Ireland today face a herculean task in their bid to qualify for the top flight in the European Ladies Women's Team Golf Championship in Spain.
But they were given a glimmer of hope right at the end of the day when their last two players Sinead Keane (The Curragh) and Beaverstown's Martina Gillen posted respectable scores.
Things were looking particularly bleak before that but Keane came in with a 77 and Gillen a 78 despite dropping two strokes on the closing hole.
Cork's former Irish champion Claire Coughlan finished with an 80 which included a double bogey at the 10th after she drove into a stream.
As it is Ireland finished the first qualifying round with a five-player aggregate of 396 which left them in 10th place. They are some 19 strokes behind joint leaders England and Spain but more importantly they are 10 adrift of the eighth-placed nation Germany.
After today the top eight go forward to the first flight which gives them a chance of capturing the title.
Ireland finished eighth last time so they are anxious to do at least as well.
Their captain Eavan Higgins said: "It was good that Martina and Sinead came in with those late scores but we all know it was disappointing overall. But there is a determination among all the team to do better tomorrow".
