Portmarnock in pursuit of magnificent obsession
Reigning champions Galway stand in the way of Dubliners’ quest to land a fifth Senior Cup
FOUR AIG Senior Cup wins in 30 years is considered small beer for a club of Portmarnock’s stature, but that won’t distract Michael Brett’s troops when they face Galway in the All Ireland semi-finals at Thurles Golf Club on Saturday.
The Co Tipperary course is the venue for the AIG Cups and Shields Finals with the AIG Senior Cup considered the blue riband event amongst the five trophies up for grabs.
While Dundalk face Kinsale and Clandeboye take on Athenry in the semi-finals of the AIG Barton Shield, the Senior Cup final will bring festivities to a conclusion on Sunday and it promises to be a cracker.
Defending champions Galway constitute a significant obstacle for Portmarnock, but even if the Dublin club get across the line there, they will face a fierce battle for the title against Dungarvan or Royal Portrush.
“It was great to come through Leinster,” said non-playing captain Michael Brett, who admits that the Senior Cup is something of an obsession for the north Dublin club, who will have Amateur Championship semi-finalist Conor Purcell at their disposal in Thurles as they chase the club’s 20th Senior Cup win.
“It’s great to have Conor back and we have a lot of good characters who are all good mates, so all I have to do is make sure they turn up.
“It makes for difficult team selection, but we are looking forward to playing Galway, who have a lot of experience. We have seven guys on the panel, and any one of them could be in the starting team.
“We haven’t been at the latter stages since 2011, so it’s been a long time coming, and they are incredibly fixated on getting something out of this. But we are in a good place mentally, so we’re looking forward to this.”
Former Walker Cup player Noel Fox, who was a Senior Cup winner in 1995 and 2003, has been helping Brett prepare a strong panel which features Purcell, Geoff Lenehan, James Fox, Darragh Coghlan, Shane McGlynn and former South of Ireland champions Stephen Walsh and John Greene.
“This festival of finals is great for club players, “Fox has said of the annual Cups and Shields. “If you can cope with that level of nervousness that faces any of them on the first tee, it stands to you for the rest of your days as a golfer. They have to remember that the human body can only get so nervous.”
With Greene – who has just become a father for the first time – James Fox and Lenehan all members of the last Portmarnock side that won the club’s most recent Senior Cup title at Castlerock 2011, there’s no shortage of experience, or optimism, in their camp.
That they came through Leinster without Purcell’s help speaks volumes for the strength of their squad who had Coghlan, a beaten finalist at the South in 2014, to thank for their win over Dun Laoghaire in the Leinster final.
But they face a tough task against defending All Ireland champions Galway who can count on Irish international Ronan Mullarney, the experienced Joe Lyons, and top young guns Luke O’Neill, Liam Nolan and Liam Power for their consistency.
Mullarney was the star player for the title-holders, who beat Limerick in last year’s final at Carton House to win their third All-Ireland and they arrive in Tipperary with the same five players who propelled them to victory last year.
Royal Portrush also return to the national stage following their successful title defence in Ulster.
Beaten by Galway in last year’s semi-final, they secured another shot at glory by beating Slieve Russell in the Ulster final. Their opponents in Thurles are Dungarvan, who beat Tralee to win Munster.
Former professional Alan Thomas, who secured the winning point for Tramore in 2014, is the leading player in a Dungarvan side that’s bidding to become the first Munster team to triumph since his heroics for their Waterford neighbours four years ago.
NO fewer than 20 teams, including two from Kinsale Golf Club, have descended on Thurles for this week’s annual four-day festival of club golf.
The five events, AIG Senior Cup, AIG Junior Cup, AIG Pierce Purcell Shield, AIG Barton Shield and AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield are among the most sought after titles in men’s amateur club golf calendar
AIG Cups and Shields Finals What’s on and when Today (Thursday), 4 October AIG Barton Shield Semi-Finals 08:20 – Dundalk v Kinsale; 08:40 – Clandeboye v Athenry. AIG Pierce Purcell Shield SemiFinals
0900 – Athlone v Ballyclare; 0950 – Nenagh v Newbridge Friday, 5 October
AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield SemiFinals
08:30 – Lisburn v Kinsale; 09:20 – Hermitage v Tuam.
AIG Barton Shield Final from 10:15
AIG Pierce Purcell Final from 10:35
Saturday 6 October
AIG Senior Cup Semi-Finals 08:30 – Dungarvan v Royal Portrush
0:920 – Portmarnock v Galway AIG Junior Cup Semi-Finals 1015 – Clonmel v Fortwilliam 1105 – Portumna v Elm Park
AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield Final from 12:00
Sunday, 7 October
AIG Junior Cup Final 09:30 AIG Senior Cup Final 10:30