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On Sunday, May 22 nd we met our near neighbours, Killeen, in a keenly contested match. With three home matches there was high hopes that Castlewarden would triumph and have local bragging rights but, alas, it was not to be as Killeen won a crucial away match in addition to their two home matches, with the official score being 3.5/1.5 to Killeen. The match was played in a very sportsmanlike fashion, as it should be. Congratulations to Killeen who now go on to play another near neighbour, Beech Park, in the next round. Below is a brief summary of the matches:
Match 1 home: Cal Duggan & Jake Quinn
Our junior pairing got proceedings underway and found themselves 2 down early in the match. Undaunted with being 2 down after 7 they calmly fought back to level the match at the turn. They got their noses in front early in the back 9 and never relinquished the lead. They were dormie playing the 16 th and closed out the match 3/2. A great performance by Cal and Jake.
Match 2 home: Luke Minogue and Aaron Devereux.
This turned out to be the key match in the contest. After being 2 down early in the match, Luke and Gavin restored parity after 7 holes, but then lost 8 and 9 to turn 2 down. A further loss on 12 had them in trouble but their battling qualities shone through as they clawed their way back into the match and with wins on 16 and 17 they got back to all square. Now it was all to play for on the last hole but in fairness to the Killeen pair they played the 18 th very well to win the match by the slimmest of margins.
Match 3: home: Jody Reid & Ray Thompson.
This was a very even match with Jody and Ray always out in front albeit by the narrowest of margins. Match on the front 9 flip flopped from 1 up to all square. Jody and Ray re-established a 1 up lead after 12 and got to 2 up after 16. They had just lost 17 when the match was called in.
Match 1 away: Conor Galvin & Paul Birchall.
This was a very close encounter throughout. Castlewarden took an early lead only to be pegged back almost immediately. Finding themselves behind at the turn, Conor and Paul played some really good golf trying to level the game. However, their opponents got up and down from bunkers on numerous occasions to retain their slender lead and closed the game out on 17.
Match 2 away: Gavin Devereux & Shea Phelan.
A positive start from this pairing saw Gavin and Shea gain a quick advantage. They were unlucky not to increase their lead over the following few holes. The Killeen pair held tough and managed to go ahead winning holes 8 and 9. From there, they pushed on playing some superb golf never allowing our pair any foothold in the match. A tough game for our lads. A huge effort was put in by managers Andy Callanan and Brian Devereux and a strong panel of players who turned up for numerous practice sessions. The preparation could not be faulted. Many thanks to the managers and squad for their commitment.
Also a special thanks to the many members who came out to support the team.
Des O’Neill (Captain)
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A sizeable cohort of members gathered on Monday afternoon, 16 th May, to lend their support to the JB Carr team, at an immaculate Castlewarden which was in pristine condition, for their duel with the Royal Curragh. And what a duel it turned out to be with 3 matches decided on the 18 th , one on the 17 th and one on the 15 th . Unfortunately we came out on the wrong side of a 3/2 scoreline in a match that, quite conceivably, could have gone our way.
Match 1: Peter Sinnott & Tommy Meredith.
Peter and Tommy were 1 down after 3 but stormed back to establish a 4 up lead after 10. The Royal Curragh used their shots on 11 and 14 to claw back to just 1 down after 14 and they brought the match all square after 17. Peter and Tommy played the 18 th superbly to win it with a great par. Match to Castlewarden 1 up.
Match 2: John Beirne & Peter Charles.
In this match John and Peter were 3 down after 6 but brought it back to 1 down at the turn. They then went in front at the 13 th and held the 1 up lead going to 17. A great tee shot found the green and although we missed the birdie putt Royal Curragh could not match our par giving our lads a 2/1 win.
Match 5: Tony Clarke & Kieran Macklin.
Tony and Kieran were always struggling in this match and were 2 down after 3, which doubled to 4 down after 10. They did manage to win 2 holes over the next few holes but the shot they had to give on 14 enabled Royal Curragh to re-establish a 3 up lead. The match finished on the 15 th with a 4 and 3 win to Royal Curragh. With the overall match score now 2 to 1 in Castlewarden’s favour the overall result hinged on matches 3 and 4.
Match 3: Paul Whelan & Vincent Kirby.
This was a very tight match which was all square playing the 7 th . Our lads were very unlucky with the approach shot, to a front pin location, hitting the road and ending up at the back of the green. We were unable to get up and down and lost the hole. At the turn we were 2 down but battled back to square the match after 13 holes. After going 1 down again through 16, Paul holed a great putt for par to win 17. The Royal Curragh hit a great drive down 18 which enabled them to comfortably get on the green in three shots, while Paul and Vincent encountered tree trouble a couple of times. Match was conceded without Royal Curragh having to putt.
Match 4: Noel Brennan & Monty Fitzgerald.
Noel and Monty were well in control on the front 9 going 3 up after 7. A badly played ninth hole seemed to affect their confidence and Royal Curragh capitalised to square the match through 12 holes. Standing on the 17 th tee box Royal Curragh were 1 up. Monty just missed a putt for par to win 17 so we had to win 18 to bring the match down the 19 th and it looked like a real possibility with our lads on the green in 3 and Royal Curragh short and well left in 3. A fantastic chip shot from Royal Curragh to about 4 foot below the hole and a solid putt after Monty just missed the birdie putt sealed the deal for Royal Curragh.
Fine margins indeed! The Royal Curragh now progress to the county final where they will play the winners of the K Club vs Athy.
A big thank you to all the members who came out to support the team, the players really appreciated the support.
It has been my pleasure to manage the JB Carr team this year and I want to thank all the panel members for their great commitment.
Team Manager & Captain, Des
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Portlaoise proved too strong for our Mixed Foursome team, winning by a margin of 4/1. Below is a brief summary of each match.
Game 1 at home. Keith White & Ruth Lalor.
Keith and Ruth got off to a strong start with par on 1 st and chip in birdie on the 2 nd to go 2 up. Portlaoise fought back straight away and established a narrow lead by the turn. Keith & Ruth didn’t have their “A” game but kept battling away. Portlaoise were dormie 3 and closed out the match with a halve on 16.
Game 2 at home. Conor Dunne & Caroline Sinnott.
Portlaoise were up early in the match and held the lead throughout. Conor & Caroline kept in the game and were 1 down playing 16 when the match was called in.
Game 3 at home. Justin Condon & Aoife Loughnane.
This was a very tight match. A win on 13 had Justin & Aoife in the lead by the narrowest of margins. They were in good position to win 15 when the match was called in.
Game 1 away. Paul Finnegan & Kay Kavanagh.
Paul and Kay got off to a great start, going two up after three holes. However, Portlaoise’s tricky greens were to prove a challenge all day for the Castlewarden players. They were soon pegged back to level after six. Portlaoise went two up after twelve. Paul and Kay battled on and were four down with four to play. They won the fifteenth but could only manage a half on the difficult sixteenth, giving the match to Portlaoise three and two.
Game 2 away. Noel Brennan & Tracey Smith
Noel and Tracey were at a disadvantage even before they teed off, giving a whopping four shots to their opponents. They went two down early in the match and never managed to get back on level terms with their opposition, who used their knowledge of the course to their great advantage. Once again, their opponents’ superior knowledge of the tricky Portlaoise greens was a telling factor. Noel and Tracey went four down in the middle of the match and the game ended on the fifteenth, Portlaoise winning four and three.
A huge effort was put in by the panel, ably managed by Cormac Ryan and Deirdre Sheehy, but it wasn’t to be this year. Hard Luck to the team and panel and we will go again next year.
Captain Des