Two Irish selectedTwo Irish players, Tara Delaney and Danielle McVeigh, are included in an 18-strong squad selected by the Ladies' Golf Union for close season preparation for next year's Curtis Cup at St Andrews from May 30th to June 1st.
The nine members of the team that narrowly lost to the Continent of Europe in the match for the Vagliano Trophy are also included, while Delaney, Naomi Edwards, Breanne Loucks and Melissa Reid played in the 2006 Curtis Cup match at Bandon Dunes and are certain to be at the forefront of selection when the team is announced.
Gillian Kirkwood, chairwoman of the international selection committee, said: "We have named a bigger squad than usual - 18 players - as five of them are US-based and one is in Germany, and these six might be unable to attend every session.
"It is an exceptionally strong squad and every player will have a realistic chance of being selected, even the younger players who this year have performed really well.
"Curtis Cup captain Mary McKenna and the training committee have devised a preparation programme which features a lot of competitive play, and the selectors will be looking at results over the winter, and past performances when we come to select the B&I Curtis Cup team in early spring of next year."
B&I SQUAD:Rachel Bell, Ganton; Liz Bennett, Brokenhurst Manor; Carly Booth, Comrie; Henrietta Brockway, Yeovil; Krystle Caithness, St Regulus; Tara Delaney, Carlow; Naomi Edwards, Ganton; Jodi Ewart, Catterick; Sahra Hassan, Vale of Glamorgan; Rachel Jennings, Izaak Walton; Breanne Loucks, Wrexham; Danielle McVeigh, Royal County Down Ladies; Florentyna Parker, Royal Birkdale; Melissa Reid, Chevin; Kerry Smith, Waterlooville; Michele Thomson, McDonald Ellon; Sally Watson, Elie & Earlsferry Ladies; Jenna Wilson, Strathaven. Captain, Curtis Cup Team: Mary McKenna (Donabate).
R&A axe event
The R&A is to discontinue the British Mid-Amateur Championship due to small fields and lack of quality in depth, despite various reviews over recent years.
The R&A director of championships, David Hill, said: "The British Mid-Amateur has produced some notable champions, beginning with Gary Wolstenholme in 1995, but it has struggled to establish itself as a sufficiently distinctive event in the men's amateur golfing calendar."
Boystown on their own
Boystown are the only club in a position to defend their 2006 title when the semi-finals of the AA Insurance Ladies Golf Championships tee off at Athlone Golf Club, next weekend.
Challenge Cup holders Boystown will play The K Club, with the winners meeting Galway Bay or Gracehill in the final.
Other interesting pairings will be the Intermediate meeting of East Cork with City of Derry, who play the winners of Dublin City and Enniscorthy.
Enniscorthy are one of three clubs taking part in two semi-finals, alongside Dun Laoghaire and Galway. In fact, Enniscorthy will play Dun Laoghaire in the Junior Foursomes with the winners playing either Gort or Omagh.
Dun Laoghaire's singles team play The Heath in the Minor Cup on Saturday, with the winners playing either Galway Bay or Rockmount on Sunday.
The Senior Foursomes see Galway play Larne while Curtis Cup captain Mary McKenna lines out for Donabate, who play Wicklow in the second semi-final.
The Junior Cup sees Templemore play Belvoir Park while Corrstown take on a strongly fancied Curragh side.
The semi-finals of the Intermediate Cup and the Senior and Junior Foursomes all take place on Friday, while the Junior Cup, Minor Cup and Challenge Cup take place on Saturday.
All Finals take place on Sunday with the final six winners from the 24 who started out on Friday being crowned AA Insurance Ladies Champions.
Twin challenge
An exhibition with a difference will take place at the Grange GC on Sunday next. Usually associated with the professional game or top amateurs, this exhibition, however, will be contested by the 12-year-old Maguire twins, Lisa and Leona, from the Slieve Russell GC in Cavan and two of the Grange Junior Boys.
Lisa, who plays to a two handicap, won the Leinster Girls Championship and was a semi-finalist in the Close, while Leona, who also plays to a two handicap, won the Connacht and the Scottish Girls Under-16 titles. Organised by Leinster Branch member Jimmy Greene to encourage greater participation by boys and girls at The Grange, the match tees off at noon on Sunday.
Intense competition
The North Western Alliance, which this year will be captained by Joe Blake, starts its 39th season at Letterkenny GC on Saturday week. Last year's overall winners, Enda McMenamin and Brian Patton, will be defending their titles, but with players of the calibre of Michael McGeady, Brian McElhinney, Conor Mallon and John McBride from the professional ranks competition is expected to be as intense as in previous years.
The full programme is: Sept 29th: Letterkenny; Oct 13th: North West; Nov 3rd: Ballyliffin (Old); Nov 24th: Ballyliffin (Glashedy); Dec 1st: Rosapenna; Jan 5th: Dunfanaghy; Feb 2nd: Portsalon; Feb 23rd: Rosapenna; Mar 1st: Narin and Portnoo; Mar 29th: captain's day at Letterkenny.
Barretts celebrate
Sheelagh Barrett, an experienced golfer playing off 16, had her first hole-in-one at Old Conna's par three eighth hole in late May to great delight. The eighth is a tricky "card-wrecker" of 103yds, but probably the most likely opportunity on the course for an ace. Anyway, this month husband John, a more recent convert to the game playing off 19, enjoyed the same experience of seeing his tee-shot disappear into the hole at the same hole for his first ace.
Lockhart is magic
Two was the magic number last Thursday in Greystones Golf Club in the weekly singles competition. Because three times Mary Lockhart, playing off a handicap of nine, managed to write that number on her scorecard. It went a long way to helping her total 38 points. Yet despite firing those three twos, she was still some way off winning the event, as Lisa Croke played some superb golf as she left the rest of the field trailing. Playing off 36, she amassed a fantastic 46 points and a seven-point winning margin over Dymphna Neligan, a 25 handicapper.
Society kicks off
The Cancer Care West Oyster Golf Society will see its season start at County Sligo Golf Club, Rosses Point, on Thursday, October 4th. The timesheet for the opening outing is available by contacting David at 091-529609.
All are welcome
Limerick County Golf club are running a beginners' ladies golf programme which is being supported by the Irish Ladies Golfing Union and the Irish Sports Council. The programme begins at the end of September. No clubs or previous knowledge of golf required. For further details contact Lena on 086 8459096.
Dalton's double
Winning is supposed to lessen your chances of repeating the feat soon after. But not so for Suzanne Dalton of West Waterford Golf Club. The week before last she won the weekly singles competition with a highly impressive 41 points, playing off a handicap of 29. It was good enough for a one-point winning margin over Joan Curran (24). It also saw her lose three shots off her handicap, but it didn't halt her progress, as she came out the next week and won again. Off her new handicap of 26, she shot 38 points with her nearest challenger being Mary Spratt (25) two points adrift.
Fifty mark is hit
It's not too often that the half century of points is recorded in competition. But that feat was achieved in Rosslare Golf Club last Tuesday in the weekly fourball competition. Despite playing off three-quarter handicaps, Ann Redmond - a 30 handicapper - and her partner Rita Kelly, who plays off 36, hit the often elusive 50 points mark. They were eight points ahead of their nearest challengers Mary McDonald (16) and Kathleen Cullinane (25).
Special players
Twelve golfers will be among the 142 Special Olympic Team Ireland athletes who depart for the World Games in Shanghai on Thursday next, September 27th. The golfers have put a huge effort into preparing themselves for this event, which will see 15 countries competing.
The four singles players are Oliver Doherty, Gary Fleming, Rita Dunne and Ruth O'Mahony. Paul Kilgannon and his partner, Liam Hyland, are the only Irish pairing in the Level 2 Foursomes Event. In the Skills events are Jamie Doran, Kevin O'Callaghan, Antonia Casey, Maeve Long, Rosaleen Moore and Sarah Sherwood.
Placing their Trust
The Team Ireland Golf Trust has confirmed that they will support Michael Hoey and Gareth Maybin's attempt to qualify for this year's World Cup of Golf. Hoey and Maybin will represent Ireland at the 2007 Nations Cup in Aruba, the Dutch Caribbean, which starts later this week. Ireland will be one of approximately 20 countries competing to secure one of the five qualifying sports for the World Cup to be held in China in November.
skeenan@irish-times.ie
