Munster battle back in singles to force draw with Leinster

REVITALISED Munster staged a dramatic fight back in the afternoon singles to force a tie with Leinster on the second day of the Golfsure Inteprovincial Championship at Douglas yesterday. Nevertheless, the stage is still set today for a showdown between Leinster and Ulster, who had a comfortable victory over Connacht and go into the decider with a 100% record.

A fine, calm day on the beautifully manicured Douglas lay-out began with the morning foursomes. Based on the evidence of the opening day’s play, it was little surprise Leinster got the better of a Munster side anxious to demonstrate they weren’t as soft a touch as they appeared to be when demolished by Ulster on the previous day. Karl Bornemann and Eamon Haugh clicked again in a fine contest with South of Ireland champion Robbie Cannon and Des Morgan that ended all square after 18 holes.

Things were also looking extremely promising for the home side in the second foursome when Pat Murray and Gary O’Flaherty got off to a flyer against James Monaghan and Andrew Hogan and stood four up at the turn. At that point, Leinster’s wily captain, the experienced Barry Reddan, quietly pointed out to his youthful duo that “if you can lose four holes, you can win four as well”.

In fact they did even better, reeling off four birdies in going ahead at the 17th before the Munster pair were obliged to concede the match on the 18th which the Leinster men again played in highly impressive fashion. The failure of Murray and O’Flaherty to take something from this contest was to have a crucial bearing on the outcome even though both men redeemed themselves later in the day.

West Waterford’s Seamus Power and his teenage debutant partner Ian O’Rourke completed a fine 3 and 1 victory over Cian Curley and Dara Lernihan, both members of this year’s six-man Irish European Championship team. To counteract that, Simon Ward and Rory McNamara kept Leinster’s noses in front with a good win over David Finn and Stephen Loftus.

That sent Leinster, the champions, into the nine afternoon singles needing a share of the spoils to retain their 100% record. But it never transpired as easily as that might have sounded with Murray displaying the kind of form that landed him the Irish Close title earlier in the year with a good 18th green win over Simon Ward.

Even though Cannon, Curley and Lernihan claimed the next three points for Leinster, Munster hit back through Power and Aaron O’Callaghan, both winners at the 14th against McNamara and Hogan. Des Morgan claimed another Leinster win at the 17th against David Finn, but they still needed a half from the last two matches on the course to acquire the magical seventh point. O’Flaherty and Mallow’s Tim O’Mahony, however, finished like men inspired to thwart that ambition.

South of Ireland finalist O’Flaherty hit two beautiful shots to the 17th and holed from nine feet for birdie to go one ahead of James Fox.

The Corkman found sand with a rescue club second shot to the final green and Fox used his power to knock a superb three iron to eight feet. Just as Leinster looked sure of attaining that all-important half, O’Flaherty produced a sensational 35 yard bunker shot finished three inches from the hole. Fox ran his eagle putt just past the cup and Munster’s recovery was more or less complete at much the same time when O’Mahony birdied the 17th to see off Martin.

An extremely well balanced Ulster side coasted home against Connacht although there was consolation for the western province when Irish Youths champion Kelan McDonagh enhanced his hopes of a first Irish cap by winning both his matches, beating recent Mullingar Scratch Cup winner Connor Doran at the 18th in the singles.