Darkness suspends play at the AIG Ladies Cups and Shields

Photos above: Deirdre Lee (Lee Valley) and Lee Valley –AIG Minor Cup Champions Courtesy of  Pat Cashman Photography

Lee Valley win the AIG Minor Cup but the AIG Senior Foursomes and AIG Intermediate Cup were suspended due to darkness.

After overcoming Donaghadee yesterday, Lee Valley met Connacht champions Mountbellew in today’s AIG Minor Cup Final. The first point went to Rose Driscoll, who carded a 2&1 victory over Katie Coleman. Breda O’Callaghan added a second win for the Munster team and it was Deirdre Lee who secured the win for the Cork club. “We’re absolutely thrilled, it could have gone either way right up until the end, it was an amazing contest,” said Team Captain Angela Corcoran. “This is our third All-Ireland, we have won two Intermediate Cups and now a Minor Cup in the last 5 years, it’s a huge honour for our 25-year-old club!”

In the AIG Intermediate Cup final, Carton House and Cahir Park were neck and neck throughout. A convincing 7&5 win for Michelle Keating in the second match was counterbalanced by a win for Siobhan Plunkett. Emma Fox and Joanne Noonan added another point for each team with the last match becoming the decider. However, the final match went the distance and while both teams had a chance to win on the 19th and 20th, light was the winner and after 4 extra holes both team managers decided to suspend play and continue the match tomorrow morning.

Killarney were aiming to win their second All-Ireland pennant of the year in the AIG Senior Foursomes final. The 2017 All-Ireland Senior Cup Champions were up against Roscommon, playing in their first All-Ireland final. Top match pairing Mary Sheehy and Fidelma O’Connor won their match for the Munster side on the 18th, with Roscommon pair Ruth Lennon and Ciara Hereward-Ryan closing out their match 5&3. Again, due to light, the 3rd match, which had just finished the 20th hole, decided to return tomorrow to finish their match.

The play will resume tomorrow at 10:00am for the Senior Foursomes on the 21st tee and Intermediate Cup on the 23rd tee, with the Junior Foursomes Final also teeing off at 10.00am.

AIG LADIES CUPS AND SHIELDS DAY 3 RESULTS
AIG Junior Foursomes Semi Finals
Ballykisteen (2) Woodbrook (1) (Ballykisteen names first) Jane Cowhey & Catherine Murphy lost to Gail Wolfe & Siobhan Ward 4&3; Catherine English & Nessa Fahy O’Donnell beat Bridgette Byrne & Susan O’Dwyer by 1 hole; Sarah Toomey & Mary Toomey beat Ger Cantrell & Marcell Acton 2&1
Portumna (3) The Heath (0) (Portumna names first) Mary Kelly & Brid Kelly beat Sadie Ging & Mary Malone 2&1; Carmel Cunningham & Bernie Kilmartin beat Helen Kelly & May Tyrrell 4&3; Mary McElroy & Mary Madden beat Mary Cushen & Ann Dunne 3&2

AIG Junior Cup Semi Finals
Limerick (3) Stackstown (2) (Limerick names first) Emma Guinnane lost to Mairaid Cronin by 1 hole; Fiona McGann beat Mary Horn 3&1; Siobhan Conway lost to Kate O’Connor by 1 hole; Emily Walsh beat Marian White 5&4; Heather Fitzgerald beat Anne O’Connor 3&1
Athenry (4) Royal Curragh (1) (Athenry names first) Marie Carr beat Regina Foley by 1 hole; Nicola Nally beat Mary McNally 6&5; Pat Jacobsen halved with Mary O’Meara (called-in); Nicola Burke halved with Caroline Condon (called-in); Teresa Coen beat Marie Egan 5&3.

AIG Challenge Cup Semi Finals
Malahide (4.5) Doneraile (0.5) (Malahide names first) Vanessa McCann beat Marie Kelleher 8&6; Niamh Clarke beat Jean Harrington 19th; Louise Lynch beat Noreen Roche by 2 holes; Maire Falvey halved with Sarah Coughlan (called-in); Louise Young beat Marie Murphy 3&1.
Fintona (4) Mountbellew (1) (Fintona names first) Pat Quinn lost to Emma Morrow 8&6; Bernie McCillen beat Mary Ryan 2&1; Angela Montague beat Bridie Jones by 1 hole; Fanchea Donnelly beat Mary Dolan 2&1; Kathleen Donnelly beat Bernadette Jordan 4&3

AIG Minor Cup Final
Mountbellew (1) Lee Valley (4) (Mountbellew names first) Rose Driscoll beat Katie Coleman 2&1; Deirdre Lee beat Kathleen Raftery 19th; Jane O’Neill halved with Geraldine Coyne (called-in); Breda O’Callaghan beat Patricia Burke 2&1; Helen Gough halved with Rose Devaney (called-in)

AIG Intermediate Cup Final
Cahir Park vs. Carton House TBC (Cahir Park names first) Emma Fox beat Susan Carey 19th; Maura Bruton lost to Michelle Keating 7&5; Siobhan Plunkett beat Breda Keating 2&1; Ros McCarthy lost to Joanne Quaid Noonan 2&1; Ann McQuillan vs. Patricia Browne TBC (AS thru 22)

AIG Senior Foursomes Final
Roscommon vs. Killarney TBC (Roscommon names first) Sinead Benedetti & Mary Lalor lost to Mary Sheehy & Fidelma O’Connor by 2 holes; Ruth Lennon & Ciara Hereward-Ryan beat Deirdre Prendergast & Ann Moynihan-Rudden 5&3; Paula Quinn & Rosemary O’Brien vs. Eimear O’Donnell & Amy Arthur TBC (AS thru 20)

AIG LADIES CUPS AND SHIELDS DAY 4 DRAW
10:00 Senior Foursomes Final & Intermediate Cup Final resume play
10:00 Junior Foursomes Final
10:40 Junior Cup Final
11:30 Challenge Cup Final