Flying Finns on the brink of history

In a fascinating development, two Finns will contest the second semi-final of the West of Ireland Championship at Enniscrone this morning. Given that one of them beat the 1997 winner Jody Fanagan in yesterday's quarter-finals, the title could be exported to the Continent for the first time in its 76year history.

It would be stretching a point to suggest that the weather returned to normal, after the delightful sunshine of the earlier rounds. But there were clear resonances of bad old Easter days when competition was suspended for 40 minutes in mid-afternoon, because of an electric storm.

On the completion of play, Rory Leonard of Banbridge emerged from the top quarter for a semi-final meeting with former youth international colleague Gary Cullen. In the bottom half, left-hander Henri Salonen, the reigning Finnish amateur stroke-play champion, earned a meeting with compatriot Mikko Ilonen, holder of the Finnish amateur open stroke-play title.

The last time they met in match-play was in the final of their national match-play championship two years ago, when the then 20year-old Salonen triumphed by 8 and 6. But given that his opponent was but a callow youth of 17 at the time, it is hardly relevant to today's proceedings.

In an unexpected turn in the weather, thunder rent the skies over Killala Bay when Fanagan, in the last match on the course, was on the 11th tee. The fact that it was accompanied by lightning caused officials to suspend play immediately. Interestingly, the stoppage had no significant effect of the pattern of the matches.

The top two matches were virtually over when the interruption occurred. And Cullen ended the day with easily the best figures of the four survivors, covering the front nine in an approximate five under par to be four up on the hapless Norwegian, Maartin Strandvik.

At 6ft 5in and weighing 17 stone, Cullen has power to match his build. So, the start of Enniscrone, with its two, opening par fives has given him a decided advantage this week. Yesterday, downwind, he reduced them to no more than a drive and five-iron and a drive and eight-iron, respectively.

His play of the second was especially interesting for the fact that he felt obliged to go down on his knees when playing a recovery from above the ball in a green-side bunker. The execution was sufficiently precise to yield a birdie four.

Later, again with the assistance of the wind, he drove into a green-side bunker at the 395-yard sixth and was only slightly short of the green at the 374-yard seventh. He eventually struck gold at the dog-leg, 345-yard ninth when his drive came to rest 15 feet from the pin to set up a two-putt birdie.

But Leonard is no slouch either when it comes to long hitting. Broader than Cullen though not as tall, he had the edge over the 1997 North of Ireland champion Michael Sinclair, opening up a three-hole lead by the 13th tee, which he reached in one under par.

Progress for the student of economics at the University of Ulster, contrasted sharply with defeats in the opening round of this championship in the last three years. And he had reason to be pleased with a bogey-count of only three for his day's play, which included a morning win over Arthur Pierse.

Stephen Moloney, who had taken notable scalps in Michael McGinley and Garth McGimpsey in earlier rounds, continued to putt well against Salonen. But the Finn's consistency from tee to green, left him two holes clear after 11, before he made the rare mistake of snap-hooking his drive into trouble at the next.

From there, smooth, rhythmic swinging by Salonen allowed him to protect a one-hole lead until the 18th. That was where Moloney effectively forfeited any chance of forcing the match into tie holes, by pulling his drive into rough and then being badly short of the target in two.

Fanagan paid a heavy price for indifferent putting when going two down to Ilonen after the 10th. And when play resumed, a slack approach cost him the long 12th to leave him three adrift of an opponent whose play was solid rather than spectacular.

The Milltown player kept battling, however, and won the 13th with a par and the 15th with another par. There, into the wind, he pitched and putted from off the front right, while his opponent three-putted for a bogey. But he was back in trouble at the next, where he drove into a bunker and the end came at the short 17th which they halved in par.

How determined was Ilonen to clinch the title? "I'm going for it," said the native of Lahti, about 100 kilometres north of Hensinki. Given that he and four compatriots have been sent here to sharpen their skills on links terrain, ultimate success would represent quite remarkable progress.