Can anyone stop Leinster in their quest to land the AIB Women's Inter-provincial championship for a fourth successive year?
The omens don't look too good for the pretenders to the crown as Leinster include the Irish close champion Lillian Behan and the Irish Open Strokeplay champion Suzie O'Brien in their seven-player team for an event which starts at Donegal Golf Club in Murvagh tomorrow.
The format - which sees morning foursomes matches followed by afternoon singles - is one which is designed to bring the cream to the top, and Leinster appear to have all the ingredients necessary to retain their stranglehold on the competition.
Apart from former Curtis Cup player Behan and O'Brien, who was a non-travelling reserve for the team which lost to the United States in Minneapolis on Sunday last, Leinster also have Irish Intermediate champion Elaine Dowdall, two former Irish strokeplay champions, Yvonne Cassidy and Hazel Kavanagh, and this year's beaten Irish Close finalist, Oonagh Purfield.
Traditionally, Munster have been Leinster's greatest rivals - but there is much change in the southern province's representation this year with the likes of Eileen Rose Power, Ada O'Sullivan and Eavan Higgins (the backbone of the side for many years) all missing. Barbara Hackett, the Irish close champion in 1996, heads a team which also includes promising players Denise Doyle and Tricia Mangan.
Ulster, who face Munster in the opening series tomorrow, could prove to be Leinster's biggest hurdle. Alison Coffey has won the Leinster and Ulster titles this season and finished runner-up in the Scottish Open strokeplay and she is supported by international Michelle McGreevy.
One incentive for players over the next three days is that the team for the Home Internationals in Burnham and Berrow will be selected after after the championship.
Ulster: A Coffey (Warrenpoint), E Dickson (Royal Co Down), H Jones (Strabane), B McCann (Belvoir Park), A McCaw (Royal Co Down), M McGreevy (Rossmore), S Verschuur (Knock).
Leinster: L Behan (Curragh), Y Cassidy (Dundalk), E Dowdall (Wexford), H Kavanagh (Grange), S Keane (Curragh), S O'Brien (Milltown), O Purfield (Co Louth).
Munster: O Barry (Limerick), B Hackett (Castletroy), D Doyle (Lahinch), T Mangan (Ennis), I Murphy (Cork), M Sheehy (Tralee), A Thompson (Douglas).
Connacht: S Corcoran (Portumna), A Farrell (Roscommon), E Gallagher (Claremorris), R MacGuigan (Roscommon), E MacMullen (Donegal), D McGowan (Ballybofey/Stranorlar), L O'Brien (Claremorris).
The Donabate area of north county Dublin is not only playing host to an increasing number of golf courses, it is also producing players with championship credentials.
The six-strong Irish invasion party for the Girls' British Open Amateur Championship at Holyhead Golf Club has three players from the Donabate area. Pamela Murphy, who recently captured her third Irish girls' title, is a member of The Island; Martina Gillen playes out of Beaverstown, and Emily Butler is a member of Donabate.
Ireland's other representatives in the championship are Finola Donnelly (Forrest Little), Deirdre Judge (Roscommon) and Claire Coughlan (Cork).
The first of two strokeplay qualifying rounds takes place today with the matchplay stages commencing on Thursday and the final scheduled for Saturday. Eleven countries are represented in the championship - including, for the first time, Russia. The championship has been dominated by continental Europeans in recent years and this year's pre-championship favourite is 16-year-old Spaniard Nuria Clau.
