Coughlan inspires Munster to stunning victory

INSPIRED by Claire Coughlan, who defeated Curtis Cup reserve Martina Gillen in the top singles match, Munster cast aside the Leinster bogey on the opening day of the AIB Bank Ladies Senior Golf Interpros at Mount Wolseley, Carlow yesterday.

Munster had entered the afternoon test with a 2-1 deficit after the morning foursomes and needed five of the eight singles if they were to inflict defeat on a Leinster side seeking nine in a row of titles.

And the southern province achieved their target in emphatic fashion as Coughlan, Tricia Mangan, Marian Riordan, Eileen Rose Power and Sheila Galvin gained the necessary points to record a notable victory. The Coughlan-Gillen clash aroused tremendous interest as the Cork Golf Club player and former Irish Close Champion needed a morale boosting victory after a somewhat low key season by her standards.