Lahinch ladies end long wait
History made with club’s first Irish Senior Cup win. By Brian Keogh
THE ladies of Lahinch clinched the Irish Senior Cup for the first time in the club’s 126-year history when they beat Elm Park 4.5-0.5 in the All Ireland final at Knock Golf Club in Belfast.
The Co Clare club knocked out Royal Portrush in Friday’s quarterfinals before cruising to a 4.5-0.5 win over The Heath to take their place in the decider.
Elm Park has one of the most dynamic young teams in the country, but while they beat both Roscommon and The Island 4-1 to reach the final, an experienced Lahinch quintet was not to be denied.
“I think it was just our time and it wasn’t for the want of trying,” joint team manager Valerie Hassett, a senior Cup winner with Ennis in 2007, said of the club’s first green pennant success for either the men’s or women’s club for 53 years.
“It’s just a very competitive competition. And as I said to the Elm Park girls, they will have another opportunity because it’s rare you win it the first time.”
Lahinch boasted no fewer than three past and current Internationals in Aine Donegan, Sarah Cunningham and Sinead Sexton as well as Aideen Walsh and Niamh O’Dwyer, who competed for Munster in the women’s and girls’ interprovincials earlier this year.
Walsh, who was drawn to play Irish Girls’ Close semi-finalist Emma Fleming, was first to secure a point for the Clare team in the final before Donegan, Cunningham and O’Dwyer followed suit and Lahinch were crowned as All-Ireland Senior Cup champions, 59 years after the men’s club achieved the feat.
“The tough part is getting out of Munster and we only got into the All Ireland Finals through the back door because Killarney beat us in Clonmel in qualifying,” added Valerie.
“But under the qualifying system in the five districts, the team with the lowest combined handicaps get in the back door and that was us this year.
“We had a great blend of players. Sinead Sexton has been an international and she’s off plus three. Then we have Aine Donegan, who is just 16 and a Girls international who is down to scratch. She’s extremely talented
and good enough to make a big mark.
“Then we had Sarah Cunningham, who came from Ennis and was on the winning team with me in 2007 when we beat Royal Portrush.
“Niamh O’Dwyer played on the Girls Interprovincial team this year and Aideen Walsh played the ladies Interprovincials this year too, so we had a strong team.
“We only lost one match from 15 at Knock between the three matches we played against Royal Portrush, The Heath and Elm Park. Portrush were a monkey on our backs so it was good to get past them in the quarter-finals.
“Elm Park would have had very high hopes but they are a very young team and I think we will be hearing from them again.
“It was a huge win for us because it’s the first time we’ve brought a pennant home to the club since the men won the Junior Cup in 1963 when Brud Slattery and Paddy Leyden were around.
“We’ve had winter and spring coaching at the club for the last three years and also gone to Donal McSweeney’s facility in Ballyneety over the winter to get ready for this.”
Hassett was ably assisted by joint manager Aideen McCarthy and they received a rousing reception on their return to Lahinch as over 200 overseas members and their guests were celebrating the Member-Guest tournament last weekend.