Baltinglass qualify for Barton Cup final
Tullamore await in the decider
THERE was great joy for Baltinglass Golf Club when their Barton Cup team qualified for the final of the prestigious competition last week by defeating New Ross.
A total of 131 teams from all across Leinster entered this competition at the start of the year and only two now remain: Baltinglass and Tullamore with the final to be played over two legs, the first on Saturday, August 18, in Baltinglass and the second leg in Tullamore on Sunday, September 2.
Baltinglass Golf Club have won the Barton Cup on two occasions, 1974 and 1993, and were beaten twice, 1961 and 2002 and qualifying for the decider for a fifth time is a massive achievement for a club the size of Baltinglass.
The team of Fergal Doogue, Michael O’Neill, Derek Byrne, Timmy Keogh (14 years of age), Nathan Geraghty, Johnny Keogh, Eric Doran, John Kavanagh, Jason Bowes, and Kevin Lord triumphed over New Ross in the semi-final, winning the all-important opening three games to secure their place in the final against the midland outfit who would have a much larger membership than that of Baltinglass.
In 1961, Baltinglass Golf Club were beaten by Dundalk in the Barton cup final and they were topled by Sutton in sudden death in 2002. The glory years of 1974 and 1993 saw the west Wicklow club defeat Killiney and Laytown/ Bettystown to claim the cup.
Some interesting facts on the players from the previous teams. Maurice Byrne, a member of the 1974 and 1993 teams, will be supporting his grandson Nathan Geraghty when this year’s team takes to the local course for the first leg against Tullamore.
Kevin Lord, a member of the 1993 team, will be cheering on his son David come the final, and of the team that clinched the Barton cup in 1993, three members, Bryan Kilcoyne, Raymond Danne and David Whelan, went on win the Senior football championship in Aughrim the very next day for the seventh consecutive time in that golden era for football in west Wicklow.
It’s been a busy few weeks for Baltinglass Golf Club that have culminated in the joint celebration of the 25th anniversary of the 1993 Barton Cup win and with the 90th anniversary of the popular club itself.