Four Leinster sides took to Shannon for one final day of action in the AIG Women’s Minor Foursomes and AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield finals with the prestigious green pennants finding their new homes in Wexford and Louth at the end of another brilliant day of play.
With play-offs needed to decide both of yesterday’s Jimmy Bruen semi-finals, a tightly contested final was expected on Saturday morning as Ardee and Abbeyleix faced off.
Match 1 would prove how tight this contest would be with neither side able to be separated after 18 holes, a half-point a piece following the opening tie.
The remaining three games would be nip and tuck all morning and into the early afternoon with both teams trading holes throughout the contest until finally, Ardee’s playoff heroes Brian Keenan and Kevin Commins found some daylight before securing the first point of the match with a 3&2 win in Match 3.
With 1.5 points secured just one more win would be needed for co-manager Eddie Burke’s men and on the 18th hole Liam Travers and Mannie McLoughlin secured that vital point, McLoughlin lagging his putt up to the hole from the edge of the green before hands were shaken and the match was conceded.
“It’s unreal, over the moon. Such a match, it was down to the wire on the 18th. Fantastic panel and fantastic supporters. Just a dream come true. They deserve it, they were very professional about the job, they didn’t take a drink, they done their swimming, fitness everything and everything was concentrated on the Jimmy Bruen and they deserve what they get, you deserve what you put into it and they put one big shift into it” said Burke.
“It will take me a couple of days to get my head around it. I couldn’t sleep last night thinking I had changed the team a bit, did I do it right, you never know if you did right or not, but it worked out and that’s the main thing.”
Courtown captain Jackie Hamilton had said after yesterday’s semi-final win that they “need to go all the way” and that is exactly what the Wexford side did, putting together some impressive performances when taking the Women’s Minor Foursomes crown.
Hamilton stuck with the same pairs and the same order of play which had seen them through against Shannon the day before and though they had tasted defeated in their match the previous day, Mary O’Connor and Elaine Fitzgerald would get the ball rolling this time around, securing a 5&4 win in Match 1 to get Courtown off to a great start.
The momentum was built early, and it didn’t take long before points two and three were added with Tina Smith and Gay Gahan producing a dominant display in winning Match 4 8&6 before Mary Cooper and Margaret Dooley secured their second victory of the weekend and the overall win when taking Match 3 7&5.
“What a wonderful achievement for all the girls, they’ve done a great job, absolutely wonderful team, delighted with them.” said Hamilton.
“They were winners anyway. I told them to go out and turn the silver medal into a gold, that was their job today and they did it, fantastic.”
View the final scores here