Captain Tony Neville might have lost his match with partner Margaret Ann Killeen, but he didn’t mind in the end, as Woodstock won the next three to beat Castlebar 3-1 and come out on top in a competition that attracted entries from 232 clubs.
“Great day,” Tony said at the finish. “I’m just in off the course, exhausted. I got drafted in this morning; it just shows that we have a decent squad there.
“We have 12 or 13 very good players, and we can chop and change to suit on the day.
“We met a fantastic Castlebar team. All credit to them, they were brilliant. We got a few putts early today, and it just made the difference. “Everyone is delighted; to go home with a medal is a great achievement. It’s actually hard to fathom. Just a middle-sized club, to take on the best in Ireland and beat them is just brilliant. Another All-Ireland for Ennis, for Clare.”
Mark Corrigan and Margaret Tighe combined for the only win for Castlebar in the top match but Woodstock weren’t taken past the 16th in the other three.
Mike Kelly and Anne Marie Russell won 7&6 to level the scores before Pat O’Brien and Hannah O’Brien (3&2) and John M O’Connor and Eilis Neville (4&3) sealed a famous win for a club that has produced the likes of Curtis Cup star Aine Donegan.
Woodstock beat Muskerry 3-1 in the quarter-final and Portlaoise 2½ -1½ in the semis to surprise themselves by making it all the way to the final.
“It was a bit casual earlier on in the year, but we got on a run,” Neville said.
For Castlebar, it was a case of what might have been.
They beat Roe Park 3-1 on their first visit to Oughterard for the quarter-finals but it was tougher in the semis, where they had to go to the 19th to defeat Belvoir Park.
When Corrigan and Tighe got them off to the perfect start, they could dare to dream, but as Cork discovered at Croke Park in July, the Banner doesn’t mind going behind early when there’s an All-Ireland title on the line. Irish Mixed Fourball Finals at Oughterard GC Quarter-finals: Portlaoise 2½, Rathfarnham 1½ ; Woodstock 3, Muskerry 1; Belvoir Park 2½, Luttrellstown 1½ ; Castlebar 3, Roe Park 1. Semi-finals: Woodstock 2½ , Portlaoise 1½ ; Castlebar 2, Belvoir Park 2 (Castlebar won on the 19th). Final: Castlebar 1, Woodstock 3 (Castlebar names first) Mark Corrigan (0) & Margaret Tighe (5) bt Tony Neville (0) & Margaret Ann Killeen (2) 3&1; John Kelly (0) & Derval Molloy (3) lost to Mike Kelly (2) & Anne Marie Russell (1) 7&6; Johan Collins (0) & Gina Kelly (7) lost to Pat O’Brien (2) & Hannah O’Brien (14) 3&2 Gary Canny (0) & Deirdre Moylette (10) lost to John M. O’Connor (2) & Eilis Neville (15) 4&3.
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