Headfort’s Brian Casey held off a late charge from home hope Dessie Morgan to win the Mullingar Grant Thornton Scratch Trophy by a stroke and boost his confidence heading to next month’s European Tour Qualifying School.

Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar leads a strong Irish contingent looking to score a home victory against a stacked international field at Carton House this week for the International European Amateur Championship.

Six members of the triumphant Munster team in this week’s Interprovincial Championship at Royal Co Down are included in the field for the South of Ireland Championship starting at Lahinch this morning. And yet, they will all have to take a back seat behind the remarkable Ennis man, Noel Pyne, who is competing for the 50th successive year.

The traditional first big event on the domestic annual calendar, the Radisson sponsored West of Ireland Championship, gets underway today with the first of two stroke-play qualifying rounds leading up to the final on Tuesday next.

The Lee Valley Scratch Cup tees off this weekend.

A DISASTROUS result in the morning foursomes against Scotland cost Ireland dearly on the final day of the Home International Championship at Rosses Point yesterday.

IRELAND’S victory over Wales at County Sligo’s Rosses Point yesterday lacked the nail-biting tension of the previous day’s narrow defeat of England but it still put them very much in prime position to win the Home Nations Championship when they come up against Scotland in today’s final round of matches.

NIALL GOREY of Muskerry was the Irish hero as the host nation pipped reigning champions England in a dramatic climax on the first day of the Men’s Home Internationals at a wet and windy Rosses Point yesterday.

PORTSTEWART’S Paul Cutler became the first player since Rory McIlroy to complete the double when he added the Golfsure sponsored Irish Amateur Close title to his West of Ireland triumph with a classy victory at windswept Shannon.

THEY say the weather alters one’s mood but the momentous change in the conditions at Baltray over the weekend didn’t seem to bother Newlands’ Cian Curley as he opened a commanding four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship.

A WEST WATERFORD team with an average age of 20 is on the threshold of a historic and remarkable break through in the Bulmers Irish Senior Cup at Tullamore.

WEST WATERFORD’S chances of a first Bulmers Irish Senior Cup pennant at Tullamore over the weekend have taken a big blow because of the absence of key man Seamus Power.

CHAMPIONS Ireland bid to advance a little closer to their third consecutive Centenary Shield (Schools U19 soccer) honours when they play England at Turner’s Cross tonight (7pm).