Golf club split by power struggle

A leading golf club, which has been plagued by division and internal power struggles, last night heard a plea for unity from its newly elected captain.

For the first time in its 119-year history there was a contest for the captaincy of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club, with vice-captain James Ormonde defeating former club director James Loughnane.

Such a contest, seen by some club insiders as a battle between the old guard and the new, marked a break with a time-honoured tradition in golf whereby the vice-captain is normally elected captain, unopposed, for the following year.