Paddy Gribben's debut in the Home Internationals proved to be a rather painful exercise, even if the result was a favourable one. As Ireland swept aside the challenge of Scotland by 10 1/2 to 4 1/2 in the opening series of matches at Burnham & Berrow yesterday, the 27-year-old Warrenpoint player bravely limped around the Somerset links in defiance of a festering wound to his left foot.
Indeed, there was an element of the walking wounded about the Irish. Gribben's infected heel - an old problem, but accentuated by wearing new shoes in the practice rounds - means he won't play in today's encounter with Wales, while Irish champion Ken Kearney has been receiving treatment from a local soccer team's physiotherapist to enable him compete.
"I don't know how I got around," Gribben later admitted. "I was okay standing over the ball, but walking was extremely painful. And because I was favouring one side, I also had excessive pain in my back. There were a number of times I just felt like giving up, it was so bad."
Gribben, making his senior international debut after returning to the amateur ranks after a spell in the professional game, persevered to forge a 3 and 2 singles win over Simon MacKenzie and, last night, visited hospital in nearby Weston-Super-Mere where he was given a course of antibiotics. It remains doubtful if he will be able to play any further role in the championship.
Still, Ireland couldn't have asked for a better start - result wise - in their quest to end England's stranglehold. The Irish established a 3-2 lead over the Scots from the morning foursomes and then won seven of the 10 singles and halved one. Jody Fanagan, John Morris, Bryan Omelia, Andrew McCormick, David Dunne, Gribben and Adrian Morrow all won, while Fox secured a halved match with Walker Cup player Graham Rankin. Kearney and Garth McGimpsey were the only singles losers.
Morris produced an inspired 33-3 finish - two under par for that closing three hole stretch - to beat Alan Turnbull by a one hole margin. The Douglas player actually went one down for the first time in the match when his opponent sank a 30 foot birdie putt at the 15th; but he responded superbly, hitting his approach to three feet at the 16th, to go all-square and then unleashed a 290yard drive at the last, sending his seven iron approach to 12 feet and holing the putt for a win.
It proved to be a good day for the rookies. Gribben, Dunne and McCormick all won their singles - with big-hitting McCormick literally blowing aside the challenge of Sam Carins, winning by a 4 and 3 margin. And Dunne, whose golf future looked uncertain this time 12 months ago as he battled arthritis in his foot, showed nerves of steel to get up and down for a par at the last to secure a one hole win over Lorne Kelly.
All in all a good day's work. But Gribben's problem means all 10 fit players' will be involved today: McCormick has been drafted into the foursomes, where he will partner Eddie Power, while Power will play in the singles. If Gribben is deemed unfit for the rest of the championship and anyone else gets injured, then the GUI can seek permission for a player to be flown over.
