Leading qualifier Valerie Clancy remains on course for victory in the Irish Women’s Close Championship after she beat Roscommon’s Chloe O’Connor 4 and 3 in the first round at Enniscrone.

She now faces Maynooth University scholar Molly Dowling, a past Mid Leinster Women’s Champion, in the second round after the Lucan player beat Forrest Little and Auburn’s Julie McCarthy 3 and 2.
 
With some big names bowing out, including 2017 runner-up Ciara Casey, the Championship remains wide open.

Lahinch’s Sinead Sexton survived a scare after she was taken to the 23rd by 13-year old Emma Fleming from Elm Park.

Three down at the turn, Fleming held her nerve and holed a five-foot putt on the 18th to take the match to extra holes, then made a 10 footer at the 19th before she failed to get up and down for par at the fifth tie hole.

Hopes of a Connacht win now lie with Ballinrobe’s Shannon Burke after Enniscrone’s Hilary Hall was beaten by Laytown & Bettystown’s Eleanor Metcalfe.
 
In the Ita Wallace Trophy, Elm Park’s Leah Temple-Lang will take on The Heath’s Mary Doyle after she made six birdies in a 3 and 2 win over clubmate Anna Foste.

Grange’s Elisa Corcoran will face Shannon’s Lisa O’Shea in the other semifinal.

Irish Women’s Close Championship, Enniscrone

Round One - Sunday, 17 June

1. Valerie Clancy (Killarney) beat Chloe O’Connor (Roscommon) 4&3
2. Molly Dowling (Lucan) beat Julie McCarthy (Forrest Little) 3&2 
3. Lucy Simpson (Royal Portrush) beat Georgia Carr (Milltown) 2up 
4. Sara Byrne (Douglas) beat Beth Coulter (Kirkistown Castle) 5&4
5. Deirdre Smith (Co. Louth) beat Clodagh Coughlan (Douglas) 3&2
6. Sinead Sexton (Lahinch) beat Emma Fleming (Elm Park) 23rd
7. Kate Dwyer (Rossmore) beat Lauren Walsh (Castlewarden) 1up
8. Sarah Cunningham (Ennis) beat Kate Lanigan (Hermitage) 1up
9. Jan Browne (Kilkenny) beat Ciara Casey (Hermitage) 2&1
10. Eleanor Metcalfe (Laytown & Bettystown) bt Hilary Hall (Enniscrone) 2&1
11. Jessica Ross (Clandeboye) beat Katie O’Hart (Courtown) 2&1
12. Louise Coffey (Malone) beat Aoife Ní Thuama (Douglas) 2up
13. Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) beat Alison Taylor (Malahide) 5&4
14. Meadhbh Doyle (Portarlington) beat Claire Staunton (Ballinasloe) 7&6
15. Aine Donegan (Woodstock) beat Anna Dawson (Tramore) 3&2
16. Maeve Cummins (Lurgan) beat Rachel McDonnell (Elm Park) 19th

Round Two – Monday, 18 June

1. 09:00 Clancy vs. Dowling, 
2. 09:09 Simpson vs. Byrne, 
3. 09:18 Smith vs. Sexton, 
4. 09:27 Dwyer vs. Cunningham, 
5. 09:36 Browne vs. Metcalfe, 
6. 09:45 Ross vs. Coffey, 
7. 09:54 Burke vs. Doyle, 
8. 10:03 Donegan vs. Cummins

Ita Wallace Trophy (Plate)

Round 1 - Sunday, 17 June

• Leah Temple Lang (Elm Park) beat Una Marsden (Tullamore) 4&2
• Anna Foster (Elm Park) beat Clodagh Walsh (Castlewarden) 3&2
• Mary Doyle (The Heath) beat Lauren Murray (Delgany) 2&1
• Jean O’Driscoll (Muskerry) beat Corrina Griffin (Killarney) 3&2
• Katie Poots (Knock) beat Emma Thorne (Elm Park) 2&1
• Lisa O’Shea (Shannon) beat Claire McGonagle (Portsalon) 3&2
• Sarah Burke (Mullingar) beat Emma Fenlon (Grange) 2&1
• Elisa Corcoran (Grange) beat Olivia McCrystal (Holywood) 8&6

Quarterfinals — Sunday, 17 June 

• Temple Lang beat Foster 3&2
• Doyle beat O’Driscoll 3&2
• O’Shea beat Poots 2 holes 
• Corcoran beat Burke 2&1

Semi-finals — Monday, 18 June

• 08:30 Temple Lang vs. Doyle, 
• 08:39 O’Shea vs. Corcoran

 
Final — 13:30 Monday, 18 June