Ulster favourites as powerful Interpro squads set for big battle in Douglas

WITH the notable exception of Niall Kearney, Ireland’s only representative in the British & Irish Walker Cup team next month, the country’s leading amateur golfers will all be in action over the next three days in the Golfsure Interprovincial Championship at Douglas.

Kearney isn’t available because he is in Portugal with the Walker Cup squad and is replaced in the Leinster side by Kilkenny’s Craig Martin. But the reigning champions still boast a powerful side that includes Robbie Cannon, the recent winner of the South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch, and Cian Curley and Dara Lernihan, both members of this year’s Irish team in the European Championship.

However, Barry Reddan’s side won’t have it all their own way and if anything, Ulster probably deserve to be slight favourites. Their team is packed with outstanding young talent, most notably Paul Cutler and Alan Dunbar, winners already this year of the East of Ireland Championship and the St Andrews Links Trophy. A strong case was made for the inclusion of both men in the Walker Cup side but in the end they were left disappointed.

Connor Doran, winner of the Mullingar Scratch Trophy last week, in which he defeated Cutler in a play-off, and North of Ireland champion Wayne Telford, are other key members of a useful-looking Ulster squad.

In spite of their victory at Baltray a couple of years ago, Munster have been hard pressed to make an impression in the championship and it is certainly a far cry from the halcyon days in the 1990s when they captured the title five times in six years between 1993 and 1997. However, the recent South of Ireland, in which five Munster men reached the quarter-finals, gave rise for hope of better things this week.

Gary O’Flaherty reached the final at Lahinch before losing to Cannon while he defeated his close friend and Irish Close champion Pat Murray in the semi-final. Both have a key role to play this week, just as Connacht are hopeful that Irish Youths champion Kelan McDonagh will inspire them to a second success in the championship. Their only previous success came at Connemara in 1983.

The programme gets under way with the foursomes at 8am today.

Leinster go off the first tee against Connacht and Munster and Ulster starting from the 10th.