Castle and Killymoon in celebration mode

Castle celebrate with the Senior Cup. Pic by Pat CashmanFormer GAA All-Star Conor Deegan picked up his fourth All Ireland medal when he helped Dublin club Castle claim its first Chartis sponsored Irish Senior Cup pennant with a 3-2 win over Warrenpoint at Kinsale.

His 2 and 1 win over David Barron levelled a thrilling decider that went to the final green of the final match with Daniel Holland clinching Castle’s first Senior Cup in the club’s 99-year history with a two-hole win over Ryan Gribben.

Conor Deegan (Castle) missing a putt on the 11th green in the Chartis Europe Senior Cup at the All Ireland Cups and Shields at Kinsale Golf Club 22/09/2012. Picture by Pat Cashman“To say I’m ecstatic is not even close,” said former full back Deegan, who won a Minor and two Senior All Ireland titles with Down in the 1990s.

The lowest handicap golfer in the country off plus five, Deegan added: “I’ve been very lucky to have been in All Ireland finals playing football but it’s very different. You have a very tight-knit club here and we’ve had tremendous support all week.”

One up playing the last, 21-year old Holland hit an 80-yard wedge to six feet and was eventually conceded the hole and the match for his ninth win from nine in Castle’s campaign.

“These matches are always tight,” said Holland, who revealed that he hums music to keep calm under pressure (he was humming “Kings and Queens”  by 30 Seconds to Mars when coming up the 18th.)

“I had a feeling it was going to come down to me, I really did. There’s no way that matches are won straight out one, two, three in Senior Cup finals, it never happens. I knew I had to be ready for it.

“I listen to music, it’s probably my favourite thing of all, to keep me calm, keep a song in my head and I just kept humming a tune to myself all day.”

While it was a disappointing day for Warrenpoint, Tyrone club Killymoon gave Ulster golf something to cheer about with 3-2 win over Roscommon on the Jimmy Bruen Shield final.

Killymoon celebrate their Jimmy Bruen Shield win. Pic Pat CashmanKillymoon’s playing captain Brian Gogarty said: “This is the first time we ever had any sort of glory or victory ever at the club.

“I’ve captained the team for the past three years and the last two years we didn’t even qualify so we qualified big time this year, by 15 shots from the second place team.

“We came down here with great hopes but no expectations. Roscommon, to be fair, gave us a tremendous match.”

Club President, Tom Doonan, played on the team, and with an age spread of over 50 years, there was a good mix of youth and experience.

Gogarty added: “They are all great lads, they are all great golfers.”

At Kinsale:

Chartis Senior Cup Final

Castle 3, Warrenpoint 2

(Castle names first) –

J Hanby lost to C Campbell Jnr 1H,

C Deegan bt D Barron 2/1;

A Gleeson lost to P Gribben 2H;

J Walsh bt S Coulter 2/1;

D Holland bt R Gribben 2H.

Jimmy Bruen Shield Final

Killymoon 3, Roscommon 2

(Killymoon names first)

B Bleeks/D McCabe bt D Hill/J Walker 3/2;

K Wilson/R Mongomery lost to A Craven/S McConn 3/2;

J Bleeks/T Doonan bt L Casey/P McNally 5/4;

B Gogarty/S Devlin bt B Daly/P Geraghty 2H;

G Toal/M Lenny lost to P Hoare/F Ferguson 2/1