Mehaffey leads from the front as Irish Girls beat Scots
Olivia Mehaffey. Picture/LGU
Olivia Mehaffey was one of the stars of the show with two wins as Ireland beat hosts Scotland 6-3 on the first day of the Girls Home International matches at Lanark.
Junior Vagliano Trophy player Shannon McWilliam and Chloe Goadby put the first point on the board for Scotland by beating Julie McCarthy and Ciara Casey 3 and 2, despite some spirited Irish resistance.
But Ireland took a 2-1 lead into the singles as the Junior Vagliano Trophy pairing of Annabel Wilson and Mairead Martin beat Hazel MacGarvie and Molly Richmond 5 and 4 with par golf - no birdies, no bogeys. Wilson and Martin were three up after eight holes and clinched victory by winning the 12th and 13th.
The Irish buggy today. Picture/LGU
Mehaffey and Niamh McSherry took on Emma Hale and Claire Robertson and while the Scots did well to be square after seven holes and were only one down with five to play, Mehaffey and McSherry chalked up their third birdie of the round at the 15th to go two up and halved the next two holes for a hard-earned 2 and 1 win and a 2-1 lead for Ireland at lunch.
In the singles, it finished 4-2 for Ireland with Mehaffey leading from the front as she made five birdies in a 5 and 4 over her Junior Vagliano Trophy team mate Shannon McWilliam at the top of the order.
Julie McCarthy, Elisa Corcoran and Lisa O’Shea also won.
Forrest Little talent McCarthy three birdies and finished roughly one under par in beating Jillian Farrell by 4 and 3 while O’Shea beat Molly Richmond by 5 and 4 with two-over-par figures that included three birdies.
Corcoran claimed the scalp of Scotland’s second Junior Vagliano Trophy player, Hazel MacGarvie, by a 5 and 3 margin.
There was some consolation for the Scots in wins by Joanne Free and Chloe Goadby against two Junior Vagliano Trophy team players in the Irish line-up, Annabel Wilson and Mairead Martin.
Free beat Wilson by one hole after winning the 13th and 14th holes to go two up. Wilson hit back with a winning bidie at the 15th but Free held on grimly to her narrow lead over the closing holes to finish one up.
The Scot was level par. Goadby was two over par in winning by 2 and 1 against Martin. The Scot led for the first time at the eighth but quickly added successes at the 10th and 11th to be three up. Martin came with a late charge, winning the 15th and 16th but Goadby won the 17th for the match.
Holders England beat Wales 8-1.
England play Scotland on Thursday with Ireland taking on the Welsh girls.