Agony for the Irish ladies in Oddur course

There was late-night heartbreak for Ireland in Iceland as they failed by the narrowest of margins to move into the last eight of the European women’s Team Championship over the Oddur course.

With five of the six cards counting on each of the past two days their aggregate of 757 put them one stroke outside top flight qualification in ninth place just pipped for the final place by Finland.

Olivia Mehaffey and Louise Coffey spearheaded the battle for qualification with scores of 73 but the remaining members of the team were disappointing.

Maria Dunne from Skerries, a member of the successful Curtis Cup team was particularly off-colour slumping to an 81 which included a triple bogey seven on the 17th. She had only one bogey in her round.

Now Ireland will play in the second flight and the best posittion they can finish in is ninth.

Spain meanwhile led the qualifiers with a score of 730, England qualified in sixth place while Scotland and Wales, like Ireland, finished outside the top eight.

The Irish were way out of contention in the European Girls Team Championship in Oslo missing qualification for the quarter-finals by nine strokes.

They finished the stroke-play qualification in 11th place on 768 having improved from Tuesday- but it was not nearly good enough to keep alive their championship hopes, Best of the Irish was Annabel Wilson who returned a 74 yesterday to add to her 70 of Tuesday.

Valerie Clancy with a 77 and Niamh McSherry with a 79 were particularly disappointing.

Italy led the qualifiers into the last eight with a score of 712.