Irish Intervarsity Championship: Mullarney beats the wind at Enniscrone

Ronan Mullarney (Maynooth). Picture by Pat Cashman

Maynooth's Ronan Mullarney got off to the perfect start in his bid for his second win in a row when he opened with a one-over-par 74 to lead the battle for the men's title in the Irish Intervarsity Championship at a windy Enniscrone.

Winner of the Fife Students' Open after a playoff at Fairmont St Andrews last weekend, the Galway talent defied winds gusting over 30mph to lead by one stroke from fellow Maynooth man Cathal Butler, UCC's Ben Murray,  Dublin Business School's Anthony McDaid and Cork IT's Gary Ward.

Mullarney, who helped Galway capture the AIG Senior Cup last month, birdied the par-five second and added another 15 pars with his only bogeys of the day coming at the sixth and 17th.

Dundalk international Caolan Rafferty signed for a five-over par 78 for Maynooth on a day his namesake and college mate Joseph Rafferty is unlikely to forget in a hurry.

While he started with a triple bogey seven and ran up a nine at the par-five 14th, he finished 6-1-6 by following a bogey at the long 16th with an ace at the 17th and a double-bogey six at the 18th in an eventful 80 that also featured four birdies.

That was still good enough for a share of 26th place on a day that saw the men's field average 82.96 at the Sligo links.

In the women's championship, IT Tralee's Clodagh Jones and Maynooth University's Meadbh Doyle shot four-over par 77s to lead by one stroke from Maynooth University trio of Mary Doyle, Mo Dowling an Eleanor Metcalfe.

This season's Irish Women's Close Championship runner-up, Hermitage's Ciara Casey, lies solo third after a six-over 79.

Irish Intervarsity Championship, Enniscrone

Men (Par 73)

Detailed scores

74 R Mullarney (Maynooth University) 

75 C Butler (Maynooth University), B Murray (University College Cork), A McDaid (Dublin Business School), G Ward (Cork IT) 

76 J McVicker (Ulster University), M Burke (NUI Galway) 

77 J Hickey (Cork IT), A Fahy (Maynooth University), C Woodroofe (Maynooth University), E Smith (Maynooth University), G Fitzmaurice (University College Dublin) 

78 P O’Beirn (NUI Galway), C Rafferty (Maynooth University), M Kennelly (NUI Galway), J Hayden (University College Dublin), J Hood (Maynooth University), C Nolan (NUI Galway), J Knipe (Ulster University) 

79 C Hughes (NUI Galway), R O’Doherty (NUI Galway), D Brady (Maynooth University), C Roche (Cork IT), A Ryan (Maynooth University), D Diaz (Ulster University) 

80 L Grehan (Maynooth University), J Rafferty (Maynooth University), M Healy (University College Cork) 

81 R Steedman (Maynooth University) 

82 T Ford (Maynooth University), E Griffin (Maynooth University), J Lawlor (Maynooth University), A Mc Quillan (Ulster University) 

83 H Gillivan (Maynooth University), C Byrne (University College Dublin), C Ryan (Maynooth University), B Doggett (Dundalk IT), S Desmond (University College Cork), L Flynn (Trinity College Dublin) 

84 C McGoldrick (Dublin City University), A Comerford (NUI Galway), C Hastings (Galway-Mayo IT), J McCarthy (University College Dublin), J Mc Donnell (Maynooth University) 

85 C Friel (NUI Galway), N McKinstry (Ulster University) 

86 R Browne (University College Dublin), J Doherty (Dublin City University), M O’Farrell (NUI Galway), S Greenberg (Ulster University) 

87 J Quinn (The Island), R Dutton (Ulster University), R Dineen (Cork IT) 

88 E O’Brien (Maynooth University), C McCormack (Trinity College Dublin) 

89 C O’Carroll (Cork IT), D Mealia (Maynooth University) 

90 M Shiel (NUI Galway) 

91 T Coakley (Cork IT) 

92 K Power (University College Dublin) 

93 D Hourihan (University College Cork), D Devlin (Cork IT), E Haran (Trinity College Dublin) 

95 G Carr (Maynooth University) 

97 C Feeney (Maynooth University) 

NR D Kelly (Maynooth University), R Dunne (Maynooth University), L Power (Maynooth University), T O’Reilly (Dundalk IT), A McSweeney (Cork IT), C McDonald (Ulster University)

Women (Par 73)

Detailed scores

77 C Jones (IT Tralee), Meadbh Doyle (Maynooth University) 

78 Mary Doyle (Maynooth University), M Dowling (Maynooth University), E Metcalfe (Maynooth University) 

79 C Casey (Maynooth University) 

80 S Burke (Ulster University) 

85 J Allen (Ulster University), N Ward (Ulster University) 

86 A Ni Thuama (University College Cork), R Mc Donnell (University College Dublin) 

88 K Bromley (Ulster University) 

90 C Walsh (Maynooth University), S Lambe (Maynooth University)