Tralee reach inter-club semi-finals
DESPITE trailing at the halfway stage in their National Inter-Club quarter-final encounter, Tralee Pitch & Putt Club’s Scratch Gents team clinched a narrow 5-4 victory over St Annes of Cork last Sunday in Lakeside, Templemore. The win ensured their qualification for the semi-finals at the same venue next Saturday.
Tralee faced a tough task in advance in playing the former twotime winners of the event but they got off to a good start in winning the first point of the game as Jamie Blake & Alan Hobbart recorded a 7&5 victory in their doubles match.
The combinations of Jason Cregan & Padraig Hobbart (4&3) and Jason O’Regan & Tony Blake (1down) lost the other two doubles matches however as Tralee trailed 2-1 with the six singles matches to come. A 1up victory for Jamie Blake got Tralee going as Jason Cregan (3&2) and Jason O’Regan (1up) won their matches to put them right back into contention. Alan and Padraig Hobbart both lost their singles encounters however to leave the match tied at 4-4 with the final Singles match between Tony Blake and St Annes Ray Murphy out on the course.
Blake led 3up at one stage before Murphy drew the match level. Blake won the 17th hole with a crucial five-foot putt as he got the half needed on the 18th hole for the match win 1up and a 5-4 win overall. The win for Tralee ensured there would be Kerry interest in the National Inter-Club Finals Day for the fourth consecutive year. Deerpark were the last Kerry club in the Scratch semi-finals in 2016 while their 2017 and 2018 Nett teams reached semi-finals of those events.
Tralee will face defending champions Fermoy in the semi-final this Saturday at 10.40am at the Tipperary course with the defending champions seeking a fourth consecutive title. Should Tralee win they would face Larkspur Park or Collinstown of Westmeath in the Final that afternoon.