Woodstock golfers primed to help keep Clare in the headlines

THE GOLFERS of Woodstock Golf Club near Ennis are poised to get a memorable weekend for Clare off to the best possible start.

They qualified yesterday for the final of the Bulmers Pierce Purcell Shield at Galway Golf Club with a great backs-to-the-wall victory over Loughrea, and now come up against Moyola Park from Castledawson who were clear winners over Castlewarden in the other semi-final.

There is a close hurling connection with the Woodstock squad and it becomes even stronger today with the introduction of the former Clare player Martin Meehan along with John Condon, although, ironically, they are replacing John O’Connor, a cousin of the famous Jamesie, and Frank Doherty.

The number one Woodstock pairing of Liam McInerney and Michael O’Brien can do little wrong these days and yesterday they romped to a five and four defeat of Vincent Leahy and Martin Kennedy in the top match. That was quickly offset by a heavy defeat for O’Connor and Doherty by John Dervan and Alan Greally while Woodstock club captain Jimmie Kelly and Martin Nugent were always in control of the last game against Jarlath O’Connor and Padraic Murray.

From an early stage, it looked as if the outcome of the clash of Anthony Coote and Robert Dormer for Woodstock against Kevin Greally and Dara Keary would be decisive and so it proved, even if Michael Kelly and Darragh Lynch for the Clare side had battled back from arrears of four with five to play to bring their contest to the 19th against Brian Fahy and Johnny Greally.

They were spared that trial, however, when Coote and Dormer came from two down after 13 to claim three of the next four holes for a most meritorious victory.