L&B honours its talented juniors

THIS year’s Junior Captains’ Dinner and Awards Night at Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club attracted a huge crowd of junior players and their families to the annual celebration.

The event was once again held in the Centenary Hall of the club and was organised by the hard-working junior committee.

Guest of honour, former Ryder Cup player Des Smyth, presented some of the competition prizes and passed on words of advice and encouragement to the young golfers who were present.

Also in attendance, along with the club’s officers and professional, was Michael Delany of the Leinster GUI who was on hand to present Tom Ryan, manager of the victorious Fred Daly team, with the Fred Daly Leinster Plate which the U-19 boys team won during the summer.

Among the special highlights of the season were the notable successes of young Alex Maguire who won the Leinster U-17 Boys Championship and was selected on the Leinster U-16 team for the Inter-Provincial Championships; and Maynooth University student Ellie Metcalfe, who claimed the Connacht Ladies Open Championship.

Sixteen-year-old Annraoi Collins was also congratulated for winning the Laytown & Bettystown Junior Cup earlier in the season.

Junior Convenor Bryan Collins thanked all of the parents of the junior players for their support throughout the year and had a special word of praise for the members of the club’s junior committee members and junior team managers who were so generous with their time.

A special presentation was made to long-serving junior committee member Mary McElhinney, who has contributed so much to promoting girls golf at the club over a long number of years.

There were words of appreciation also for club professional Scott Kirkpatrick, who was always on hand to offer coaching and advice to the juniors.

Award winners

Wickham Trophy (u-19 Girls) - Ellie Metcalfe; Des Smyth Trophy (u-19 Boys) - Annraoi Collins; Aspirants Cup (u-15 Girls) - Becky Doyle; Intermediate Aspirants Cup - Matthew Weir; Aspirants Cup (Red Tees) - Hugh Quigley; Junior Aspirants Cup - Harry Flood

Rookie of the Year - Andrew Robertson; Shot of the Year - Tadhg Lynch (hole-in-one); Most Improved Junior Player - Reuban Carolan Maher; Junior Club Player - Aedan Prone.

U-15 Girls Match Play - Emily Murray; U-19 Girls Match Play - Ellie Metcalfe; U-15 Boys Match Play - Daniel Mulligan; U-19 Boys Match Play - Alex Maguire; U-19 Boys & Girls Match Play - Ellie Metcalfe.

Annraoi Collins is presented with the Des Smyth Trophy for U-19 boys by Des.

Becky Doyle is presented with the U-15 Girls Stroke Play trophy by Captain Denis Taylor.

Tadhg Lynch with his Shot of the Year Award which he won for a hole-in-one in the Ward League at Ashbourne GC last summer.

Andrew Robertson is presented with the Rookie of the Year Award by President Elma Delany.