Kearney sole Irish player on Cup team

TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD Niall Kearney from Royal Dublin is the only Irish player in the British & Irish Walker Cup team to face the United States at Merrion, Pennsylvania, next month.

Although the full side won’t be officially named until today, Kearney has been advised of his selection which comes mainly on the back of his victory in this year’s Brabazon Trophy for the English Stroke Play Championship.

“I am over the moon for this is fantastic news,” he commented last night. “It comes as a relief as much as anything else because while I knew I was in with a good chance, you’re never sure if the call is going to come.”

While Kearney was celebrating last night, it was a disappointing time for Ulster players Paul Cutler and Alan Dunbar, both of whom were also considered to have a very good chance of selection.

Kearney and Cutler are competing this weekend in the Grant Thornton Mullingar Scratch Cup and both are in with a very good chance of claiming the coveted trophy after yesterday’s opening 36 holes. However, they have a task on their hands if they are to overtake the highly impressive halfway leader, 19-year-old Luke Lennox from the Moyola Park club near Castledawson in Co Derry.

Lennox, who finished runner-up to Cutler in this year’s East of Ireland Championship at Baltray, shot rounds of 69 and 68 to finish seven under par and three strokes ahead of Cutler and local man Des Morgan.

Lennox finished his morning round spectacularly with an eagle three at the 16th and a birdie at the dangerous 17th. After round one, he was tied for the lead with Irish youths’ champion Kelan McDonagh of Athlone and then maintained an impressive level of consistency in the afternoon to open up a three-stroke advantage over his nearest challengers.

However, Cutler is clearly a serious threat as he improved by six strokes on his opening 73 for a best of the day 67. And all Mullingar is hoping that Des Morgan, a Leinster interpro and a familiar figure close to the top of the leaderboard at a succession of championships, can keep the title at home for the first time.

Kearney, like Cutler, atoned for a moderate opening 74 with a fine second round of 68 to move into a share of fourth with West Waterford’s Seamus Power on two under. But McDonagh lost ground by taking 74 in the second round.