EDENDERRY'S Dermot Hall showed his character when winning a tensely fought Junior Scratch Cup at Cill Dara on Sunday, but there was to be no family double as his son Gerard, despite a gallant effort, failed to land the Connacht Youths championship at Galway.
Dermot, a a nine handicapper, produced a 36 holes total of 153 to land the Scratch Cup by the narrowest margin he had just one shot to spare over a posse of players on the 154 mark. Kinsale's John Keating claimed the runners up spot on count back on the last nine, while Woodlands' Gary Halpin took third place on the last 18 from the home club's Felix Murphy.
Bodenstown's John Cunneen, another nine handicapper, took the nett prize with 135, two strokes clear of Niall O'Donnell.
Meanwhile, Gerard Hall, a two handicapper, couldn't quite match his dad's winning feat the Connacht Youths' title was claimed by Connacht inter provincial Nigel Howley, who benefited from a recent stint in Valderrama with the GUI's national squad.
. The move to an earlier date in the season has reaped dividends for Tipperary Golf Club, who stage the Bank of Ireland sponsored Scratch Cup over its recently extended 18 hole course on Saturday.
And the club's favourite son Arthur Pierse a Walker Cup player and winner of the West (twice), East and North of Ireland championships during a distinguished amateur career will, of course, be in a field which includes six current Irish squad members.
Irish Close champion Peter Lawrie (Newlands and UCD), Eddie Power (Kilkenny), Karl Bornemann (Douglas), Noel Fox (Portmarnock), Bryan Omelia (Newlands) and Tipperary's own Pat Murray are the sextet of international panelists competing, while the entire Munster youths team also plan to play in a much improved entry.
