Ballybunion through in Joe Carr Diamond but only just

AFTER the away leg of the Kerry final two weeks ago and holding a 4-1 lead over Killarney going in to the home leg on Friday last, it seemed a mere formality that Ballybunion would advance to take on the Limerick champions in the Munster quarter-final of the Joe Carr Diamond Trophy.

However, Killarney were in no mood to go down without a fight and they scared the living daylights out of Ballybunion before eventually bowing out in a sudden death playoff.

Dermot Roche and Enda Curtayne got the ball rolling for Killarney with a 2/1 win over Sean Walsh and Donal Liston in the top match and when Derry O’Connor and John Wall took the third match from Brendan Daly and Tom Scanlon by 5/4 Ballybunion knew they had a fight on their hands.

Seamie O’Connor and Jack Buckley nicked the second match on the final green from Eoin O’Shaughnessy and Vincent O’Kelly to make it three-nil to Killarney and suddenly it looked like a miracle was possible.

Donie McSweeney and Padraig Corcoran took the fourth match from John Kinsella and Eddie Moylan on the last hole to edge Killarney ahead overall by five matches to four and all that was required to complete the amazing turnaround was a half in the final game but Nicholas Hayes and Gerry Murray (father of rugby international Conor) delivered for Ballybunion to grab a victory over John Hickey and John Clifford on the last.

According to the rules of the tournament when the sides are level after two legs the management must nominate a pairing to engage in sudden death to determine the winner and so Killarney chose their second pairing of Seamie O’Connor and Jack Buckley to face Ballybunion’s surprise choice of Donal Liston and Sean Walsh.

In the scotch foursomes format both Killarney men found the fairway as did one of the Ballybunion men, while the other drove out of bounds.

Ballybunion caught the greenside bunker with their second shot while Killarney in my opinion, chose the wrong option, electing to play the ball from the left side of the fairway meaning that they had to carry the bunkers to reach the green when a straight forward route was available from the other tee shot.

Anyway, Killarney too found the greenside bunker with their second shot and while Ballybunion found the green with their third, Killarney went from one bunker to another, enabling Ballybunion to win the hole and the match with a bogey five much to the relief of the home gallery.

Ballybunion now play Limerick Golf Club in the Munster quarter-final.