Photo shows Team + Supporters relaxing after the encounter. Supplied by Andy Meenagh

 

02.09.10  All-Ireland semi-final of the Mixed Foursomes

Lester Moore [2] and Esther Milligan [19] lost 4 & 3 to John Carr [10] and Laura Gore [14]

Kevin Quigg [3] and Gerda Laird [20] won 4 & 2 against Mairtin O’Cearra [6] & Ursula Hermon [16]

Brian Long [6] and Rose Campbell [15] lost 4 & 3 to Michael Darcy [5] and Catherine Hosty [20]

Peter Villa [10] and Ciara Quigg [18] won 3 & 2 at first extra hole against Pete Feeney [10] and Rita Jordan [16]

Ernie Heywood [1] and Rosie Shortt [26] lost at first extra hole to Jerry Gore [8] and Maire Ni Mhaile [15]

The Ulster Mixed Foursomes golf champions, City of Derry, lost out narrowly to Connaught champions Oughterard by three matches to two in a hugely exciting all-Ireland semi-final clash at Castlerock on Thursday.

Under the guidance of non-playing captain, Betty McBride, assisted by Lester Moore who played in the semi-final, the Prehen team put up a tremendous fight. At a late stage in the match, City of Derry was two matches to one down and the last two matches were on a knife edge as both City of Derry pairings were one down on the eighteenth tee and both needed to win to enable them to reach the final.

Amidst great excitement and in front of a large crowd of cheering supporters from both Clubs, the penultimate City of Derry pairing of Peter Villa and Ciara Quigg overhauled their one-hole deficit on the eighteenth tee with a great par at the last, made possible by a great drive from Ciara Quigg. On the nineteenth, they held their nerve one last time to record a par for victory, leaving the overall match at two all.

Just behind in the final match, the City of Derry pairing of Ernie Heywood and Rosie Shortt repeated the Villa/Quigg herculean effort at the eighteenth to square their match with a marvelous par four. This was made possible by a spectacular pitching wedge approach shot to the green by Ernie who was totally unsighted by the large sand dune on the right side of the fairway.

Going up the nineteenth with the excitement at fever pitch level and with the Leinster and Munster teams who had already finished their match now joining the throng of spectators, things looked very good for the City of Derry Heywood/Shortt team after the two drives were dispatched. However, a magnificent approach three wood shot from Oughterard Maire Ni Mhaile to about eight feet from the pin set up Oughterard’s easy par while the Derry pairing had to make a very difficult sand save to make par. As it transpired and amid great excitement for the last time, City of Derry just missed out on the sand save to take the match up the twentieth and the match was over.

Lester Moore and Esther Milligan led the City of Derry side and quickly went two-up after two holes. However, their opponents, who had two shots, got two holes back by the 9th, added a third by the 14th and closed out that match at the 15th by 4 and 3.

In the second match, Kevin Quigg and Gerda Laird again got off to a flying start by going three-up by the 9th , faltered somewhat when they lost the 10th and 11th holes, but regained their momentum with some great golf to win 4 and two at the 15th.

In the third match, Brian Long and Rose Campbell had to concede two shots to their opponents and found themselves three down after the 7th hole. Despite being only one-shot over gross from the 6th through to the 14th holes, they could not contain Oughterard’s resilience and lost out on the 15th green 4 and 3.

The fourth pairing of Peter Villa and Ciara Quigg faced a tough and close encounter from beginning to end. Having gone 2-up by the 8th, they lost the 9th, and were 1-down after the 12th hole. By the 14th they were all-square and it stayed that way through to the 17th when losing that hole placed the this match and the overall match on a knife-edge. As it turned out, their wins at the 18th and 19th holes claimed a valuable victory for this pairing which left the overall match level with two wins each.

City of Derry’s last pairing of Ernie Heywood and Rosie Shortt faced a titanic struggle from beginning to end. One down after the 9th, they got one back to go all-square by the 14th and it stayed that way until their opponents sank a 72 feet eagle putt at the 17th and City of Derry could only make birdie. The fight back at the 18th to force this match and the overall match up the 19th will remain memorable for years to come, but it was the Connaught champions whose last pairing of Jerry Gore and Maire Ni Mhaile brought the event to that exciting climax.

In the other semi-final between Leinster champions Clontarf from Dublin and Munster champions Lisselan from Cork, Lisselan recorded a fairly comfortable four matches to one victory. They meet in the All-Ireland final on Friday and the form suggests that this will be a very close encounter for the coveted green pennant.


A A Meenagh

3rd September 2010