Big Kerry entry for Munster Ladies Senior and Junior Championships in Little Island

YES, it’s that time of the year again when the Munster Ladies Senior and Junior Championships come around in the traditional lead up to Easter and this year it’s the turn of the fabulous Allister McKenzie course at Cork Golf Club in Little Island to host both events.

The closing date for online entries is this Friday, March 31 but already most of the main players have entered and with a handicap limit of 9.4, there are quite a few from Kerry.

Among those from the Kingdom who have already entered the Senior event are Killarney’s Amy Arthur, Kelly Brotherton, Margaret Campion, Claire Keating and Ailish Mulcahy, along with Tralee’s Mags Hayes and Mary Sheehy, Ballybunion’s Susan Gilmore and Margaret McAuliffe and Eileen ‘Ogie’ O’Sullivan from Dooks.

Sadly, no player from Kerry has ever won this event since its inception but we live in hope.

In the Junior championship for handicaps 10-18 however, it’s an entirely different story as this has proved to be a very successful event for Kerry players with seven different winners from the Kingdom since it first began back in 1980.

Tralee’s Susan Buckley got the ball rolling in 1982 followed by her club-mate Deirdre McElligott, who won back to back titles in 1984 and 85.

The next Kerry winner was Killarney’s Mary Geaney in 1992 followed by Deirdre Prendergast also from Killarney in 2000.

Ailish Mulcahy made it a Killarney trio, adding her name to the trophy in 2004 while Mary Savage from Tralee was the next in 2010 and Waterville’s Maureen Creedon the last Kerry winner in 2015.

This year there are more than twenty players from Kerry clubs in the field including former champions Mary Geaney, Maureen Creedon and Mary Savage so fingers crossed, there might just be another Kerry winner in Cork on Good Friday.