Ladies gear up for championship finals

The final of the inaugural All-Ireland AA Insurance Ladies Championships gets underway at Headfort Golf Club this Wednesday.

One hundred and twenty-eight golfers will tee off with the hope of landing silverware for the club cabinet.

The championship involves the biggest ever sponsorship in Irish ladies golf and is the first competition in a three-year partnership between the Irish Ladies Golf Union (ILGU) and AA Insurance.

The championship has given 15,000 players with all handicap ranges from across the northern, eastern, southern, western and midland districts an opportunity to compete at national level in six new inter-club matchplay competitions.

Chief executive of the ILGU Sinéad Heraty said the championship had attracted one in four of the 60,000 golfers affiliated to the ILGU, and believes the investment by AA Insurance has enabled more lady golfers to improve their game and compete at a national level.

"For the first time our golfers have been given the opportunity to compete at a level that is on a par with male golf competitions. The players' commitment and dedication has been fuelled by unfailing support from fellow club members, family and friends at every stage. We look forward to an exciting final in Headfort this week and to continued success and strong growth in the competition next year," she said.

Two clubs hopeful of success are Craddockstown from the eastern district and Courtown from the midlands district. Craddockstown has produced impressive performances throughout the Championship holding off competition from Castle, Malahide and Skerries clubs in the eastern district final last August.

Their prowess has seen them secure a place in no less than three competitions: the singles junior and intermediate cups and the senior foursomes.

Courtown will face strong competition from the Western district when they meet Galway in the singles Junior Cup and Galway Bay in the Minor Cup.

Ballinrobe Golf Club will be hoping for a win in the Senior Foursomes against Carlow having honed their skills on a club course which only recently attracted winning Ryder Cup team member Padraig Harrington and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny.

The championships are the first of their kind in ILGU history and reflect the considerable growth of ladies golf in Ireland. The ILGU has seen its membership double to 60,000 since 1990 and the organisation is confident that the new competition’s success will increase membership significantly over the next 10 years.

Order of play:

Wednesday, October 4

Senior Foursomes Semi-Finals

1st Tee

09.00 Craddockstown/City of Derry -v- Limerick (1)

09.10 Craddockstown/City of Derry -v- Limerick (2)

09.20 Craddockstown/City of Derry -v- Limerick (3)

09.30 Ballinrobe (1) -v- Carlow (1)

09.40 Ballinrobe (2) -v- Carlow (2)

09.50 Ballinrobe (3) -v- Carlow (3)

Junior Foursomes Semi-Finals

1st Tee

10.00 Hazel Grove/Shandon Park -v- Ardfert (1)

10.10 Hazel Grove/Shandon Park -v- Ardfert (2)

10.20 Hazel Grove/Shandon Park -v- Ardfert (3)

10.30 Strandhill (1) -v- Rosslare (1)

10.40 Strandhill (2) -v- Rosslare (2)

10.50 Strandhill (3) -v- Rosslare (3)

Challenge Cup Semi-Finals

1st Tee

11.00 Lucan/Shandon Park -v- Castletroy (1)

11.09 Lucan/Shandon Park -v- Castletroy (2)

11.18 Lucan/Shandon Park -v- Castletroy (3)

11.27 Lucan/Shandon Park -v- Castletroy (4)

11.36 Lucan/Shandon Park -v- Castletroy (5)

11.45 Oughterard (1) -v- Boystown (1)

11.54 Oughterard (2) -v- Boystown (2)

12.03 Oughterard (3) -v- Boystown (3)

12.12 Oughterard (4) -v- Boystown (4)

12.21 Oughterard (5) -v- Boystown (5)

Thursday, October 5

Junior Cup Semi-Finals

1st Tee

09.00 Craddockstown/Royal Belfast -v- Killarney (1)

09.08 Craddockstown/Royal Belfast -v- Killarney (2)

09.16 Craddockstown/Royal Belfast -v- Killarney (3)

09.24 Craddockstown/Royal Belfast -v- Killarney (4)

09.32 Craddockstown/Royal Belfast -v- Killarney (5)

10th Tee

09.00 Galway (1) -v- Courtown (1)

09.08 Galway (2) -v- Courtown(2)

09.16 Galway (3) -v- Courtown (3)

09.24 Galway (4) -v- Courtown (4)

09.32 Galway (5) -v- Courtown (5)

Intermediate Cup Semi-Finals

1st Tee

09.40 Craddockstown/Belvoir Park -v- Ballybunion (1)

09.48 Craddockstown/Belvoir Park -v- Ballybunion (2)

09.56 Craddockstown/Belvoir Park -v- Ballybunion (3)

10.04 Craddockstown/Belvoir Park -v- Ballybunion (4)

10.12 Craddockstown/Belvoir Park -v- Ballybunion (5)

10th Tee

09.40 Mountbellew (1) -v- Moate (1)

09.48 Mountbellew (2) -v- Moate (2)

09.56 Mountbellew (3) -v- Moate (3)

10.04 Mountbellew (4) -v- Moate (4)

10.12 Mountbellew (5) -v- Moate (5)

Final Senior Foursomes

1st Tee

12.30 Match 1

12.40 Match 2

12.50 Match 3

Final Junior Foursomes

10th Tee

12.30 Match 1

12.40 Match 2

12.50 Match 3

Challenge Cup Final

1st Tee

13.00 Match 1

13.08 Match 2

13.16 Match 3

13.24 Match 4

13.32 Match 5

First Minor Cup Semi-Final

1st Tee

13.40 Malahide/Rossmore -v- East Cork (1)

13.48 Malahide/Rossmore -v- East Cork (2)

13.56 Malahide/Rossmore -v- East Cork (3)

14.04 Malahide/Rossmore -v- East Cork (4)

14.12 Malahide/Rossmore -v- East Cork (5)

10th Tee

13.40 Galway Bay (1) -v- Courtown (1)

13.48 Galway Bay (2) -v- Courtown (2)

13.56 Galway Bay (3) -v- Courtown (3)

14.04 Galway Bay (4) -v- Courtown (4)

14.12 Galway Bay (5) -v- Courtown (5)

Friday, 6th October 2006

Junior Cup Final

1st Tee

09.00 Match 1

09.10 Match 2

09.20 Match 3

09.30 Match 4

09.40 Match 5

Intermediate Cup Final

1st Tee

09.50 Match 1

10.00 Match 2

10.10 Match 3

10.20 Match 4

10.30 Match 5

Minor Cup Final

1st Tee

10.40 Match 1

10.50 Match 2

11.00 Match 3

11.10 Match 4

11.20 Match 5