Kieran McCarthy, a 26-year-old from Kinsale who works with computers, set the trend in the Bank of Ireland Irish Close Championship at Westport yesterday when he beat fancied Noel Fox in the first match of the second round. It was the first of many early upsets which saw the dreams of likely candidates turn to nightmares.
Among the other contenders who had to take an early trip home were fellow international panellists Andrew McCormick and John Morris, both of whom were on their way out before lunchtime, and others followed in haste as their hopes of glory were blown away in the sunshine.
McCarthy, a member of the Cork team which won the Munster inter-county championship and who reached the last 16 in the West of Ireland Championship this year, was two under par for the 16 holes played in his 3 & 2 win over Fox. In an extremely steady round he had three birdies and one bogey. The match had an explosive start as the first three holes were birdied, two of them by Fox and the other by McCarthy, but the tussle took a sudden change at the fourth hole as Fox hammered his drive out of bounds. That left the argument level and the Portmarnock international never again got his nose in front. It was still all flat at the turn but McCarthy made his drive for surprise victory by taking the difficult par four 11th in regulation and continued his winning ways by going two up with a birdie three at the 13th and three up at the 15th.
Fox, whose season has been topsey-turvey with the only highlight being finishing second to Keith Nolan in the Irish Amateur Open at Fota Island, couldn't get back on course and when the 16th was halved in par fours it was McCarthy through to today's third round in which he meets former professional Enda McMenamin. "A pleasing result but I have beaten some other good players in the past, as well. It's nice to get through another round," commented McCarthy who beat Pat Daly from Galway by 5 & 3 on Saturday to qualify for the crack at Fox.
Second Round First Quarter - L McCarthy (Kinsale) bt N Fox (Portmarncok) 3 & 2; E McMenamin (B'fey) bt B Smyth (Mourne) one hole; P Killeen (Claremorris) bt T Eighan (Mullingar) 4 & 3; M Horan (Birr) bt A McCormick (Scrabo) 4 & 3; K Flanagan (Co Sligo) bt P Purdy (Sh andon Pk) 2 & 1; G Cullen (Beaverstown) bt D Staunton (Headfort) 2 & 1); H Armstrong (Warrenpoint) bt S Nayagan (Tullamore) 3 & 2; R Elliott (R Portrush) bt S McPartland (Greenore) 4 & 3; M Brett (Portmarnock) bt J Morris (Douglas) 3 & 1; D O'Donovan (Co Sligo) w.o M Feane (Limerick) scr; P Collier (Limerick) w.o L Dalton (Waterford) scr; P McInerney (Limerick) w.o J Foster (Ballyclare) scr; D Coyle (Dundalk) S Horgan (Monkstown) 5 & 4; P Gribben (Warrenpoint) bt L Caulfield (Galway) 7 & 6; P Benson (Ca stlebar) bt D O'Brien (Laytown) 3 & 2; M Sinclair (Knock) bt K Bardon (Killiney) 5 & 4. Second Quarter - B Omelia (Newlands) bt K Maher (Limerick) 3 & 2; G Forbes (Castlerock) bt T Nialand (Tuam) 4 & 3; A Meharg (Bright Castle) bt C Darrah (Ballyclare) one hole; N Goulding (Portmarnock) bt D White (Moate) 4 & 3; S Paul (Tandragee) bt P Cowl ey (Cork) 5 & 4; A Lynch (Northants) bt C Gallagher (Tuam) 5 & 3; G Murphy (Monkstown) bt M Morris (Portmarnock) one hole; K Bornemann (Douglas) bt J Curran (Mt Juliet) 5 & 4; C Mallon (N West) bt E Brady (R Dublin) 5 & 4; P O'Looney (Tralee) w.o. M Turle y (Elm Pk) scr; P Sheehan (Castletroy) bt L Bowler (Headfort) 3 & 1; E Power (Kilkenny) bt P Roddy (Elm Pk) 5 & 4; R Dodds (Mahee Is) bt G McNeill (Waterford) 3 & 2; D Snow (Portmarncok) bt D Baker (Scrabo) one hole; J Joyce (Castlerea) bt A Thomas (Tra more) 2 & 1; P Lawrie (Newlands) bt G Roche (Wexford) 4 & 3.
Third Quarter - J Fanagan (Milltown) bt J Fitzgerald (Limerick) 2 & 1; M Sheridan (Old Conna) w.o A Hogan (West Hill) scr; C McElderry (R Portush) bt D Connolly (Douglas) 2 holes; S Moloney (Castletroy) bt M Sloan (Mahee Is) 2 & 1; R Leonard (UUJ) bt J C uddy (Castlerea) 3 & 1; D Connolly (Douglas) bt D Coughlan (Milltown) 5 & 4; M Flanagan (Island) bt JA Hayes (K Club) 3 &1; N Howley (Ballinasloe) bt B McGranaghan (Galway) 4 & 3; P Murray (Tipperary) bt N O'Connor (Galway Bay) 3 & 1; P Byrne (Nenagh) bt
W Kelly (Bodenstown) 4 & 3; J McClure (R Belfast) bt T Nolan (Bearna) one hole; S Fitzpatrick (Woodbrook) bt T Rice (Limerick) one hole; F O'Donoghue (Belvoir Pk) bt S Heavey (Castlerea) at 19th; P Morris (Douglas) w.o G McAleese (R Portrush) scr; J Kan e-Nash (R Dublin) bt H MacKeown (Portmarnock) 2 & 1; K Kearney (Co Sligo) bt C McCarroll (N West) 3 & 1.
Fourth Quarter - A Morrow (Portnmarnock) bt B McGrath (Dun Laoghaire) 3 & 2; E Lynch (UCD) bt P O'Rourke (Kilkenny) one hole; A Pierse (Tipperary) bt J O'Donoghue (Limerick) at 24th; D Mortimer (Connemara) bt E Moriarity (Strandhill) 3 & 2; S Browne (Her mitage) bt G Sproule (Co Sligo) 3 & 2; C Martin (Nenagh) w.o J Brady (Edenderry) scr; C Moriarity (Clandeboye) bt W Rice (Limerick) 3 & 2; M Lynch (Prior's Hall) bt M McGinley (Grange) 2 holes; D Dunne (Co Sligo) bt M Kenny (Limerick) 4 & 3; D Finn (Mall ow) bt J Dickson (Holywood) 2 & 1; D O'Flynn (Ballina) bt G Smith (Ballinascorney) 2 holes; S Quinlivan (Ballybunion) bt J Kavanagh (Galway) 3 & 2; G O'Flaherty (Cork) bt R Fitzgerald (Limerick) 3 & 2; C Brown (R Portrush) bt B Reddan (Co Louth) one hole ; P Dooley (Cork) bt P O'Reilly (Westport) 4 & 2; G McGimpsey (Bangor) bt E Haugh (Westmanstown) 5 & 4.
