Celebrations continued long into the early hours in both Connemara and Bray on Sunday. Connemara won their first Connacht Senior Cup title when beating the All-Ireland champions, Co Sligo, in a thrilling final at Athlone, while Bray qualified for their first Leinster finals in over 30 years at the Grange.
Connemara, who are 25 years old this year, have only won one other title in the West, the Connacht Shield in 1981. Co Sligo, who were aiming for a third All-Ireland title at Senior Cup level, gained some consolation when they won the Connacht Barton Shield for the fourth successive time.
Surprise packet Bray beat St Margaret's in the first round in Leinster and followed with an impressive 3-2 win over a fancied Stackstown. In an exciting third round they won three matches on the 18th green against The Island to book their place in the finals at Mount Wolseley on August 15th and 16th.
The draw for the Leinster Finals is: Elm Park v Kilkenny; Grange v Dundalk; Bray v Birr; Sutton v Portmarnock.
Ann Brennan, the vice-captain at Kilrush, set a new course record when winning the Lady President's (Mary Moody) prize last week. Playing off a handicap of 13, Brennan produced a level par first nine to set up a fine score of 74 and a nett 61. Despite dropping two shots on the 18th, she still had two strokes to spare over her nearest rival Margaret Griffin with Dolores Reidy third, both on 63.
Another course record went at Ardee where Vera Commins set a new mark for the women when she shot 75 in the first round of the Lady Captain's (Karen Hughes) prize.
It was a happy weekend for Jack Ryan from Thurles. The 11 handicapper made the short trip to Abbeyleix for their Open week and walked away with a Gallon of Whiskey after holing his tee shot at the par-three, 128-metre ninth hole in the Thursday Foursomes. Ryan has been playing golf for over 20 years but only achieved his first hole-in-one two years ago. However, since then he has made a habit of it. Last week's effort was his sixth in two years.
The popularity of the Open week in Abbeyleix can be judged by the international entry attracted to the testing Midlands nine-hole course. Out of 180 pairs who played in last week's foursomes (a truly remarkable number for a nine hole course) there were several UK and US clubs represented and one member of the Pondoc Indah Golf Club in Jakarta, Peter Kroes, who makes an annual trip to Ireland for the Abbeyleix week. Kroes recently presented the club with a beautiful Indonesian coat of arms and has vowed to be back again next year.
Doreen Geelan from Malahide led the field home in the last of the Ford Ladies Strokeplay Championship qualifying rounds at Forrest Little last week. Geelan took class one with a 69 from Laura Tolan (Co Meath) and N Kilroy (Rossmore), who both shot 71, and Maria O'Reilly (Headford) and Kay McCartan (Greenore).
Class Two went to Mary Kelly of Westmanstown, who won on the last nine with a 71 from Maida McGowan (Laytown and Bettystown) and Auveen Campbell (Elm Park). The other qualifiers in Class Two for the September finals in Druids Glen were Berna O'Gorman (Balbriggan) and Vera McGuinness (Rush). The qualifiers from Class Three were Monica Purcell (Nuremore) and Mary McLean (Cookstown) who both shot 66, Graine Weir (Co Louth), Catherine Caffrey (Killinbeg) and Valerie Black (Black Bush).
Howth will be Leinster's representatives in the All-Ireland Smurfit Girls' Inter Club Team Championship. The Howth girls beat Greenore 2-1 in a thrilling final at Skerries on Thursday last. Bronagh McGinley put Howth into the lead when she beat Ailish McCarton 2 and 1 in the top match, but Siobhan McCarton levelled it for Greenore with victory by the same margin over Adrienne Walsh. The deciding match went all the way, with Claire Hannon finishing one up on Helen Thornton.
The lady captain's prize at Woodenbridge produced golf to match the fine weather on Thursday with Martine Wixted Healy taking advantage of the sunny conditions to win with a fine score of 46 points. She had only two points to spare, however, over second placed Pat Bradley. Sandra Watkins won the gross prize, her second victory in three days. Two days earlier she had the best gross score at Woodbrook in the Patricia Martin Trophy, a 36 holes stroke competition.
The clash of the ash between Waterford and Clare did not stop the determined men of Dunmore East turning out in record numbers to honour their captain Richard Hurley on his Captain's Day last Sunday. The tee was booked from dawn to facilitate those who wished to travel to Thurles to support their county team.
And it was the early bird that caught the worm. The father and son partnership of Dan and Frank Healy teed off at 6 a.m. Frank, playing off 19, scooped first prize with 39 points, with his father finishing second just one point behind.
