Killarney ladies win Irish Senior Cup in Curragh
HAVING come agonisingly close in 2014 where they lost the final to Laytown/Bettystown at Mount Wolseley, Killarney finally got their hands on the Irish Ladies Senior Cup after a fabulous win over Royal Portrush at the Royal Curragh Golf Club on Saturday last.
Irish international Mairéad Martin birdied the seventeenth hole in the final for a 2/1 win over fellow international Lucy Simpson to grab the match-winning point after her fellow international Valerie Clancy and Munster interprovincial Kelly Brotherton had earlier recorded 4/3 wins over Gemma McClenaghan and Niamh Quigg, while Irish Ladies Seniors International Mary Sheehy and Claire Keating were called in as halves in their matches against Emma Forbes and Hannah Henderson.
The action began for Killarney on Friday with a quarter-final against reigning All-Ireland champions Kilkenny, where wins from Máiréad Martin over fellow international Mary Dowling (4/3), Valerie Clancy over Orla Dunphy (3/1) and Kelly Brotherton over Kelly Leahy-Browne (2/1) and halves from Mary Sheehy and Eimear O’Donnell for a 4-1 overall win, saw Killarney through to the afternoon semi-final against the 2015 champions The Island Golf Club from Malahide.
Killarney made one change as Claire Keating wife of Killarney Professional David Keating came in for Eimear O’Donnell and the Island certainly put it up to the Killarney girls in a much tighter match than the previous round.
Máiréad Martin once again delivered the top match beating Julie McCarthy 3/1 while Valerie Clancy delivered match number two beating Irish Girls international Lauren Walsh on the last green but the Island took matches four and five where Mary Sheehy was beaten 2/1 by her fellow Irish Seniors International Gertie McMullen and Claire Keating lost to Suzy Sheehan also by 2/1 to leave the outcome dependant on the third match which was a thriller that went all the way to the twentieth where Kelly Brotherton edged Killarney through against Clodagh Walsh to set up a final against Royal Portrush.
Of the eight teams involved in the quarter-final stages at Royal Curragh Killarney were ranked the highest in terms of handicap and Royal Portrush would certainly have been favourites for the final.
However, Killarney made a strong start as Mairead, Valerie and Kelly all went 2 up early on in their matches, but Portrush were ahead early on, in the back two games. After the turn Killarney were still leading in the first 3 matches and Valerie Clancy put the first point at the fifteenth and was soon followed home by Kelly Brotherton who also sealed a 4and3 victory.
Royal Portrush were still ahead in the final two matches so it was all down to the first match where Máiread Martin’s birdie at the seventeenth sealed a famous victory and saw Killarney take the Blue Riband of Irish Ladies Golf for the first time in the club’s history.