Lahinch ladies celebrate Senior Cup glory

WINNERS: The Lahinch Team winners of the AIG Women’s Senior Cup at Tramore Golf Club. Pic: Thos Caffrey/Golffile

Lahinch claimed their third AIG Women’s Senior Cup title in four years after overcoming Douglas Golf Club in an all-Munster affair.

At a sun-drenched Tramore Golf Club, the Clare side – who were beaten finalists last year – held off the Cork club’s challenge to reclaim their crown as the top side in women’s golf.

Winning captain Aideen McCarthy, whose brother Larry is the current president of the GAA, admitted that it may take a few hours for victory to settle in.

"Relief. I suppose huge relief is the biggest emotion right now," she said, "after three very busy days and three tough matches. We had Royal County Down on Friday, Dún Laoghaire on Saturday and then Douglas today, and Douglas have been great rivals of ours over the years, always giving us a very tight match."

Lahinch took commanding leads in the early stages of the first and final matches, but Douglas’ Aoife Ni Thuama took a three-hole lead on Niamh O’Dwyer in the third match with those either side tight throughout.

O’Dwyer would battle back to level the match with a 17th hole birdie before going on to clinch the match and title on the 18th.

‘I just had to battle and battle and I managed to drag myself back and tie it up,’ a beaming O’Dwyer admitted, "then, you know, anything can happen on the 18th."

In the men’s final, Carton House proved too strong for Cushendall and put an end to the Antrim side’s fairy-tale run.

The 2020 champions (delayed until 2021) were comfortable semi-final winners over Tandragee and kept their feet firmly on the throttle to take control in all five final matches in the early stages, and refused to let up.

Cushendall’s semi-final with Athenry went down to the wire, with playing captain David Burns securing the winning point in additional holes with the match tied two-apiece, but were running on empty by the time they teed it up again for the grand finale shortly afterwards, and it was something that Carton House captain Brian Cunningham was acutely aware of.

‘I feel for Cushendall,’ he said, ‘they had a huge run in winning Ulster, getting here and getting through the two matches to make the final.

"It takes it out of you, and we freshened up our team for the evening, the second-half, because we know that. This is our sixth All-Ireland since 2013 and on the back of that you learn stuff, and you become comfortable in these surroundings but when it’s your first one you don’t."

In Colin and John Cunningham, the generational baton is also being handed over with John – a leading player in Carton House’s Fred Daly Cup success earlier this year – a team substitute and caddying for father Colin who, at 50, was the senior member of the panel, though the team captain suggested that it may be Colin who’s carrying the bag for John in 12 months’ time.

Carton’s Aidan Dooley sank the winning putt and was quick to pay tribute to the strength in depth they could rely on.

"It’s huge," he said, "that’s where the extended panel really comes into it. Going back the last couple of years, it’s been very much an extended season and there’s so many games that everybody is likely to miss a couple through holidays and whatnot, but it’s great to be able to replace a player of quality with a player of equal quality."

Though officially Cushendall will take the runners-up medals, Burns refuses to look at it that way.

"We couldn’t be prouder, coming from Cushendall in North Antrim, it’s traditionally hurling country and if you’re not playing hurling you’re looked at funny. But hopefully, now it’s hurling and golf country. We come from a nine-hole course, it’s 4,600 yards, so the achievement is ridiculous really. We’re like family, but the golf today by Carton was absolutely incredible. It was a joy to watch at times and I hope they really enjoy the celebrations tonight because they deserve it, but we’re both coming off the course feeling like winners."

*Full weekend details in Results section. Page 22