Short game

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Ballinrobe edge out Ennis in JB Carr Trophy nail-biter

IT took three extra holes before the JB Carr Trophy for 2012 was decided at Woodenbridge last week. In the end Ballinrobe edged home 3-2 against Ennis when Val McMahon and Joe Cradock won on the 20th against Tony Kehoe and Eamon Corry.

Earlier Michael Lee and Bart Crowley won a precious point for Ballinrobe at the 19th hole against Paul Higgins and Tony Coote after John Monahan and Richie Donohue started it all off with a 3 and 2 win over Pat Murphy and Matt Flynn.

The Ennis winners were Luke Coote and Eamon Kelly, who beat Charlie O’Sullivan and Eddie Hackett 1up and Noel Pyne and Johnny Cullinan with a 2 and 1 win over Frank Burke and Tom Conlisk.

CORRSTOWNS John Tomlin won Stafford Stack’s Presidents Prize at the North Dublin Golf Club Captains Association outing in Skerries last week.

Playing off a handicap of 11, Tomlin shot 40 points to edge out both David Coleman (24, Howth) and Paul Darby (Hollywood Lakes) on a countback, with Balbriggan’s Cyril Campbell next best on 38 points.

The other winners on the day in Skerries were Pat Norton of Roganstown, who came out on top in the senior category, while Malahide’s Bob McAdoo was the veterans victor, and the Super Veteran award went to Balbriggan’s Michael Monaghan. All three shot 37 points.

One-two for Shorts senior and junior 

IT was a Shorts family affair at the Edmondstown GC captain’s (Mick McKenna) prize last week when Ivor (the father) and Adam (the son) finished first and second.

Veteran Ivor, off 18, won the competition with excellent scores of 38 and 37 points for a total of 75. He became the first left-handed golfer to win the captain’s prize at Edmondstown since Joe Taylor back in 1944, the inaugural year of the club.

Adam shot 37 points in the second round to be runner-up – the first time in the club’s 68 years a father and son have occupied the top two spots. Playing in the second last threeball, Shorts senior kept his nerve in a thrilling finish and also lifted the veteran’s prize. Shorts junior, playing off 16, only joined the club last November and promises to have a great future in the South Dublin club.

IRELAND finished third in the Seniors European Team Championship at Lugano in Switzerland over the weekend when they beat Spain 3-2 in the third place play-off.

Earlier Ireland were unlucky not to make the final when they lost 3-2 to Italy with two matches going to tie-holes. Italy were crowned champions with a 3½-1½ win over top seeds France. The Irish team was: Sheena McElroy, Pat Doran, Suzanne Corcoran, Carol Wickham, Helen Jones and Violet McBride.

First All-Ireland for Rosapenna 

ROSAPENNA GC claimed their first All-Ireland pennant in their 119-year history when they came through at the third tie-hole against Dromoland in the Spanish Tourist Board sponsored All-Ireland Mixed Foursomes at Clontarf GC last week.

The decisive blow came when Con Boyce and Suzanne Gallagher scored a winning par four to the bogey five made by Mark Reynolds and Maria Nolan.

The foundation of Rosapenna’s victory was laid in the final two matches, where Enda Kennedy and Dympna Kelly beat Nicholas Duggan and Angela White 3 and 2, and then Marty McDermott and Orla Lemmy were 4 and 3 winners over Mark Hogan and Yvonne Shanahan.

Dromoland’s win came from Tony Cleary and Dorothea Madden, who beat Pat and Kit Boyce 2 and 1.

The final match between Frank Casey and Terri McBride against Declan O’Leary and Mary Arthur was called in from the 19th.

The Irish Mixed is Rosapenna’s first title, either at provincial or national level, a staggering fact considering the club is almost as old as the GUI itself, founded in 1893.

“It’s history because it’s our first time to win an Ulster title and our first time to win an All-Ireland title” said team captain Peter Smyth.

Kaarnalahti defends senior strokeplay 

FINLAND’S Minna Kaarnalahti will defend her Irish Senior Women’s Open Strokeplay title when competitors tee up at Royal Belfast tomorrow.

In last year’s championship at Greenore, Kaarnalahti fired a final round 77 to defeat Ireland’s Pauline Walsh from Headfort, Helen Jones (Strabane) and England’s Alison Bartlett by one shot after Walsh sensationally leap-frogged the field with a best-of-the-tournament 73.

The strongest challenge to Kaarnalahti’s title defence is likely to come from 2010 champion and current Irish Seniors’ Close title-holder Jones, and Canadians Alison Murdoch, Diane Williams and Alison Reilfers.

Fellow Irish Seniors’ Internationals Sheena McElroy (Grange), Suzanne Corcoran (Portumna) and Violet McBride (Belvoir Park) will challenge for an Irish victory ahead of Friday’s announcement of the team to play in the Seniors Home Internationals in Scotland in early October.

Waterford claim first Barton Cup

WATERFORD beat Corballis on Saturday to claim their first FBD Barton Cup title. What makes it all the more special is their names will be added to the Cup in the club’s Centenary Year. Waterford were 3-2 in front going into the second leg and proceeded to defeat the home side by 4-1 for a 7-3 overall victory.

DONABATE won the Best Cup with a 5½-4½ win over Newlands in the weather delayed final. Freddie Rogers and Brian Cummins beat the Newlands pair Tom Clarke and Ciarán O’Donnell 3 and 2. Hard luck on Newlands, who have finished runners for the four time since 2005, having last won in 1975.

Record-breaker McElroy up to scratch 

BALLYMENA’S Dermot McElroy set a new course record en route to a four-stroke victory in the 36-hole Rosapenna Senior Scratch Cup last Saturday, sponsored by McGinley Motors of Letterkenny.

The Irish international, 19, playing off plus four, fired a three-under-par 69 to set a new best for the Sandy Hills Links in his morning round before adding a level par 71 on the Old Tom Morris Links in the afternoon to win on three under 140 from Rathmore’s Ben Best, who shots rounds of 70 (-2) and 74 (+3).

Current British Amateur champion Alan Dunbar opened with a one-over-73 but dropped four shots in a three hole stretch from the 12th on the Old Tom Morris Links in the afternoon to finish well out of the frame.

McElroy carded six birdies and three bogeys in his course record 69. McElroy’s victory sees him join a high quality list of winners that includes current world number one Rory McIlroy in 2005.