Irish frustration as luckless Stuart Grehan suffers late defeat at Portrush

Ireland suffered an agonising tie with England as they opened the defence of their Amateur Home International series at Royal Portrush yesterday.

The battle was on a knife-edge throughout the day but Ireland, although without three key players in Paul Dunne, Gary Hurley and Cormac Sharvin, looked as they though they would just squeeze home when Stuart Grehan came to the last one up on Paul Kinnear in the deciding match, requiring a half on the hole to see Ireland home.

But Grehan, one of five new caps in the side, lost the demanding final hole after finding an unplayable lie in a bush – and that meant their game finished all square and Ireland and England were level at 7.5 apiece.