Amateur golfBrian KeoghAIG Ladies Cups and Shields, Lee Valley GC

Lee Valley win AIG Minor Cup before darkness stops play at Malone

Amateur golfBrian KeoghAIG Ladies Cups and Shields, Lee Valley GC
Lee Valley win AIG Minor Cup before darkness stops play at Malone
Angela Corcoran (Team Manager) of the Lee Valley Minor Cup team with team members ( from left) Yvonne Barrett, Breda O'Callaghan, Helen Gough, Jane O'Neill, Deirdre Lee, Aideen Fitzgerald and Rose Driscoll after their victory at the AIG Ladies Cups …

Angela Corcoran (Team Manager) of the Lee Valley Minor Cup team with team members ( from left) Yvonne Barrett, Breda O'Callaghan, Helen Gough, Jane O'Neill, Deirdre Lee, Aideen Fitzgerald and Rose Driscoll after their victory at the AIG Ladies Cups & Shields at Malone Golf Club. Picture by Pat Cashman

Mother nature was the big winner as darkness descended and left two thrilling finals hanging in the balance until this morning in the AIG Ladies Cups and Shields Finals at Malone.

Lee Valley were crowned AIG Minor Cup champions but Killarney, Roscommon, Carton House and Cahir Park will have to wait until today to find out if they have won an All Ireland pennant after a dramatic third day.

Both the AIG Senior Cup and Intermediate Cup finals were suspended until 10 am today due to lack of light as they headed down the 21st and 23rd holes respectively

As their Munster sisters were left in suspense, Lee Valley beat Mountbellew 4-1 to claim the Minor Cup and their third All Ireland in five years.

Wins for Rose Driscoll and Breda O’Callaghan left them on the brink before Deirdre Lee secured the win for the Cork club on the 19th.

“We’re absolutely thrilled, it could have gone either way right up until the end, it was an amazing contest,” said Lee Valley captain Angela Corcoran after the win.

"We have won two Intermediate Cups and now a Minor Cup in the last five years, it’s a huge honour for our 25-year-old club!”

In the AIG Intermediate Cup final, Carton House and Cahir Park were tied 2-2 and after both Patricia Browne and Ann McQuillan missed chances for victory at the 19th and 20th there was still no winner after four extra holes.

Lee Valley's Deirdre Lee with her caddy Shelly Murray after winning her match on the 19th green to win the Minor Cup at the AIG Ladies Cups & Shields at Malone Golf Club (29/09/2017). Picture by Pat Cashman

Lee Valley's Deirdre Lee with her caddy Shelly Murray after winning her match on the 19th green to win the Minor Cup at the AIG Ladies Cups & Shields at Malone Golf Club (29/09/2017). Picture by Pat Cashman

With rain falling in the gathering gloom, the managers agreed to suspend play and continue the match on the 23rd today.

It was just as dramatic in the AIG Senior Foursomes, which was deadlocked at 1-1 with the final match between Killarney's Rosemary and Paula Quinn and Roscommon's Eimear O'Donnell and Amy Arthur suspended after 20 holes.

Winners of the Irish Senior Cup in August, Killarney were aiming for their second national pennant of the year against a Roscommon side playing its first All-Ireland final.

But while Mary Sheehy and Fidelma O’Connor beat Sinead Benedetti and Mary Lalor by two holes to put Killarney ahead, Roscommon pair Ruth Lennon and Ciara Hereward-Ryan beat Deirdre Prendergast and Ann Moynihan-Rudden 5 and 3 to level the scores before the final match was suspended by darkness. 

The day ended up as a major anti-climax for the supporters and spectators watching the tie holes and also for Connacht club Mountbellew, who went to Malone with hopes of a triple crown and came away empty-handed.

Following the Intermediate Cup side's defeat in the quarter-finals on Wednesday and yesterday's Minor Cup final defeat to Lee Valley, all hope rested their Challenge Cup team's semi-final clash with Fintona.

However, they went down 4-1 to the Tyrone ladies who now go on to face Malahide, who were 3.5-1.5 winners over Doneraile, in today's final.

In the AIG Junior Cup, Limerick beat Stackstown 3-2 and will face Athenry in today's final after the Galway club cruised to a 4-1 win over Royal Curragh.

In the AIG Junior Foursomes semi-finals, Ballykisteen beat Woodbrook 2-1 and now face Portumna, 3-0 winners over The Heath, for the coveted green pennant.

AIG Junior Foursomes Semi-Finals

Ballykisteen 2 Woodbrook 1 (Ballykisteen names first) 

  1. Jane Cowhey & Catherine Murphy lost to Gail Wolfe & Siobhan Ward 4&3; Catherine English & Nessa Fahy O’Donnell bt Bridgette Byrne & Susan O’Dwyer 1 hole; Sarah Toomey & Mary Toomey bt Ger Cantrell & Marcell Acton 2&1

Portumna 3 The Heath 0 (Portumna names first)

  1. Mary Kelly & Brid Kelly bt Sadie Ging & Mary Malone 2&1
  2. Carmel Cunningham & Bernie Kilmartin bt Helen Kelly & May Tyrrell 4&3
  3. Mary McElroy & Mary Madden bt Mary Cushen & Ann Dunne 3&2

AIG Junior Cup Semi-Finals

Limerick 3 Stackstown 2 (Limerick names first)

  1. Emma Guinnane lost to Mairaid Cronin 1 hole
  2. Fiona McGann bt Mary Horn 3&1
  3. Siobhan Conway lost to Kate O’Connor 1 hole
  4. Emily Walsh bt Marian White 5&4
  5. Heather Fitzgerald bt Anne O’Connor 3&1

Athenry 4 Royal Curragh 1 (Athenry names first)

  1. Marie Carr bt Regina Foley 1 hole
  2. Nicola Nally bt Mary McNally 6&5
  3. Pat Jacobsen halved with Mary O’Meara (called-in)
  4. Nicola Burke halved with Caroline Condon (called-in)
  5. Teresa Coen bt Marie Egan 5&3.

AIG Challenge Cup Semi-Finals

Malahide 4.5 Doneraile 0.5 (Malahide names first)

  1. Vanessa McCann bt Marie Kelleher 8&6
  2. Niamh Clarke bt Jean Harrington 19th
  3. Louise Lynch bt Noreen Roche 2 holes
  4. Maire Falvey halved with Sarah Coughlan (called-in)
  5. Louise Young bt Marie Murphy 3&1.

Fintona 4 Mountbellew 1 (Fintona names first)

  1. Pat Quinn lost to Emma Morrow 8&6
  2. Bernie McCillen bt Mary Ryan 2&1
  3. Angela Montague bt Bridie Jones 1 hole
  4. Fanchea Donnelly bt Mary Dolan 2&1
  5. Kathleen Donnelly bt Bernadette Jordan 4&3

AIG Minor Cup Final

Mountbellew 1 Lee Valley 4 (Mountbellew names first) 

  1. Rose Driscoll bt Katie Coleman 2&1
  2. Deirdre Lee bt Kathleen Raftery 19th
  3. Jane O’Neill halved with Geraldine Coyne (called-in)
  4. Breda O’Callaghan bt Patricia Burke 2&1
  5. Helen Gough halved with Rose Devaney (called-in)

AIG Intermediate Cup Final

Cahir Park vs. Carton House TBC (Cahir Park names first)

  1. Emma Fox bt Susan Carey 19th
  2. Maura Bruton lost to Michelle Keating 7&5
  3. Siobhan Plunkett bt Breda Keating 2&1
  4. Ros McCarthy lost to Joanne Quaid Noonan 2&1
  5. Ann McQuillan vs. Patricia Browne TBC (AS thru 22)

AIG Senior Foursomes Final

Roscommon vs. Killarney TBC (Roscommon names first) 

  1. Sinead Benedetti & Mary Lalor lost to Mary Sheehy & Fidelma O’Connor 2 holes
  2. Ruth Lennon & Ciara Hereward-Ryan bt Deirdre Prendergast & Ann Moynihan-Rudden 5&3
  3. Paula Quinn & Rosemary O’Brien vs. Eimear O’Donnell & Amy Arthur TBC (AS thru 20)

Today

  • 10:00 Senior Foursomes Final & Intermediate Cup Final resume play
  • 10:00 Junior Foursomes Final - Ballykisteen v Portumna
  • 10:40 Junior Cup Final - Limerick v Athenry
  • 11:30 Challenge Cup Final - Malahide v Fintona.