Ireland were in dominant mood when they set out seeking glory in the Amateur Home International championship at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire yesterday.
They showed no mercy towards Wales and ran out convincing winners by 10 matches to four with one halved as England were defeating defending champions Scotland 9-6.
Ireland, with both the British and European champions in their ranks, set their stall out in the morning foursomes winning four of the five games. They only required three and a half points from the afternoon singles.
Amateur champion Michael Hoey found fellow Walker Cup man Nigel Edwards a tough nut and went down by three and one.
Earlier Hoey and John Foster had been the only Irish pair not to win their match in the foursomes. They managed only a half with Edwards and Welsh champion Craig Williams.
The match of the day was between European Title holder Stephen Browne from Hermitage and Williams. It went down to the wire with Browne, in his last tournament as an amateur, prevailing on the home green. The Irish star was six under par at the finish having collected eight birdies as opposed to the seven from the Welshman.
Irish champion Gavin McNeil, two up at the turn on Kyron Sullivan, won the 12th and 13th to triumph 5-3. Portmarnock's Noel Fox performed solidly and was always in front against new cap Stewart Manley and there were wins also for Foster, Colm Moriarty and Andrew McCormick.
Today Ireland will play Scotland looking for revenge for the defeat they suffered in the European Championship finals in Sweden in July.
Meanwhile, Alison Coffey gave herself the ideal start to the challenge for the British Women's Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Kilmarnock (Barassie) yesterday. The 28-year-old twice Irish champion from Warrenpoint recorded a solid three over par 75 to share the first-round lead.
Coffey three putted the third and fourth greens and drove into the rough at the seventh to stand three over par at the turn. But she reeled off eight pars and a birdie, at the 15th, on the homeward stretch. She goes into the second round this morning sharing the lead with defending champion Rebecca Hudson and the uncapped English pair Nicola Timmins and Tracy Atkin.
