Double disappointment for debutante Delaney

TARA DELANEY suffered double disappointment yesterday on her Vagliano Trophy debut at St Andrew’s Bay in Scotland.

The 21-year-old former Irish stroke-play champion from Carlow lost both her matches on the opening day of the fixture as the Continent of Europe took a grip on proceedings as they bid to dethrone champions, Great Britain and Ireland.

The hosts face a herculean task in their attempt to retain the Trophy as they go into the second day’s play today trailing 9-3.

Delaney lined up with Scotland teenager Krystle Caithness, the youngest member of the team in the foursomes and they slipped to defeat and then Delaney faced Denise Becker, the German who holds the Old Course record. The Irish woman was three down with six holes to play but won the 13th before losing the 14th to be three down again with four holes remaining. Then came the Delaney charge — she won the 15th and 17th to take the game to the wire.

They halved the last par five allowing Becker to secure a one-hole triumph.

It was 5.34pm after eight and a half hours play that Great Britain and

Ireland collected their first point through the oldest member of the team Kerry Smith who beat Swede Pernilla Lindberg by 3&1.Welsh champion Breanne Loucks and 2006 English stroke-play champion Liz Bennett also picked up points.

It was some respite after a miserable morning when Great Britain and Ireland lost all four foursomes.

The top match was always going to be tough as the European pair of British Ladies open champion Carlota Ciganda and German Sandra Gal are highly-rated and justified their billing as favourites against Melissa Reid and Breanne Loucks.

The Europeans went in front at the fourth and were never caught after that. Naomi Edwards and Kerry Smith were briefly in front early on against Emma Cabrera and Denise Becker but were soon caught and once the

Europeans snatched the lead at the 13th they did not look back.

Carlow’s Tara Delaney and Krystle Caithness, the Scottish teenager at 18 the youngest member of the side battled bravely in the third match against Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg and Spaniard Belen Mozo, the 2006 British Ladies open champion but eventually went down 2&1.

Great Britain seeking a third consecutive victory in this fixture were on the verge of salvaging a point from the foursomes when Yorkshire’s Rachel Bell and Liz Bennett were one up with two to play on Swedish couple Caroline Westrup and Anna Nordqvist.

But the home pair lost the last two holes — to a par and a birdie — to allow the Europeans to complete a clean sweep of the foursomes session.