Fanagan eyeing family double

ALISON COFFEY'S route into the semifinal stages of the Irish Women's Close Championship, sponsored by Lancome, has been more arduous than others, both on and off the splendidly conditioned Enniscrone links.

Indeed, the Irish international - who yesterday booked her ticket into today's penultimate matches with a 2 and 1 win over fellow Ulster interprovincial Paula Gorman - was involved in a car crash, along with another competitor, Emma Dickson, at a notorious accident black spot near Manorhamilton while travelling here last Sunday.

Rather than defect from the championship, however, the Warrenpoint player, physically unharmed but mentally shaken, used the stroke play qualifying to regain her composure. Since then, Coffey has displayed nerves of steel in her campaign.

"I was certainly shook up, but there is nothing like playing golf to get your mind to concentrate," said Coffey, who meets Suzanne Fanagan in the top semifinal, while three time champion Eileen Rose Power faces Ada O'Sullivan in a repeat of last month's Munster final.

Coffey, who made an unbeaten international debut in last year's Home Internationals at Longniddry in Scotland, continues to impress. As a strong, easterly wind buffeted players yesterday morning, she beat former international Carol Wickham by 4 and 3 in the second round.

Then, in the afternoon quarter final when the wind had abated to a gentle if testing breeze, she came back from one down at the turn to finish her match with Gorman on the 17th. "I wasn't swinging too well before the match play stages, but I'm very happy with my game now," she claimed.

Fanagan is next up for Coffey. By a strange coincidence, both Fanagan and Power have close connections with previous championship successes at Enniscrone. Suzanne's brother, Jody, the Walker Cup player, won the West of Ireland here at Easter, while Eileen Rose's husband, Eddie, claimed the Irish Close over the links in 1993. It would be a unique family double.

"This is definitely the best I've hit the ball all season," remarked Fanagan, who fashioned a 3 and 2 win over Sinead Keane in the quarter finals. "I was here for Jody's semifinal and final wins, and, for some reason, I feel I play well on courses where I have watched him play. It helps my course management."

Fanagan grasped control of her encounter with Curragh's Keane early on, winning the third with par, the fifth with a sevenfoot birdie and the eighth with par to go three up.

Power, meanwhile, hasn't been required to go beyond the 14th green in any of her three matchplay encounters. Indeed, she has played only 38 holes in advancing to the semifinals, and was again under par in beating Sheena O'Brien Kenney by 6 and 5.

O'Sullivan earned her semifinal place with a 2 and 1 win over former British champion and Curtis Cup player Lilian Behan. But the unfortunate Behan was forced to play the entire match with a bandaged ankle, and was limping noticeably.