Enniscorthy, Kilcoole and Portumna

 Claim All-Ireland Titles

 A tense and exciting day of golf was witnessed by a sizeable crowd at Donabate Golf Club for Day 3 of the 2010 ILGU Inter-Club Championships. Enniscorthy, Kilcoole and Portumna captured the Junior, Intermediate and Minor Cups respectively, while Belvoir Park and Killarney progressed to the tomorrow’s final of the Senior Foursomes.
Mountbellew and Dublin City booked their places in the Junior Foursomes final and Bandon and Dun Laoghaire emerged as finalists for Sunday’s Challenge Cup.
Enniscorthy’s win in the Junior Cup came via wins in the last three matches, with the fourth match going the full distance before the Mid-Leinster side eventually defeated a gallant Royal Belfast team.
Janet Wilson struck first for Ulster champions, Royal Belfast with a 4 and 3 win in the top match but Enniscorthy fought back with early wins in the third and fifth matches, thanks to impressive short games by Connie Doyle and Cora Menagh who were always in control.
Charmain Gilford levelled the tie after a lucky break on the 18th hole allowed her to force extra holes with Triona Hogan and resulted in her winning at the 19th.
The title then rested with Stellah Sinnott of Enniscorthy and Royal Belfast’s Terry Wells. Sinnott battled bravely, having been two down for much of the afternoon but produced some excellent golf over the closing holes to win the 14th, 15th and 17th before holding her nerve for a regulation par on the 18th to clinch the match and the title for the Enniscorthy.
The Intermediate Cup final saw Kilcoole emerge as comfortable winners against Fota Island to take another national pennant back to the Mid-Leinster district.
Kilcoole quickly moved into the lead with Karen Horsfall winning the opening four holes in the fifth match and going on score a convincing 7 and 6 which set the Wicklow team on their way to the title.
The top match saw Kilcoole’s Loretto McDermott go one up through the turn and then win four of the next six holes to claim a 5 and 3 win.
Mary O’Leary gave Fota Island a glimmer of hope by winning the second match but it was short lived as Joan Donnelly confirmed a 3 and 2 victory in the third match, resulting in Pauline Doyle who was dormie three up being called in and Kilcoole winning their first ILGU Inter-Club title.
It was a story of the three Marys as Portumna lifted the Minor Cup in convincing fashion against a luckless Malone team this afternoon. The Galway side were unstoppable in the final with Mary McDonagh, affectionately referred to as “Mammy” by her team-mates, leading the way by scoring a 4 and 3 win in the first match.
Mary McElroy followed with an impressive 7 and 5 win before Mary Kelly brought the title West, thanks to a 5 and 4 win in the penultimate game.
Earlier in the day Belvoir Park had a tight battle with Co Sligo in the Senior Foursomes contrary to what the final score-line suggests.
The top pairing of current Irish Senior International Violet McBride and Gail Linter gave a magnificent display of golf, as did their opponents Holly Robinson and Marie Rooney of Co Sligo, with a number of birdies fired by both sides before the northern pair eventually emerged as winners on the 20th, thanks to a regulation par.
Exciting matches followed in the second and third games also, with Belvoir Park giving six and five shots respectively but taking early leads and holding-on to claim narrow one-hole victories in both, which put them through to tomorrow’s Senior Foursomes final where they will face Munster champions Killarney who defeated Malahide in this morning’s other semi final.
Margaret Hayes and partner Ailish Mulcahy scored first with a comfortable 6 and 4 win in the top match and with the second and third matches both in Killarney’s favour at the turn, they looked to in control of the tie.
However, Malahide forced their way back into contention when their second pairing of Lily Owens and Rosemary Byrne moved into a one-hole lead at the 13th as Anne Moynihan and Margaret Campion battled back from a four-hole deficit in the final match.
Killarney regained control when Mary Sheehy and Amy Arthur won the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th to claim a two-hole win in the second match and book the Kerry team a place in tomorrow’s final.
The Junior foursomes championship saw Mountbellew score a 2½ - ½ win over Limerick, despite giving their opponents a total of 11 shot over the three matches.
Dublin City ended Belvoir Park’s hopes of “doing the foursomes double” when they also won by a margin of 2½ - ½ in the other semi final and will now take on Mountbellew for the title in tomorrow’s final.
Bandon emerged as winners of the first Challenge Cup semi final with a 3½ - 1½ victory against Mullingar and as darkness fell across Donabate, Dun Laoghaire claimed the other place in tomorrow’s final with a win by the narrowest of margins over Ballina.
TOMORROW'S MATCHES
10:00 Senior Foursomes Final: Belvoir Park -v- Killarney
10:40 Junior Foursomes Final: Mountbellew -v- Dublin City
11:20 Challenge Cup Final: Bandon -v- Dun Laoghaire


RESULTS
Senior Foursome Semi Finals
BELVOIR PARK 3, CO SLIGO 0
Violet McBride (3) and Gail Linter (8) bt Holly Robinson (5) and Marie Rooney (13) at 20th
Jenny Russell (5) and Jenny Gibson (7) bt Shona Brady (10) and Helen Clarke (13) 1 hole.
Julie Morrison (6) and Pauline Bailie (9) bt Amy Gaynor (10) and Mary Conefrey (15) 1 hole.
KILLARNEY 2 ½, MALAHIDE ½
Margaret Hayes (7) and Ailish Mulcahy (7) bt Alison Taylor (2) and Linda Newman (15) 6 and 4
Mary Sheehy (4) and Amy Arthur (12) bt Lily Owens (6) and Rosemary Byrne (12) 2 holes.
Anne Moynihan (8) and Margaret Campion (12) halved with Noreen Farrell (11) and Trish Ryan (16).
Junior Foursomes Semi Finals
MOUNTBELLEW 2½, LIMERICK ½
Siobhan Fallon (16) and Mary Hyland (19) bt Cliodhna Mulcahy (16) and Trish Kennedy (25) 2 and 1
Connie O'Brien (18) and Kathleen Bergin (20) halved with Maria Kelly (24) and Ger O'Carroll (20).
Helen Costello (15) and Caroline Delaney (23) bt Anne O'Leary (17) and Miriam Feighery (30) 5 and 3
DUBLIN CITY 2½, BELVOIR PARK ½
Grace O'Neill (15) and Leonie Colgan (17) bt Roseanna Burns (17) and Rachel Melville (18) 4 and 2
Joan Shields (16) and Ger Lynch (18) bt Abigail Beckett (18) and Johanna Bell (21) 2 and 1
Sheila Stone (15) and Elaine Hartigan (21) halved with Denise Killough (16) and Norma Chisholm (28).
Junior Cup Final
ENNISCORTHY 3, ROYAL BELFAST 2
Margaret Mooney (9) lost to Janet Wilson (10) 4 and 3
Triona Hogan (10) lost to Charmian Gifford (10) at 19th
Connie Doyle (10) bt Patricia Boyd (12) 6 and 4
Stellah Sinnott (12) bt Terry Wells (14) 1 hole.
Cora Mernagh (13) bt Gillian Haldane (16) 6 and 5

Intermediate Cup Final
KILCOOLE 3½, FOTA ISLAND 1½
Loretto McDermott (17) bt Mary Daunt (16) 5 and 3
Angela Maher (18) lost to Mary O'Leary (17) 3 and 1
Joan Donnelly (19) bt Patricia Coughlan (17) 3 and 2
Pauline Doyle (20) halved with Patricia O'Sullivan (18).
Karen Horsfall (20) bt Rose Beamish (18) 7 and 6

Minor Cup Final
PORTUMNA 4, MALONE 1
Mary McDonagh (23) bt Anne McCoubrey (23) 4 and 3
Mary Kelly (26) bt Catherine Cairns (23) 5 and 4
Loretto O'Grady (27) halved with Norma Stewart (23).
Mary McElroy (28) bt Debbie Wilson (26) 7 and 5
Audrey McGrath (28) halved with Norma Scott (28).
Challenge Cup Semi Finals
BANDON 3½, MULLINGAR  1½
Georgina Appelbe (30) bt Alison O'Neill (30) 5 and 4
Eveline Fogarty (30) bt Bernie Mulroy (34) 3 and 2
Aileen Burke (30) lost to Carmel Monaghan (34) 5 and 4
Theresa Burke (33) bt Julie Magan (36) 4 and 3
Michelle Anders (35) halved with Ann Tyrrell (36).

DUN LAOGHAIRE 3, BALLINA 2
Emer O'Sullivan (30) lost to Josephine O'Hora (30) 2 and 1
Helen Waters (31) lost to Eithne Daly (31) at 19th
Katherine Verso (32) bt Shauna Smith (31) 3 and 2
Maureen Duggan (32) bt Maire McLoughlin (33) 3 and 2
Bernie Keogh (33) bt Ann McLoughlin (34) 1 hole.


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