Fermoy's fabulous foursome

GOLF/Musgraves Club Challenge National Final: For the past 12 years, John Kenny and brothers Pat and John "Alti" Greehy have religiously stalked the fairways of Fermoy GC every Sunday morning, building a camaraderie that would underpin a triumph thousands of miles away in South Africa.

The three former hurlers from Kilworth won the national final of the Musgraves Club Challenge, comprehensively eclipsing the challenge of the other provincial champions, Elm Green (Leinster), Cloughaneely (Ulster) and Bearna (Connacht), and with it the national pennant awarded to the champions.

The tournament, now in its fifth year, attracted entries from over 90 clubs and some 9,000 golfers, with the winners of the four provincial finals securing a trip to South Africa and a week at the opulent Erinvale Estate Hotel outside Cape Town, owned by Listowel man Xavier McAuliffe. Erinvale provided a sumptuous backdrop to four days of serious competition, an ideal haven for frayed nerves, shredded by the demands of Erinvale, Stellen-

bosch and Mowbray Golf Clubs.

The purpose of the competition was to raise funds for Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, with every euro going directly to the hospital thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Musgraves Group.

By securing plane tickets for South Africa, the four provincial team champions were winners already given the quality of the prize, which included superb accommodation at Erinvale and the opportunity to play three courses which have staged the South African Open.

While the golf was competitive, the banter and interaction off course was warm and friendly - ably orchestrated by Stuart Musgrave - ensuring several "early mornings". There were also the cultural outings, including a visit to Table Mountain and trips to the Cape of Good Hope and the Hazendal winery.

On the first day of competition (Stableford points, one score to count per hole) at Erinvale GC, the Fermoy triumvirate laid down a marker with an excellent 46 points. On the second day (two scores to count) they increased their lead to six points, with Alti Greehy's 41 points a magnificent individual effort over the 7,000 yard, par 74 Stellenbosch course.

Elm Green's Graham Temple, a pitch and putt international, produced an excellent 40 points, ably assisted by team-mate Michael Owens (38), to haul his club from last to second place; it would be the closest that anyone would get to Fermoy, vapour trails the only sighting over the closing two days of competition.

If tea was the preferred tipple of the Fermoy boys, their affable captain, John Murphy, proved it was possible to burn the candle at both ends, producing some fine golf off a seven handicap to win the captain's competition ahead of Jane Colclough (Bearna), Martin Terry (Cloughaneely) and Michael Keaney (Elm Green).

Murphy's efforts were all the more laudable given his dedication to his social responsibilities. It was on the third day of competition at Mowbray that the Cork club really burned off their rivals. The tension was palpable on the putting green with all three individual scores to count that day. By dusk, Fermoy were 21 points clear.

For the final round, the tournament returned to Erinvale. The Cloughaneely team of father and son, Francis and Denis Boyle, and Philip McGeady matched Fermoy's score of 75 points over the rumble format but still finished third, one point behind Elm Green (74).

If there were points for the sense of fun and singing ability then Bearna's Brendan Davis and Tom Lavelle would be playing off scratch. It was left to Musgraves managing director Seamus Scally to uncork the champagne and present the pennant to Fermoy.

FINAL STANDINGS: 1 Fermoy (J Kenny, P Greehy, J Greehy) 303 points; 2 Elm Green (G Temple, M Owens, C Bell) 281; 3 Cloughaneely (F Boyle, D Boyle, P McGeady) 280; 4 Bearna (T Lavelle, B Davis, N Curran) 254. Captain's competition: John Murphy (Fermoy).