UCD, Maynooth and UCC dominate Colleges Match Play

An aerial view of Woodbrook Golf Club, venue for this week's Irish Colleges Match Play finals. Picture © Jamie Gibson/Woodbrook GC

The University of Ulster’s reign as Irish Colleges Match Play champions is now over after both their Gold and Navy teams were defeated at Woodbrook in the quarter-finals by UCD and UCC respectively.

For UCD, Ted Collins was the hero with victory at the final green against Ross Dutton. Earlier, John Conroy had beaten Mark Morrissey 4/3 and Jonathan Yates saw off Roisin Brady by 7/6. 
The other two matches, between Ali McQuillan and Liam Harnett, and Neil McKinstry and Irish Intervarsity champion Alex Gleeson, being declared halved.

For UCC, the denouement was even more exciting. In the top match, Ben Murray scored a crucial victory at the 19th against James Lindsay, before which Matthew McClean had put Ulster on the board with a 7 and 6 win over Paula Walsh.

Paul McCarthy scored a big win over Ulster’s stalwart, Ryan Gribben, by 3/2, but Irish Ladies Close champion Paula Grant hit back for Ulster, draining a 60-foot putt on the last to beat Paul Tobin by two holes.

It all came down to the fifth match, between Greg O’Mahony and former Irish Youths champion Tiarnan McLarnon. O’Mahony led by two with three to play, but McLarnon drew within one as they came to the final hole.

However, McLarnon’s tee shot went out of bounds, leaving O’Mahony to calmly find the fairway and hit a solid approach to the front of the green, sealing victory.

Maynooth University’s (a) and (b) teams, meanwhile, advanced with minimum fuss. Their (a) side featured four players who were part of Ireland’s 2013 Home Internationals victory in England, and they piled on the pressure from the start against a gallant IADT, Dun Laoighaire. Robin Dawson (7/6), Jack Walsh (4/3), Stuart Grehan (7/6) and Ronan Mullarney (5/4) all scored victories, while Sean Flanagan was called in against Marc Nolan.

The B team came up against resolute opposition from Waterford IT, with Dylan O’Connor scoring an early victory for the Deise against Jack McDonnell.

However, Sean Walsh (5/4), Stephen Kinch (2/1), Darragh Congdon (3/2) and Eoghan O’Donovan (7/6) ensured the progress of Maynooth’s second team, who go into the semi-final looking to prove a point against the (a) team.

In the Intervarsity Plate semi-final series, Queens University and IT Carlow advanced to the final by finishing first and second in the stableford repechage.

Cian Kidney of UCC shot the best score of a rain-soaked afternoon – a one-over score of 35 points.

IRISH COLLEGES MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, At Woodbrook Golf Club

QUARTER FINALS Thursday 12 March 2015

IADT, Dun Laoghaire 0.5 Maynooth University (a) 4.5

1. Conor McGowan lost to Robin Dawson 7/6
2. Ian Bentham lost to Jack Walsh 4/3
3. Conor Nolan lost to Stuart Grehan 7/6
4. Marcus Looby lost to Ronan Mullarney 5/4
5. Marc Nolan halved with Sean Flanagan

Ulster University (Gold) 1 University College Dublin 4

1. Mark Morrissey lost to John Conroy 4/3
2. Ross Dutton lost to Ted Collins 1 hole 
3. Ali McQuillan halved with Liam Harnett
4. Roisin Brady lost to Jonathan Yates 7/6
5. Neil McKinstry halved with Alex Gleeson

University College Cork 3 Ulster University (Navy) 2

1. Ben Murray beat James Lindsay at 19th
2. Paul Tobin lost to Paula Grant 2 holes
3. Paula Walsh lost to Matt McClean 7/6
4. Paul McCarthy beat Ryan Gribben 3/2
5. Greg O’Mahony beat Tiarnan McLarnon 2 holes

Waterford IT 1 Maynooth University (b) 4

1. Dylan O’Connor beat Jack McDonnell 5/4
2. Niall Kennedy lost to Sean Walsh 5/4
3. Derek Power lost to Stephen Kinch 2/1
4. Glenn Austin lost to Darragh Congdon 3/2
5. Warren DeCourcy lost to Eoghan O’Donovan 7/6

IRISH COLLEGES MATCH PLAY PLATE

Semi-Final Repechage, at Woodbrook Golf Club, Thursday 12 March 2015

Queens University 94

• Jessica Ross 31
• Jamie Sutherland 30
• Adam Brown 33
• Jack McLean 22
• Chris Morgan 28

IT Carlow 88

• Cathal O’Neill 28
• Jack Alton 32
• David Fitzgerald 23
• Kevin Holland 28
• Brian Doran 28

(Queens and IT Carlow advance to final)

University College Cork (b) 85

• Gabriel Leacy 27
• Conor Morrissey 19
• Gordian Barry 23
• Cian Kidney 35

Trinity College Bluejays 82

• Aaron Reen 22
• Eoin Herlihy 27
• Conor Fitzgerald 24
• Conor O’Mara 12
• Conor Ringland 31

IT Sligo 80

• Declan Reidy 29
• Aaron Darcy 26
• Mark Mulvany 25
• Stephen Rowland 24
• Roy O’Neill 25

Royal College of Surgeons 75

• Alex Hrycko 29
• Greg Gibson 29
• Andrew Begg 17
• TJ Beggs 11

Friday 13 March 2015, Irish Colleges Match Play Championship 

Semi-Finals

• 0730: Maynooth (a) v Maynooth (b)
• 0815: UCD v UCC

Final at 1230 approx.

Irish Colleges Match Play Plate

Final - Queens University v IT Carlow