Gribben to hone his skills at Interprovincials

A number of team matters will be decided at the conclusion of the Men's Interprovincial Championships at Enniscrone this week. Firstly, the 11-man team to represent Ireland in the Home Internationals at Royal Co Down next month will be finalised and, secondly, a team to travel to America for the annual clash with the Metropolitan Golf Association in New York will also be selected. One name is likely to be pencilled in quicker than any other. Paddy Gribben's selection on the British and Irish team to play the United States in the Walker Cup match at Nairn in Scotland next month means he is considered, by a long way, to be the top Irish player at this moment.

Yet, there is a body of opinion within the sport in this country that feels that Irish golf has again been treated harshly by R&A selectors. One player making a panel of 12 (10 players and two reserves) doesn't make much sense when it is considered that Ireland lost out by the narrowest possible margin to England in last year's Home Internationals, and yet their conquerors have managed to get six players onto the actual team!

Whatever the sense of injustice about such a selection, nobody can doubt that Gribben deserves his place - and the Warrenpoint player will be using this week's Interprovincials as the final competitive outing prior to his defence of the European Amateur Strokeplay Championship which takes place at Celtic Manor, near Cardiff, on August 18th-21st.

Gribben is part of a strong-looking Ulster team for the Interprovincials which get under way at Enniscrone tomorrow and conclude on Friday. Apart from Gribben, the Ulster team also includes Irish Close champion Ciaran McMonagle, beaten Close finalist Michael Sinclair and current internationals Michael Hoey, Johnny Foster, David Jones and Garth McGimpsey.

Leinster, the holders, include Irish strokeplay champion Gary Cullen in a side that also features internationals Noel Fox and Eamonn Brady as well as giving call-ups to recently-crowned South of Ireland champion Mark Campbell, his UCD scholarship colleague Justin Kehoe and Gavin Lunny.

There is also a mixture of youth and experience in the Munster team which includes Tim Rice, winner of last week's Mullingar Scratch Cup. Ken Kearney, who has enjoyed a good season, will head Connacht's bid for glory.

Because of its matchplay format, the Interprovincials provide the Irish selectors with an ideal opportunity to weigh up current form. And given the open nature of so many of this season's major championships, quite a number of players have a chance to stage late bids for inclusion in the Irish team for Royal Co Down.

Apart from Gribben honing his game for the Europeans, the other five Irish players selected to participate in next week's European individual championships are also competing in Enniscrone. They are Cullen, Brady, Kearney, McMonagle and McCormick.

Originally, McGimpsey was selected to compete at Celtic Manor but he has withdrawn and his place has gone to McCormick.

Interestingly, the English Golf Union have selected a seven-strong squad to play in those championships. Included in their party are newly-crowned English champion Paul Casey and runner-up Simon Dyson. Dyson was the leading Englishman in last year's tournament in France when finishing in seventh place behind Gribben.

Casey, Brabazon trophy winner Mark Side, and internationals Luke Donald, Philip Rowe, Graeme Storm, winner of the British amateur, and Gary Wolstenholme are the other Englishmen selected this week for the event.

Leinster captain JJ Maher, meanwhile, has seven players from six different clubs to represent the province in the Boys' Interprovincial Championships which are due to take place at Roscommon on August 25th to 27th.

Marc Kynes of Old Conna is the only player on the Leinster team who represented Ireland in last week's Home Internationals and he will be joined by Eoin Arthurs (Forrest Little), Greg Bowden (Bodenstown), David Gannon (Co Louth), Robert McCarthy (Forrest Little), David Ryan (Grange) and Justin Woods (Kilkenny). The non-travelling reserve is David Smith of Headfort. Meanwhile, the annual golfing match involving the four main sporting bodies in the country - the GAA, the FAI, the GUI and the IRFU - will take place at The K Club today.