Munster Gents Preview

Stephen Shoer (Riverdale) will defend his Munster Strokeplay title at Collins on Sunday and in an interesting quirk will have as one of his playing partners, the 2024 runner-up, Stephen O’Reilly (Hillview), Shoer’s Tipperary and international team colleague.

Collins player John Walsh will bid for a record-extending eighth Munster Gents Senior Strokeplay title in the company of millennium year champion Jason O’Regan (Tralee) and former two-time runner-up Paudie O’Sullivan (Majestic).

Frank Dineen (St. Anne’s) won the provincial Matchplay at Collins in 2008 and has been displaying excellent form all season. The defeated finalist on that occasion, Damien Fleming (Deerpark), was crowned provincial Strokeplay kingpin at Listowel six years ago and will bid for a second title in the final threeball of the day, which also features Fleming’s predecessor as Munster Strokeplay champion Kieran Earls (Bruff) and the reigning provincial Matchplay champ John Cahill (Fermoy)

Two-time former Munster Strokeplay champion Chris Scannell will be in fine fettle after his Riverdale tour de force last Sunday. Scannell has won a Cork Strokeplay (in 1990) and a National Strokeplay (1995) at Collins so why not a Munster Strokeplay?

Another former Munster Matchplay champion on view will be Thomas Hanley (Bruff), who triumphed at Rosscarbery in 2015.

The honour of striking the first teeshot of the championship will fall to Frank O’Donoghue (Raffeen Creek), who finished as runner-up on the only previous occasion that the Munster Gents Strokeplay was contested at Collins. That was in 2003.

Other past winners of the trophy in Sunday’s field are Fermoy’s Daithi Sexton (who won in 2023), St. Anne’s man Ray Murphy (the last of whose three victories came in 2022), ESB’s Bryan Delaney (2017), Bruff’s Liam O’Donovan (1999 and 2001), Douglas member John O’Leary (1991), Crosshaven’s Barry Morrissey (1987) and James Ryan (Bruff) who claimed the infamous Nett championship of 2014.

2024 Munster Gents Intermediate Strokeplay champion Brian O’Flynn (Ardnacrusha) is in the 2025 intermediate field. O’Flynn partners 2023 Munster Junior Strokeplay bronze medallist Michael Creagh (Tralee) and ESB’s John Fitzgerald.

Martin O’Sullivan (St. Anne’s) won that Junior championship two years ago and is drawn in the first group out with Cyril Bourke (Ardnacrusha) and 2018 Cork Junior Matchplay runner-up Mark Roche (Collins)

2018 runner-up Eddie Hogan (St. Stephen’s) is back for another tilt at the title. Hogan’s fellow competitors will be Thomas Busteed Junior (Corkbeg) and 2023 Cork Matchplay champ Ger Kehoe (ESB).

2022 Munster Intermediate Matchplay runner-up Alan Keating (St. Anne’s) partners Michael Farrell (Bruff) who reached the last eight of the recent National Matchplay championship and 2017 Munster Junior Matchplay runner-up Adrian Anglim (Hillview).

Reigning Munster Junior Strokeplay champion Kieran Bermingham (Ardnacrusha) makes the step up to intermediate grade as does Ger Dinan (ESB), who won the provincial Junior Matchplay earlier this year. Another making that leap is 2024 Munster Junior B Strokeplay kingpin Reece Sugrue (Tralee).

2023 Munster Matchplay champion at junior level, Colin Hennessy (St. Anne’s) is paired with 2024 National Intermediate Matchplay runner-up Ryan Sexton (Fermoy) and 2018 Munster Junior Matchplay gold medallist Sean O’Neill (Larkspur Park).

Other former Munster Junior Matchplay champions in this field are Bishopstown’s Eddie Delaney and Bruff’s Dominic Kavanagh.

Stephen Donovan (Cunnigar) would love to add to his 2016 provincial junior Strokeplay success. Dylan Ahern (Collins) was a Junior Matchplay finalist last year.

David O’Leary will set the junior championship in motion and the Lakewood man was a very impressive winner of St. Anne’s Junior Scratch Cup last week.

Kieran O’Driscoll (Ballinlough) was National Over-55 Junior grade Strokeplay champion twelve months ago. Kieran is drawn with his successor as champion Brendan Moloney (Ardnacrusha).

Bishopstown duo Paul Boreham and Ciarán White won the 2025 Munster Scotch Mixed Foursomes and play in successive groups here, Boreham with 2024 National Scotch Foursomes winner Mark Cahill (Lakeside) and White alongside Crosshaven’s Dan Ahern, a Munster Inter-County runner-up with Cork last year.

Fresh from his thirdplace finish behind Brendan Moloney at Riverdale, Nicky Byrne (Collins), joins Billy Griffin (Cill na Móna), a former National Inter-County silver medallist with Clare and Rocklodge’s Cian McCarthy, who has been prominent at recent Open events.

2024 Munster Junior Strokeplay runner-up Eugene McNamara will bid to go one better as the Ardnacrusha man crosses swords with Crosshaven’s Martin Condon and Martin Cotter (Collins), who will have a home player’s chance as will Noel Dunlea.

Paul Walsh (Collins) was the 2024 Munster Junior Matchplay champion.

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