Munster and Ulster set for Interpros decider; O'Driscoll holds LeBlanc
President of the Golfing Union of Ireland Liam Martin watching the Interprovincial Matches at Island Golf Club. Picture by Pat Cashman
Munster and Ulster will meet to decide the destination of the Senior title, while Leinster's Boys look set to take their third title in a row as the Interprovincial Championships draw to a conclusion at The Island on Thursday, writes the GUI.
Munster had started very strongly on day two against Connacht, taking the lead in all of the morning foursomes matches.
They ended up with three victories - but a win in the fourth match for Alex Gleeson and Joe Lyons over Gary O'Flaherty and Niall Gorey gave Connacht a boost heading into the afternoon.
Kevin Le Blanc (Leinster) watching his birdie putt at the 4th green during the Boys Interprovincial Matches at Island Golf Club. (23/07/2014l). Picture by Pat Cashman
It was clear from the outset that Munster were not going to have things their own way, and despite taking early leads in three matches, with six holes to play it was Connacht who had the upper-hand - up in three matches, level in another three and only behind in one, where O'Flaherty was in command against Steffan O'Hara.
However, Munster showed all of their grit in the first two matches, where Robin Dawson defeated Gary McDermott in a very tight top match on the 18th green, to be followed just a few minutes later by Gary Hurley, who saw off a spirited challenge by Barry Anderson.
Victories for Stephen Healy and Gleeson had earlier given Connacht hope, but those two narrow victories, in combination with O'Flaherty's defeat of O'Hara, were enough to bring Munster over the line.
They now meet Ulster in what will be the decider in the Senior Interpros for the third year in a row - Munster having won in 2012 and Ulster in 2013.
Ulster's victory over Leinster was greatly facilitated by their performance in the morning foursomes, in which they weathered an early storm to win three of the four matches.
Although Dermot McElroy and Cormac Sharvin were in sensational form in beating Gavin Moynihan and Gary Collins 7/5, Ulster trailled in the other three matches after nine.
But Chris Selfridge and Colin Fairweather were victorious on the 18th against Robert Cannon and Conor O'Rourke, while Colm Campbell and Stephen Coulter won at the 16th against Paul McBride and Stuart Grehan.
Richard Bridges and Daniel Holland defeated Irish Close champion John-Ross Galbraith and Matt McClean to give Leinster some hope in the afternoon.
And although they started strongly, with Moynihan beating Selfridge on the 14th, it proved too difficult a task to overturn Ulster's advantage.
The defending champions' campaign was well and truly on track thanks to three victories on the 16th from McElroy, Campbell and Fairweather, the last of which clinched the victory.
It would only be by the slimmest of margins, however, thanks to victories for Leinster trio Conor O'Rourke, Paul McBride and Richard Bridges.
Tommy O'Driscoll (Connacht) driving at the 9th during the Boys Interprovincial Matches at Island Golf Club. (23/07/2014l). Picture by Pat Cashman
In the Boys Interprovincial Championship, Leinster remained firmly on course thanks to a resounding victory over Connacht.
Having taken a two-point lead into the singles, they upped a gear to really put Connacht under pressure, taking the lead in six of the seven matches at the turn.
However, Connacht battled to the end, typified by Tommy O'Driscoll's three birdies in the final four holes to clinch a half with Junior Open champion Kevin Le Blanc.
But Leinster stayed the course in impressive fashion, with victories coming from David Brady, Alan Fahy, Eoin Leonard, Conor Purcell and Thomas Mulligan.
Leinster's prospects were then greatly enhanced by Ulster's victory over Munster in the second game of the day - the Ulster team overturning a one-point morning deficit with five singles victories.
They came from Jamie Fletcher, Peter Kerr, Owen Crooks, Ryan Long and Rory Williamson, while Munster's victories were obtained by Mark MacGrath and Cathal Butler.
Interprovincial Championship, The Island Golf Club
| P | T. 4somes | T. Singles | Wed.4somes | Wed singles | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Hurley | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Geoff Lenehan | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Colin Fairweather | 4 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 |
| Dermot McElroy | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 |
| Robin Dawson | 4 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 |
| Cormac Sharvin | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Steffan O’Hara | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Joe Lyons | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Ian O’Rourke | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Chris Selfridge | 4 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Richard Bridges | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Colm Campell | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| John-Ross Galbraith | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Alex Gleeson | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Gavin Moynihan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Robbie Cannon | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Conor O’Rourke | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pat Murray | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Gary O’Flaherty | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| John Hickey | 3 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 1.5 | |
| Stephen Coulter | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Matt McClean | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Barry Anderson | 4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Stephen Healy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sean Flanagan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Paul McBride | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Daniel Holland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Gary McDermott | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Stuart Grehan | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Declan Loftus | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gary Collins | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Niall Gorey | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wednesday 23rd July
Ulster 6 Leinster 5 (Ulster names first)
Foursomes
- Dermot McElroy & Cormac Sharvin beat Gavin Moynihan & Gary Collins 7/5
- Chris Selfridge & Colin Fairweather beat Robbie Cannon & Conor O’Rourke 1 hole
- Colm Campbell & Stephen Coulter beat Paul McBride & Stuart Grehan 3/2
- John Ross Galbraith & Matt McClean lost to Richard Bridges & Daniel Holland 5/4
(Ulster 3, Leinster 1)
Singles
- Chris Selfridge lost to Gavin Moynihan 6/4
- Dermot McElroy beat Robbie Cannon 3/2
- Cormac Sharvin lost to Conor O’Rourke 3/2
- John Ross Galbraith lost to Paul McBride 4/3
- Colm Campbell beat Stuart Grehan 3/2
- Colin Fairweather beat Gary Collins 3/2
- Matt McClean lost to Richard Bridges 1 hole
(Ulster 3, Leinster 4)
Munster 7 Connacht 4 (Munster names first)
Foursomes
- Gary Hurley & Ian O’Rourke beat Gary McDermott & Barry Anderson 5/4
- Robin Dawson & John Hickey beat Stephen Healy & Declan Loftus 5/3
- Geoff Lenehan & Pat Murray beat Steffan O’Hara & Sean Flanagan 4/3
- Niall Gorey & Gary O’Flaherty lost to Joe Lyons & Alex Gleeson 2/1
(Foursomes — Munster 3, Connacht 1)
Singles
- Robin Dawson beat Gary McDermott 1 hole
- Gary Hurley beat Barry Anderson 2 holes
- Pat Murray lost to Stephen Healy 3/1
- Gary O’Flaherty beat Steffan O’Hara 5/4
- Geoff Lenehan beat Sean Flanagan 1 hole
- John Hickey lost to Joe Lyons 3/1
- Ian O’Rourke lost to Alex Gleeson 4/3
(Singles — Munster 4, Connacht 3)
Day 3 Draw — Thursday 24th July)
Senior Interprovincial Championship
Leinster v Connacht (Leinster names first)
Foursomes
- Gavin Moynihan & Paul McBride v Steffan O’Hara & Sean Flanagan
- Robbie Cannon & Conor O’Rourke v Gary McDermott & Barry Anderson
- Richard Bridges & Daniel Holland v Alex Gleeson & Joe Lyons
- Stuart Grehan & Gary Collins v Stephen Healy & Declan Loftus
Singles
- Gavin Moynihan v Barry Anderson
- Robbie Cannon v Gary McDermott
- Conor O’Rourke v Sean Flanagan
- Paul McBride v Joe Lyons
- Richard Bridges v Stephen Healy
- Stuart Grehan v Declan Loftus
- Daniel Holland v Alex Gleeson
Munster v Ulster (Munster names first)
Foursomes
- Gary Hurley & Ian O’Rourke v Dermot McElroy & Cormac Sharvin
- Pat Murray & Geoff Lenehan v Chris Selfridge & Colin Fairweather
- Niall Gorey & Gary O’Flaherty v Colm Campbell & Stephen Coulter
- Robin Dawson & John Hickey v John Ross Galbraith & Matt McClean
Singles
- Gary Hurley v Chris Selfridge
- Robin Dawson v Dermot McElroy
- Ian O’Rourke v Cormac Sharvin
- Gary O’Flaherty v John Ross Galbraith
- Geoff Lenehan v Colm Campbell
- John Hickey v Colin Fairweather
- Pat Murray v Stephen Coulter
Boys Interprovincial Championship, The Island Golf Club
Wednesday 23 July
Leinster 8½ Connacht 1½ (Leinster names first)
Foursomes
- Kevin Le Blanc & Rowan Lester halved with Tommy O’Driscoll & Jonathan Doherty
- Conor Purcell & Alan Fahy beat Devin Morley & Colm Hughes 5/3
- Thomas Mulligan & Eoin Leonard beat Sean Doyle & David Brady 1 hole
(Foursomes — Leinster 2.5, Connacht 0.5)
Singles
- Kevin Le Blanc halved with Tommy O’Driscoll
- David Carey beat David Brady 3/2
- Alan Fahy beat Devin Morley 1 hole
- Eoin Leonard beat Jack Healy 2/1
- Thomas Mulligan beat Colm Hughes 1 hole
- Conor Purcell beat Sean Doyle 6/5
- Rowan Lester halved with Jonathan Doherty
(Singles — Leinster 6, Connacht 1)
Munster 4 Ulster 6 (Munster names first)
Foursomes
- Paul Tobin & Cathal Butler beat Jamie Fletcher & James McVicker 4/3
- Mark MacGrath & Rory Hill lost to Owen Crooks & Marc McKinstry 2/1
- Gary Ward & Bill Murray beat Peter Kerr & Rory Williamson 3/2
(Foursomes — Munster 2, Ulster 1)
Singles
- Mark MacGrath beat James McVicker 3/1
- Paul Tobin lost to Jamie Fletcher 9/7
- James Sugrue lost to Peter Kerr 1 hole
- Cathal Butler beat Marc McKinstry 5/4
- Bill Murray lost to Owen Crooks 6/5
- Rory Hill lost to Ryan Long 2/1
- Gary Ward lost to Rory Williamson 5/4
(Singles — Munster 2, Ulster 5)
Day 3 Draw - Thursday 24th July
Ulster v Connacht (Ulster names first)
Foursomes
- James McVicker & Peter Kerr v Tommy O’Driscoll & Jonathan Doherty
- Marc McKinstry & Ryan Long v Devin Morley & Colm Hughes
- Owen Crooks & Rory Williamson v Jack Healy & David Brady
Singles
- Jamie Fletcher v Tommy O’Driscoll
- Rory Williamson v Sean Doyle
- James McVicker v Jonathan Doherty
- Owen Crooks v Colm Hughes
- Marc McKinstry v Devin Morley
- Peter Kerr v Jack Healy
- Ryan Long v David Brady
Leinster v Munster (Leinster names first)
Foursomes
- Kevin Le Blanc & Rowan Lester v Paul Tobin & Cathal Butler
- Conor Purcell & Alan Fahy v Gary Ward & Bill Murray
- Thomas Mulligan & Eoin Leonard v Mark MacGrath & Rory Hill
Singles
- Kevin Le Blanc v James Sugrue
- David Carey v Cathal Butler
- Alan Fahy v Mark MacGrath
- Eoin Leonard v Gary Ward
- Thomas Mulligan v Rory Hill
- Conor Purcell v Bill Murray
- Rowan Lester v Paul Tobin
