When Dunfanaghy GC became the fourth, and last, of the provincial winners with a two-point winning margin over host club Nuremore in the Ulster final of the Musgrave Crumlin Children's Hospital Club Challenge, it ensured that a new name will be engraved on the impressive trophy when the national finals take place in the Algarve region of Portugal next month.
Indeed, three of the provincial winners - Dunfanaghy (Ulster), Kilternan (Leinster) and Beaufort (Munster) - will be competing in the national finals for the first time. In contrast, Roscommon, who successfully regained their Connacht title, will be represented by the same three players - Gerry Kelly, Eddie Keane and John Dempsey - who played in last year's final, which was won by Limerick County.
The most clear-cut winners of all in the provincial qualifiers were the all-women team from Kilternan - Mary Courtney, Frances Mahon and Sheila Mulligan - who amassed 84 points in Mullingar, seven points ahead of their nearest pursuers, Turvey.
The other three provincial finals were close-run affairs, however.
Newly-crowned Ulster champions Dunfanaghy, with a team of three single-figure golfers, had just two points to spare over Nuremore, while Roscommon also had two points to spare over Galway in the Connacht qualifier. In Munster Beaufort edged out Cobh by a point in the rumble competition.
This year's national final will be played over Vila Sol, Salgados, Penina and Pinta in the week of October 6th-13th. This year's competition raised over £79,000 for Our Lady's Hospital.
Munster Final (at Lee Valley) Winners - Beaufort 78 pts (G Collins 21, P O'Brien 7, S Loughnane 20). Runners-up - Cobh 77 pts (P McDonagh 12, W Wright 22, D Twomey 19).
Leinster Final (at Mullingar) Winners - Kilternan 84 pts (M Courtney 15, F Mahon 18, S Mulligan 23). Runners-up - Turvey 77 pts (D O'Dea 4, T Corcoran 13, J Manton 14).
Connacht Final (at Roscommon) Winners - Roscommon 84 pts (G Kelly 13, E Keane 14, J Dempsey 12). Runners-up - Galway 82 pts (S Morris 14, P O'Toole 12, M Corcoran 11).
Ulster Final (at Nuremore) Winners - Dunfanaghy 80 pts (J Brogan 5, J McGinley 8, B Hanlon 8). Runners-up - Nuremore 78pts (J Kiernan 11, B Connolly 12, M Kiernan 15).
