Banner weekend off to a winning start

A WEEKEND holding out so much promise for Clare opened on the brightest possible note at Galway yesterday when Woodstock captured their first national pennant with a convincing Pierce Purcell Shield final victory over Moyola Park from Co Derry.

Their team manager Luke Coote was so thrilled that he suggested it might even mean more to the club than a victory for the Banner at Croke Park tomorrow - and that from a man whose brother, Declan, has worn the saffron and blue jersey on many occasions!

“We have never been this far on our holidays”, Coote enthused. “Winning the Clare section was a bonus, winning the Munster section was an added bonus but words cannot describe what winning an All-Ireland means to us. We are a very young club with a small contingent of players in this category. It will mean everything to our spirit and sense of togetherness”.

The final wasn’t long under way when it became clear that the coveted title was on its way to Woodstock. Liam McInerney and Michael O’Brien went into the match with a 100% record from seven previous outings and were never in the slightest danger of losing that record as they saw off Keith Beatty and Geoff Caskey at the 13th.

Captain Jimmie Kelly and Martin Nugent needed only one more hole to dispose of Michael Gormley and John McCloskey and the issue was sealed with a 16th green triumph for Darragh Lynch and Michael Kelly over Aidan Corr and Fenton Archer.

Limerick and Clandeboye are through to the final of this morning’s Irish Senior Cup and a tremendous battle it promises to be. Limerick were fully extended by Portmarnock and the issue wasn’t settled until Tim Rice holed a seven-footer on the 18th to pip Niall Goulding. Rice was two down with six to play but drew level with two cracking shots into the teeth of the wind at the difficult par four 15th.

Goulding was in trouble off the 16th tee and although Rice didn’t play the hole particularly well, he still grabbed the lead by chipping dead for a par five. The 17th was halved in pars before the finish came at the par three 18th. Both players missed the green left, Rice chipped seven feet past and Goulding came out of sand to fifteen feet. To his great credit, he holed the par putt but Rice was equal to the occasion and followed him in.

Michael O’Kelly got Limerick off to a storming start with a 4 and 3 win over the formidable Adrian Morrow and Ger Vaughan beat David Kelleher on the 16th. Martin Poucher was two down with two to play against Dermot Snow, who was going through his 26th successive Senior Cup match undefeated, and 16 year-old Cian McNamara lost by 2 and 1 against East of Ireland champion Noel Fox but showed his mettle by battling back from arrears of five. Clandeboye remain strong favourites although there will be great interest in the top match between the giant Irish International Andrew McCormick and McNamara. Clandeboye boast a collective handicap of plus eight and won three matches against the home club yesterday at the 15th.

Meanwhile, there was semi-final disappointment for the second year for Harbour Point as they lost to Claremorris in the Jimmy Bruen Shield having gone out at the same stage 12 months ago in the Junior Cup. Claremorris now meet The Island, conquerors yesterday of Warrenpoint.