AA INSURANCE LADIES CHAMPIONSHIPS
LIMERICK GOLF CLUB

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION
Enniscorthy and Mountbellew, both experienced campaigners, meet in the AA Insurance All Ireland Junior Cup final on Sunday at Limerick Golf Club. Carlow compete with Malahide for the Minor Cup trophy and Monkstown will take on Athenry for the Challenge Cup title.
JUNIOR CUP SEMI-FINALS
Enniscorthy 3, Ballybunion 2

Enniscorthy, 2007 champions in both the Junior Foursomes and Intermediate Cup, look to capture the Junior Cup title at Limerick Golf Club.
Enniscorthy progressed to the final, defeating Ballybunion in a closely fought contest. Ballybunion, with two wins under their belt courtesy of Margaret McAuliffe and Pat Joyce, were in pole position but Jennifer King and Laura Dempsey both had 3 and 1 wins to level the affair. Cora Mernagh secured victory for Enniscorthy by beating Toni Quilter 2 and 1 in the final match.
Mountbellew 3, Dun Laoghaire 2
Mountbellew, a team of youth and experience, beat Dun Laoghaire in their semi-final and now face Enniscorthy in Sunday’s final. Mountbellew had two wins under their belt before Dun Laoghaire’s Laura Daly secured her match on the 19th, having been two down.
The balance however, remained in favour of Mountbellew and Helen Costello sealed the victory with a 3 and 2 win against Roly Burke.
MINOR CUP SEMI-FINALS

Carlow 3½, Lee Valley 1½

Carlow had an extremely nail-biting affair with Southerners Lee Valley with all matches being won by the narrowest of margins. Phyll Farrell put up the first result for Carlow. Phyll was three down on the 14th but went on to win by one hole.
Team-mate Aine O’Shea took Margaret Ahern to the 19th before winning the point while Kitty O’Sullivan kept Lee Valley in the match with a one-hole victory.
In the fourth match, Pat McArdle secured Carlow’s place in Sunday’s final against Malahide. She beat Sandra Cooke at the 19th.
Malahide 4, Donegal 1

Malahide had a resounding victory against Donegal with Ciara Smith, Maire Falvey and Yvonne Power all winning against Donegal’s Dianne Doherty, Catherine Harvey and Aoife McGarvey respectively. The remaining two matches on the course were called in with the result in favour of Malahide.
CHALLENGE CUP SEMI-FINALS

Tara Glen 1, Monkstown 4

Monkstown put an end to Tara Glen’s dream of winning an All-Ireland final with a fine display of golf. Leone Levis, Ger O’Keeffe and Ruth Coulter were all sharply off the blocks for Monkstown and recorded three wins from the top down against Tara Glen’s Aileen O’Hanrahan, Margaret Mooney and Eilish McCarthy respectively.
Athenry 3, Powerscourt 2

Cheers and tears rang around the Clubhouse at Limerick when Athenry’s Sara Byrne holed her winning putt on the 19th to lead her team to their first All Ireland final. Powerscourt who started the contest the stronger were devastated.
Powerscourt’s Elizabeth Desmond won 7 and 6 and team-mate Bairbre O’Brien followed her with a one-hole win. Athenry then came back with Carmel Burke winning 3 and 2, while Maria Conlon won her match against Marie Clarkson at the last after her Powerscourt opponent found a bunker. With the match level, all eyes looked anxiously down the 19th until cheers from the blue jumpers confirmed the outcome in Athenry’s favour.
Details:
JUNIOR CUP SEMI-FINALS

Enniscorthy 3, Ballybunion 2

Margaret Mooney (9) lost to Margaret McAuliffe (8) 3 and 1.
Jennifer King (9) bt Nora Quaid (10) 3 and 2.
Catriona Hogan (10) lost to Pat Joyce (12) 5 and 4.
Laura Dempsey (11) bt Eileen Kenny-Ryan (14) 3 and 2.
Cora Mernagh (12) bt Toni Quilter (15) 2 and 1.
Mountbellew 3½.Dun Laoghaire 1½

Laura Burke (12) lost to Laura Daly (10) at 19th.
Catherine Gardiner (13) bt Mai Tan (10) 3 and 1.
Aoife Fallon (13) bt Rosie Walsh (11) 2 holes.
Margaret Harkin (14) halved with Nicky Murray (12).
Helen Costello (15) bt Roly Burke (13) 3 and 2.
MINOR CUP SEMI-FINALS

Carlow 3½, Lee Valley 1½

Phyll Farrell (23) bt Yvonne Barrett (24) 1 hole.
Aine O'Shea (24) bt Margaret Ahern (24) at 19th.
Mary Farrell (26) lost to Kitty O'Sullivan (25) 1 hole.
Pat McArdle (28) bt Sandra Cooke (25) at 19th.
Liz Whelan (28) halved with Gobnait Ni Luasaigh (26).
Malahide 4, Donegal 1

Ciara Smith (23) bt Dianne Doherty (23) 2 and 1.
Rosemary Cassin (23) halved with Geraldine Gorman (24).
Maire Falvey (24) bt Catherine Harvey (25) 3 and 1.
Colette Moran (24) halved with Prue Hamilton (26).
Yvonne Power (26) bt Aoife McGarvey (28) 4 and 2.
CHALLENGE CUP SEMI-FINALS
Monkstown 4, Tara Glen 1
Leone Levis (30) bt Aileen O'Hanrahan (30) 5 and 3.
Ger O'Keeffe (30) bt Margaret Mooney (30) 4 and 2.
Ruth Coulter (33) bt Eilish McCarthy (32) 3 and 2.
Brenda Geary (33) halved with Triona MacDonald (32).
Barbara Hanan (36) halved with Deirdre Turley (35).
Athenry 3, Powerscourt 2
Sara McDermott (31) bt Michelle Freeley (30) at 19th.
Pauline McEvoy (31) lost to Elizabeth Desmond (31) 7 and 6.
Martha Breen (32) lost to Bairbre O'Brien (31) 1 hole.
Maria Conlon (33) bt Marie Clarkson (33) 1 hole.
Carmel Burke (35) bt Annette Deignan (33) 3 and 2.