Heartbreak as Irish fail by whisker to end England reign

IRELAND’S bid to break the England stranglehold on the Boys’ Home International Golf Championship failed by the narrowest of margins 8.5-6.5 in a tense and thoroughly exciting final afternoon at Royal St Davids, Harlech yesterday.

Having beaten both Wales and Scotland, the Irish knew that a share of the spoils with England champions since 1998 would be sufficient to wrest the R&A trophy from their clutches, but the effort fell just short.

However, it could not have been more dramatic. With the foursomes sharing two matches apiece and one halved, there was all to play for in the afternoon and for long periods it looked as though the Irish would just edge it, as they were up in as many games as they were down and level in the others.