John Manning takes us through what last weekend’s results meant:

 

U16 Matchplay

Joe Franklin becomes the first winner from Co. Tipperary of the National Boys’ Matchplay championship.

Daniel Campbell is the first Co. Kildare player to reach the National Boys’ Matchplay Championship final. He is also the first player in history to contest the National Boys’ Matchplay championship final on his home course.

Leinster Boys’ Matchplay runner-up Michael Holland is the first player representing a Co; Kilkenny club to make the National U16 Matchplay semi-finals.

Adam O’Brien became the third winner of the All Ireland Juvenile Matchplay Championship Plate (after Aaron Roche and Jack Buckley) to reach the semi-finals of the main championship the following year.

(Glenn Towler and Evan Carry were other All Ireland Juvenile Matchplay Championship Plate winners to reach the main championship semi-finals but not in successive years).

Deerpark is the first club to supply multiple winners of the National Boys’ Matchplay Plate event as Nathan Cronin equalled clubmate Eoin O’Riordan Looney’s 2019 success.

Adam Byrne ensured a host club representation in the National Boys’ Matchplay Championship Plate final for the second successive year (after Luke Kilpatrick at Glenville in 2021).

Dylan Kavanagh and Joshua O’Keeffe guaranteed that the two losing semi-finalists in the National Boys’ Matchplay Plate were both from Leinster for the first time ever in a single year.

Sarah Cooney is the second player in history (after Ella Moynihan) to win the National Girls’ Matchplay Championship a year after being the losing finalist.

Sophie Moynihan narrowly failed to emulate her sister Ella’s win in the National Girls’ Matchplay championship.

Sarah Ryan is the first Tipperary player to reach the last four of the National Girls’ Matchplay.

Beth O’Donoghue reached the National Girls’ Matchplay semi-finals for the second year in a row.

O55’s

Breda White becomes the fourth multiple winner of the National Ladies O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay championship (joining Margaret Hogan, Sheelagh Elmes and Mairead O'Toole on that particular list).

Geraldine Ward took second place in the National Ladies O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay championship 36 years after she won her first national title – the Matchplay at Waterford Glass in 1986.

Margaret Hogan has now been winner twice, second once and third twice in the National Ladies Over 55 Senior Grade Strokeplay Championship.

Noelene Bedford won the National Ladies O55 senior grade Strokeplay Nett award for the second time, having previously won at Cloghogue five years ago.

Ann Bird is the third player in history (after Kathleen Grendon and Bernie Dunne) to win National Ladies O55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay championship having previously been Leinster Ladies Intermediate Strokeplay champion.

Suzanne Jordan is the first Dublin player to be National Ladies O55 Intermediate grade Strokeplay championship runner-up since Mary Casey (Shandon) took second spot at Shandon in 2005.

Mairead O’Toole’s outstanding record in the National Ladies O55 Strokeplay championships continued – Senior grade winner (2007 and 2013), Intermediate grade winner (2018), Senior grade runner-up (2009) and Inter grade third (2022).

2012 National Mixed Foursomes runner-up Margaret Conneely continued Leinster’s grip on Best Nett in the National Ladies O55 Inter grade Strokeplay – Leinster representatives have captured that particular prize on all but one occasion that it has been awarded.

2021 National Junior Strokeplay championship final round qualifier Ann Williams continued Kildare’s phenomenal run of success in the All Ireland Ladies O55 Junior grade Strokeplay championship. Ann is the eighth Co. Kildare winner in the 17 stagings of the event.

Maria Cranney matches club-mate Alice Rice’s feat of finishing runner-up in the All Ireland Ladies O55 Junior grade Strokeplay and is the second Ulster player to take silver in the Championship.

Also a third place finisher in last year’s Dublin Strokeplay championship, Ann Flynn’s performance at Bellewstown means Glenville players have now secured gold (Catherine Fox at Old County in 2015) and bronze medals along with Best Nett (Breda Boyle at McDonagh in 2018) in the National Ladies O55 Junior grade Strokeplay championship.

Nuala Stafford captured National Ladies O55 Junior grade Strokeplay championship Best Nett at Bellewstown, the third Leinster player in succession to do so.

Frank Ryan joins Pat Greene as a three time winner of the National Gents O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay championship.

The 15 year gap (2007-2022) between Frank’s first and most recent win is an all-time record for the Championship

Frank is the first player to win three titles while playing out of three different clubs – RGSC (2007), Athgarvan (2018) and St Bridget’s (2022).

Former two-time winner Anthony Malone is the third player in history (joining John Campbell and Pat Greene) to achieve a win and a runners-up placing in the National Gents Over 55 Senior Grade Strokeplay championship.

Brother of Open champion Padraig, Tadgh Harrington is the first member of the Fairview CY club to achieve a podium finish at the National Gents O55 Strokeplay championships.

Jimmy O’Neill (Larkspur Park) restored Munster’s stranglehold on the Best Nett category of the Gents O55 Senior Grade Strokeplay at Bellewstown with 99 (the second highest winning return since this award was introduced).(Anthony Carroll had broken the sequence at E.S.B.)

Gerard J.J. Quirke is the sixth Cork player in history to win the National Gent’s O55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay championship and the first from the Fermoy club to do so.

104 is the highest winning score in the championship since 108 made the playoff at St. Patrick’s in 2007.

JJ adds his Bellewstown success to a 2017 National Inter-Club victory with Fermoy. 

Gerry Breen Snr is the first player from Seapoint to finish runner-up in the National Gent’s O55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay championship since Frank Penders was second at Shandon 17 years ago.

Last weekend at Bellewstown, John Kennedy replicated his third place finish in the 2018 Leinster Intermediate Strokeplay championship, which was at Bagenalstown.

2022 Nett winner Oliver Plunkett ensured a National Gent’s Over 55 Intermediate Grade Strokeplay podium finish for Bellewstown, following the lead of previous runners-up in that event, Martin Brannigan (2007) and Colm Hanley (2009).

Stephen Ashcroft is the first player in history to progress from National Gents Over55 Junior Grade Strokeplay Championship Nett winner (in 2019) to overall winner (2022).

Tom Metcalfe mirrored the 2016 achievement of club colleague Charlie McHugh by finishing runner-up in the National Gents O55 Junior Grade Strokeplay championship.

Anthony Butler built on experience gained in the final round of the All Ireland Strokeplay at Ringcommons to clinch third place in the National Gents O55 Junior Grade Strokeplay Championship at Bellewstown.

Paul Jacobi’s Best Nett win in the National Gents O55 Junior Grade Strokeplay continues the good run for Dutch natives in the event, which includes recent podium finishes for 2016 Champion Martin Verbeek and Ed Janssen.

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