Brilliant Mangan burst brings Vagliano glory within reach

A STUNNING singles performance yesterday over the demanding links of the County Louth club at Baltray took Great Britain and Ireland to within sight of a first Vagliano Trophy victory over the Continent of Europe for a decade.

And one of the stars of an amazing afternoon turnaround, to the delight of a big home crowd, was Tricia Mangan, the reigning Munster Ladies champion from Ennis.

Mangan, 29, produced a brilliant birdie burst just after the turn to send Dane Lisa Holm Sorensen crashing to a 4&3 defeat. Never behind, Mangan, holder of the Lahinch and Cork scratch cups took the lead at the fourth and was still one up at halfway but then birdies at 10, 12 and 14 thanks to putts of eight, six and 25 feet took her into a four-hole lead and a half at the next secured a welcome first Great Britain and Ireland point for Mangan.

The Europeans led by two matches to one with one halved after the foursomes - Mangan and Scotland’s Lynn Kenny went down on the home green to Sorensen and Finland’s Minea Blomqvist after a titanic battle. But the afternoon was a very different story as the home players came out of the starting blocks very quickly and soon took a grip on proceedings.

In the end it was a demolition job as GB and Ireland won six and halved one of the eight singles for an overall 8-4 lead, which means they need another four and a half points from the 12 available today.

Mangan was naturally delighted with her GB and Ireland debut. “It's been a great day and it’s now important we do well in the foursomes so that we do not let them in,” said the prison physical education instructor.

Monkstown’s Ada O'Sullivan, captaining her first Vagliano team, declared yesterday’s outcome “a fantastic result,” but added: “We have not won anything yet and I have to stress that to my players. Tomorrow will be another long, hard day and we have to do the business again.”

But she praised her players for their “brilliant” course management. “They have belief in themselves and that is important.”

O'Sullivan is sticking with the same foursomes pairings as yesterday and is hoping that the wind gets up a little to help her players. She is urging a big crowd to turn up to give support.