Challenging

LOCAL golfers Eleanor Metcalfe (Laytown & Bettystown) and Deirdre Smith (County Louth) both made strong challenges in last week’s Irish Women’s Close Championship at Enniscrone before bowing out in the quarter-finals.

Smith beat Clodagh Coughlan (Douglas) and Sinead Sexton (Lahinch) in the first two rounds before going down 2&1 to Sarah Cunningham (Ennis), while Metcalfe got the better of Hilary Hall from the host club and Jan Browne (Kilkenny) but proved no match for the eventual losing finalist Louise Coffey (Malone) at the lasteight stage.