Defeat for Ceann Sibeal in Munster final

KERRY’S last chance of a Blue Pennant (Munster) in Men’s golf faded on Sunday last at Limerick golf club where Ceann Sibeal went down to Nenagh in the final of the Michael Cashman Cup.

It was close enough in the opening nine holes, but the Tipperary side upped a gear on the homeward holes to win convincingly at the finish.

David McGrath and Billy Burke put the first point on the board for Nenagh in match two, beating the experienced Joe Curran & Joe O’Sullivan.

Nenagh added a second point taking the top match where Billy Morgan and Dinny Ryan beat Kieran Clancy & Stephen Carroll on the 17th and moments later it was all over then for Ceann Sibeal, when Gary Howard and Noel O’Dwyer clinched the third and match-winning point in match three, beating Patrick Farrell & Seán Ruiséal at the fourteenth to take the title.

The two remaining matches were called in as halves to give the overall result as 4-1 in Nenagh’s favour when in fact the match was much tighter than that and Nenagh now advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals which will be played next month, again at Limerick Golf Club.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Kerry golf in Munster semi-finals and finals with Ballybunion (Junior Cup), Tralee (Senior Cup) and Ceann Sibéal (Cashman Cup) losing finals and Ballybunion (Fred Daly) losing a semi-final while Killarney ladies lost their Senior Cup title as well, but its shows the strength of golf within the county that Kerry teams are now getting to provincial finals and meeting with success.

A short few years ago, I recall writing an article on how no Kerry team had qualified for a provincial semi-final from any of the GUI Cups & Shields in men’s golf, so things have changed for the better.

Last year Kerry won three All-Ireland titles in golf and there’s still a chance of retaining one of those titles when the Killarney Ladies Senior Foursomes team play Limerick in the Munster final at Thurles on Sunday, September 2.