Irish and British ladies win out on final green

IT could not have been scripted better.

Without a win for a decade, Great Britain and Ireland finally regained the Vagliano Trophy at County Louth on Saturday by the skin of their teeth courtesy of victory on the final green in the last match.

For good measure the trophy was being played for the first time in Ireland with an Irish captain, Ada O'Sullivan and Ireland's Tricia Mangan secured a half in the morning foursomes with Lynn Kenny having been two down with three to play.

In the end GB & I who had not won since Monfontaine in 1993 triumphed by the narrowest of margins, 12.5 to 11.5. However, it did not look set for such a cliffhanger when the hosts were five points clear with one session remaining.

The Europeans though came out fighting on the final afternoon and battled all the way to the wire. Only in the top match did GB & I appear to be on top and in that game Becky Brewerton duly delivered a 2&1 win over Dane Lisa Holm Sorensen. But it was another one hour and 45 minutes before the Trophy was eventually regained.

Emma Duggleby, the English champion, got a half with Sophie Giquel but that meant another half point was still required. Defeats for Fame Moore, Anne Laing, Tricia Mangan, Vikki Laing and Lynn Kenny kept matters on a knife-edge.

It was all down to 20-year-old Danielle Masters from Kent and talented Spaniard Tania Elosegui. They came to the closing hole level after Elosegui had squared at the 12th and the next five holes were halved.

Masters, never having played for GB & I before, hit a brilliant three iron second shot to within 12 feet of the pin while the Spaniard was in a greenside bunker with a very awkward stance and it was effectively all over.

Elosegui efforts were in vain and when Masters rolled her putt stone dead the celebrations began.

Captain O'Sullivan, who will now lead the assault on the Curtis Cup at Formby next June, hailed the victory as "Brilliant for British and Irish golf" adding, "We had not won for 10 years and quite frankly if we had not succeeded I don't t know when the next win would have come."

O'Sullivan said she had never witnessed a higher standard even in professional golf: "The players produced awesome displays. Now we can look forward to the Curtis Cup although it may be a very different team because four of this side are planning to go pro," she said.

One player who is not in that category and wants to stake a Curtis Cup claim is Tricia Mangan, the 29-year-old prison physical education instructor from Ennis: "I have really enjoyed this match and want to improve my game still further and go for the Curtis Cup."

Appropriately Ireland's greatest-ever woman golfer Philomena Garvey, who played in the first match back in 1959, was there to witness the drama of the last afternoon.