Fingal a league ahead

The captains of golf clubs in the Fingal area of Dublin for 1997 have come up with a new idea to help promote junior golf. Eight clubs have been invited to take part in a league for the Fingal Juniors

Team Trophy, sponsored by The Irish Nationwide Building Society, Fairview.

The competition will be run over two months, July and August, with the first round taking place in Rush on July 7th followed by Balcarrick (July 14th), Skerries (July 20th), The Island (July 27th), Corrstown (August 5th), Beaverstown (August 13th), Balbriggan (date to be announced) and finishing in Donabate on August 27th.

Teams will consist of five players, with four scores to count in each round. The age limit is 18 on January 1st and the handicap limit is 24. Six points will be awarded to the winning team in each round, with the winners at the end of August collecting the Fingal Trophy plus prizes for each member of the winning team.

Tipperary's Morgan Pierse, brother of former international Arthur, won the Mount Temple Senior Scratch Cup on Sunday. The 18th hole was extended into a par five, with the par automatically increased to a 72. But still nobody has beaten par on the course during the Scratch Cup. The Island's Mel Flanagan threatened to be the first to do so when he shot a level-par 72 in the first round, but he couldn't sustain that form and took 80 for the second 18.

The winner, who plays off two and whose family are involved in course architecture and management, had just one shot to spare from local club member and four handicapper Ken Buckley .

It took four tie holes before Slade Valley edged out close rivals Newlands to book their place in the play-offs of the Bulmers Irish Junior Cup (Leinster Section) at Slade Valley over the weekend. Terry Lilly and Ian Harbourne went to the 22nd before Lilly won with a par to set up a meeting with Co Louth at Hollywood Lakes on July 4th and 5th.

The line-up for the Leinster finals is: Clontarf v Moate; The Island v Curragh; Old Conna v Blainroe and Slade Valley v Co Louth.

It was quite a week for players better known at other sporting codes, to show their talent at golf. Kevin Blount, the former League of Ireland soccer goalkeeper, proved to be quite a comedian at the recent Personality of the Year banquet at the Conrad Hotel. Then on Saturday, he showed he is a talented golfer too when he finished second in the Clontarf Seniors. Off a handicap of eight, Kevin shot 40 stableford points, which was three behind Clontarf's former captain Michael O'Rourke.

Meanwhile in Delgany, former Irish international boxer Harry Perry won class two in the monthly medal. Playing to a 15 handicap she scored a solid 66.

Aisling Keane from Hermes took the honours in the Leinster Ladies Hockey Union captain's (Wendy Porter) prize at their annual outing to Edmondstown. Keane scored 39 points to win by one from Lesley O'Sullivan (Genesis) and Gillian Dawson (Loreto) while the gross went to North Kildare's Grainne Clancy.

Old Alex provided the winner in all the classes to win the team prize with 105 points from Hermes. Simone Phelan won class one with Sarah Buckley and Mandy Holloway winning in classes two and three.

Low scoring was the order of the day in Dromoland Castle and Oughterard last week. In the men's captain's (Tom Keaveney) prize to the ladies, Glynnis Scott had nine shots to spare over the field when her 56 nett off a 31 handicap gave her the first prize from Theresa Fitzgibbon (65) and Mary Keane (71). Ann Byrne was equally impressive when shooting 51 points off a 32 handicap when winning the weekly singles at Oughterard.

There was an exciting finale to the 27-hole Intermediate Scratch Cup at Dundalk where Greenore's P J Carroll pipped The Island's Kenny Montgomery with a better third-nine score of 41 to a 44. But Joe McArdle of Townley Hall, who plays off 11, had a remarkable first 18 which he covered in 78 stroke to win the first 18 nett prize with a score of five under par.

The third annual Ollie Walsh Memorial Fund Golf Classic takes place in Mount Juliet on Tuesday, June 23rd. Entry fee is £260 for teams of four which includes green fee, competition and dinner. Further details from 056-68800 (office hours) or 056-24971/056-24166 (after 7.0).

The qualifying round for the ever-popular St Anne's Father and Son competition will take on Saturday June 20th. The timesheet is now available at 01-6336471.