All-Ireland Cups and Shields Cups and Shields: One of the attractions of these Bulmers Irish Cups and Shields is their great diversity. So, on a day such as yesterday, plus-handicappers and some destined for future professional careers on tour shared the immaculate fairways in the eastern suburbs of Belfast with mid-handicappers in their respective quests for trophies and, if the shouts of "fore" and the clatter of timber occasionally accompanied the matches in the final of the Pierce Purcell Shield, it still remains the competition that has most in common with the majority of club players.
While Banbridge, a team that includes Richard Kilpatrick in his swansong to amateur golf before starting life as a professional, beat Portmarnock in one semi-final of the Irish Senior Cup, and Co Sligo accounted for Castletroy in the other to set up an intriguing final today, the vast majority of the roars that sounded round the Shandon Park course accompanied a fierce duel played out by Warrenpoint, who eventually prevailed by 3-2, and Donabate in the Pierce Purcell Shield.
The foursomes format in the Pierce Purcell, with players of handicaps between 12 and 15 but playing off scratch, usually produces its fair share of the good and the bad. This final didn't disappoint, with Warrenpoint looking likely winners early on in the proceedings, only to have to dig deep into their reservoirs of fortitude to see off a game Donabate side by the narrowest of margins.
Warrenpoint's Seamus Sands and Damian Flanagan won the top match over Michael Fearon and Ciarán Kirwan by 4 and 3, while Donabate's two points were claimed with some comfort: Ken Bradshaw and Brendan Bowe were always in control against Noel Devine and Anthony Campbell, winning by 5 and 3, and Colm Browne and Joe Dowling accounted for Michael Redmond and Michael McGivern by 3 an 2.
Elsewhere, though, it was far from straightforward.
The outcome of the second match, indeed, was not determined until the 18th green, where Warrenpoint's Seamus Colgan and Paul Devlin emerged one hole winners over Dougie Robertson and Austin Kealy.
The encounter had more than its share of drama, including two instances where Warrenpoint lost holes over rule technicalities and must have wondered if the golfing gods were conspiring against them.
The first incident came on the sixth hole, where Colgan hit a huge drive down the 455-yard par four, only for the ball to hit his partner's trolley, which had been left three-quarters of the way down the fairway, a couple of yards into the intermediate cut of rough. It resulted in the loss of the hole.
By the time the players reached the 14th tee, the Warrenpoint duo of Colgan and Devlin had managed to edge ahead into a one hole lead. However, a further rules incident occurred by the 14th green, where Donabate requested Warrenpoint to mark their ball, even though it was slightly off the green. Having marked the ball, Devlin failed to hold it correctly, the Donabate players believing that he had briefly taken it from view and possibly moved it in his hands.
Referee Tom Jones deemed that Devlin had innocently infringed the rule, and, again, Warrenpoint lost the hole for the match to go back to all square.
In a tense conclusion, Warrenpoint regained the lead on the 15th, and then went two up on the 16th where Kealy's drive was lost in trees down the right.
Donabate, though, battled to the end, winning the 17th in a fine par, before Warrenpoint's Colgan coolly holed the putt to half the 18th and win the match by one hole.
That was the critical match, although Warrenpoint's victory wasn't finalised until Kieran Caldwell and Andrew Ferguson won their match against Dermot Cullen and Pat McCrudden on the 17th. Caldwell and Ferguson had won the first six holes, at which stage they were galloping to victory, only for the Donabate men to fight back and chip away, only for time to eventually run out on them.
Banbridge cruised to a 4½ to ½ win over Portmarnock in their Senior Cup semi-final, with Kilpatrick - who flies over to England after today's final to prepare for the European Tour's Stage One qualifying - recording the biggest win of all, by 6 and 5 over David Kelleher.
Kilpatrick's performance was highlighted by a run of four successive winning holes from the sixth. Rory Leonard, Alistar McCully and Irish international Connor Doran were also comfortable winners.
Co Sligo's route to the final was slightly harder earned, but Martin McTernan's 3 and 2 win over Stephen Moloney in the top singles led the way for the team that also saw Seryth Heavey - who took control of his match over Eamonn Haugh with winning birdies a the 11th and 12th - and Gary McDermott win, with the other two matches halved.
Muskerry, winners of the Junior Cup on Thursday, stayed on course for a national double after defeating Tullamore 4-1 in the Jimmy Bruen Shield, where they will meet Scrabo, another club celebrating its centenary, who accounted for Tuam.
Results
PIERCE PURCELL SHIELD
Final: Warrenpoint 3 Donabate 2 (Warrenpoint names first): S Sands, D Flanagan bt M Fearon, C Kirwan 4 and 3; S Colgan, P Devlin bt D Robertson, A Kealy 1 hole; N Devine, A Campbell lost to K Bradshaw, B Bowe 5 and 3; K Caldwell, A Ferguson bt D Cullen, P McCrudden 2 and 1; M Redmond, M McGivern lost to C Browne, J Dowling 3 and 2.
IRISH SENIOR CUP
Semi-finals: Banbridge 4½ Portmarnock ½ (Banbridge first): R Leonard bt M Brett 5 and 4; A McCully bt G Lenehan 3 and 2; R Kilpatrick bt D Kelleher 6 and 5; C Doran bt A Morrow 4 and 3; J Carvill halved with N Goulding. Co Sligo 4 Castletroy 1 (Co Sligo first): M McTernan bt Moloney 3 and 2; K O'Neill halved with C Daly; S Heavey bt E Haugh 4 and 3; G McDermott bt J Tobin 5 and 4; D Dunne halved with J Kavanagh.
JIMMY BRUEN SHIELD
Semi-finals: Muskerry 4 Tullamore 1 (Muskerry first): P Herlihy, D Lynch bt D Hughes, K McEntee 1 hole; D Hallissey, E O'Callaghan halved with P Keegan, J O'Shea; D Lane, O'Callaghan halved with E Flanagan, J Hopkins; J Hornibrook, N O'Brien bt L Hoctor, N Mannion 5 and 4; G Barry, J Solan bt M Byrne, J Morris 4 and 3. Scrabo 4 Tuam 1 (Scrabo first): T Bailie, B Fulton bt T McHugh, D O'Connor 4 and 3; D Graham, R Corry bt J Crisham, O Monaghan 3 and 2; N Carson, Henderson bt S Acton, P Forde 1 hole; D Thompson, M Johnston halved with T Farrell, B Flesk; T Mageean, G Thompson halved with P King, T Gohery.
TODAY'S DRAW
SENIOR CUP FINAL: Banbridge v Co Sligo (Banbridge first): 9.00 - Leonard v McTernan. 9.10 - Kilpatrick v Heavey. 9.20 - Doran v O'Neill. 9.30 - McCully v McDermott. 9.40 - Carvill v Dunne.
JIMMY BRUEN SHIELD FINAL: Muskerry v Scrabo (Muskerry first): 10.30 - Herlihy, Lynch v Bailie, Fulton. 10.40 - Hallissey, E O'Callaghan v Thompson, Johnston. 10.50 - Lane, J O'Callaghan v Graham, Corry. 11.00 - Hornibrook, O'Brien v Carson, Henderson. 11.10 - Barr, Solan v Mageean, Thompson.
