Pitch & Putt IrelandNational U16 review and stats 2024
Jason O’Connor looks back on last weekend’s National U16 Matchplay Championships in St Bridgets as all three titles went south of the Kilcullen track on Sunday but not necessarily all to Munster.
A beaten semi-finalist in 2023, Aidan Spence Murphy of Claycastle became Cork’s first National U16 Champion in four years as he defeated two National U16 Strokeplay winners on his way to claiming the Helen Persson Cup in Kildare. Spence had picked up a 2023 Munster Plate win and a few bronze medals in the province as well prior to last weekend but in ensuring his place in the Championship after the 18-hole Strokeplay he had two steady 2&1 wins over both Jake Farrissey and Aidan O’Connell to reach the last eight.
There he would face last year’s runner-up and 2022 National Boys Strokeplay winner Ajay Barrett of Listowel as a very close contest between the pair came down to the last hole which Aidan won to book his place into the semi-finals on Sunday. Also on Saturday, Irish U16 players Peadar O’Toole and Jack McShane made it through to the last four as Charlie Taylor was the fourth player to come through.
Former National U16 Boys Strokeplay winner McShane defeated Max Guyot (6&5) and Hugh O’Brien (2&1) in the early knockout stages as he would face Jason Kelly from Bagenalstown in the quarter-finals. He came through victorious there to reach Sunday as his Irish team-mate from last year in O’Toole would be his opponent in the last four. O’Toole was looking good in his native county in recording 4&3 and 4&2 wins over Conor Ronan and Joshua Dunlea respectively in the last four as he defeated Hillview’s Jack Duggan in the quarter-finals.
The last player to reach the semi-finals on Sunday was Charlie Taylor as he had two rather different experiences in his early knockout games defeating Brad Meehan 6&4 firstly before going five extra holes with Peter Murphy in the Last 16 to make it to a quarter-final meeting with Listowel’s Jayden Chute. Charlie won here to reach Sunday as the semi-final line-up for Sunday was Munster v Munster and Leinster v Leinster.
The all Munster affair between Spence Murphy and Taylor went to two extra holes before the Cork player emerged victorious as the McShane and O’Toole encounter went the way of the Gowran player by 4&3. For the final there was little in it either between Spence Murphy and McShane but the Cork player denied McShane a Strokeplay and Matchplay double at U16 level with a 1up victory in another tight affair for the Claycastle player. Given the donator of the winning Cup, former National Youth Officer Noel Collins is a former Claycastle member himself, the win had an extra special resonance for the Youghal outfit.
The Girls Championship meanwhile became another all Munster affair as Molly O’Toole would miss out on the chance to match Sarah Cooney’s achievement of 2022 in winning the National Girls Strokeplay and Matchplay in the one year. Molly made it to the semi-finals where she would face 2022 Runner-Up Sophie Moynihan from Tralee in her return to the U16 ranks. Sophie won a massive battle between the pair at the last hole which Sophie won to reach her second final in the event.
Sarah Ryan of Tipp Hills and Gemma Cuffe of Kilbeggan contested the other semi-final. Sarah had a 3&2 victory here to set up a final with Sophie which was a repeat of a 2022 quarter-final meeting between the pair which Sophie won. On this occasion however it was Sarah’s day with a 5&4 win as she completed a Munster and National U16 double at Matchplay level this year. The other event last weekend was the Boys Plate which Eoghan Morrissey of Gowran won to stop a Munster clean sweep of the titles.
Eoghan started off well with a 7&5 win over Aaron Corcoran in the knockout stages and then got the better of Darragh Myles by 3&2. He won a tight quarter-final with Reece Power 1up to reach the semi-finals against Cillian O’Reilly of Hillview. That was a 5&4 win for him as Sean Condron from Rochfortbridge would be his opponent in the final. Condron had a slightly longer route to the final starting off with a 1up win over Cian Seery before beating Sean Byrne 4&2 and Matthew Bergin 3&2 in the quarter-finals to make it through to Sunday.
His match with Enda Hayden in the semi-finals was a marathon going all the way to 40 holes before Sean finally won at the fourth extra hole. The final belonged to Eoghan however with a 7&6 victory as he followed on from losing to the eventual winner of the Plate last year in the semi-finals last year with victory in his own right this year.
2024 National U16 Matchplay Facts and Figures
By John Manning
Boys Championship
Aidan Spence-Murphy becomes the first winner from the Claycastle club of the National Boys’ Matchplay championship. He provides Cork with a fourth win in the championship. Liam McGrath won in 2020 while Glenn Towler was champion twice.
Aidan is also the first Munster Juvenile Matchplay Plate victor to win the National Boys Matchplay championship. He extends Munster’s streak of National Boys Matchplay championship successes to three, the longest consecutive run in the event’s history.
Finally, Aidan emulates Glenn Towler again as a defeated National Boys Matchplay championship semi-finalist who claimed the title the following year.
Jack McShane is the third player in history (after Mark Cadden and A Jay Barrett) to win the National Boys’ Strokeplay championship and finish runner-up in the National Boys Matchplay Championship. Jack is the also first player from Gowran and from Co. Kilkenny to finish runner-up in the National Boys Matchplay championship.
Tipperary Hills’ Charlie Taylor becomes the second player with Limerick connections to reach (at least) the semi-finals of the National Boys Matchplay Championship after Shea Fennell was 2018 and 2019 Runner-Up. Charlie is the third player representing a Tipperary club to reach (at least) the semi-finals.
Peadar O’Toole is the sixth Leinster Strokeplay champion (after Jack McShane, Conor Mullins, Evan Carry, Mark Cadden and Dylan Hudson) to reach the National Boys Matchplay championship semi-finals.
Boys Plate
Eoghan Morrissey becomes the first winner of the All Ireland Juvenile Matchplay Championship Plate to represent the Gowran club. He secures a first Leinster victory in the event since Collinstown’s Jack Buckley triumphed at Kilbeggan in 2018. He is also the first losing All-Ireland Juvenile Matchplay Plate semi-finalist to lift the top award the following year.
Sean Condron ensured a Westmeath presence in the All-Ireland Juvenile Matchplay Plate final for the second year in a row. Sean is the first member of Rochfortbridge to reach the final.
Cillian O’Reilly is the second Co. Tipperary player (after Adam O’Brien) and the first from Hillview to reach the National Boys Matchplay Plate semi-finals.
Enda Hayden is the first player from Portmarnock and the first representing a Dublin club to contest the last four of the National Boys Matchplay Plate.
Girls
Sarah Ryan is the first member of Tipperary Hills and the first Co. Tipperary player to win the National Girls’ Matchplay championship. She is the first player ever to achieve the Munster and National Girls Matchplay championship double in a single year. Ella Moynihan also won both but in different years.
Sarah is the second player ever (after Ella Moynihan) to be National Girls Matchplay champion and National Girls Strokeplay runner-up in the same year. Maebh Ahern also achieved this but in different years.
Sophie Moynihan reached the National Girls’ Matchplay final for the second time. Sophie and her sister Ella now hold three silver medals between them. Ella won the Championship in 2021.
Leinster Strokeplay champion Gemma Cuffe reached the National Girls’ Matchplay semi-finals for the fourth time in five years.
Holder Molly O’Toole reached the National Girls’ Matchplay semi-finals, the same achievement as 2022 champion Sarah Cooney in 2023.
Latest National News
Latest Regional News
| Ryston Nett cup postponed |
| Bishopstown Scratch Cup |
| Hillview Practice times for Under 16s National Strokeplay |
| SCRATCH CUP RESULTS (Provisional) |
| Bellewstown Open Strokeplay |