title and maybe more pertinently how will they find those extra eyeballs watching their every shot on Monday in Cashel?

We all look forward to finding out who will emerge victorious as while the winner can’t say that they are the first National Junior Mens Matchplay champion ever, they can certainly say they won the longest tournament yet to determine one!

 

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