Limerick clinch AIG Barton Shield and first leg of rare double
Limerick Golf Club Barton Shield team (from left) Ciaran Vaughan, Michael Reddan , Justin Kehoe, Owen O'Brien and Sean Enright celebrate victory on the 15th green at the 2019 AIG Cups and Shields Finals at Westport Golf Club today (20/09/2019). Picture by Pat Cashman
Limerick Golf Club clinched the first leg of what would be a marvellous double when they beat County Sligo by seven holes to end a 43-year wait for AIG Barton Shield glory in high winds at a sun-kissed Westport.
The Munster champions, who face Galway in the AIG Senior Cup semi-finals today, faced a tough semi-final clash with Warrenpoint.
But they sprung a surprise to win by two holes as the men from Rosses Point made it a double shock with a seven-hole demolition of last year's All Ireland runners-up Dundalk, who had Walker Cup star Caolan Rafferty in their ranks.
Limerick decided to drop 39-year-old former South of Ireland champion Justin Kehoe for the final, fearing he might struggle for distance in winds that were gusting well over 30 mph.
It was a tough decision for skipper Juan Fitzgerald to bring in Sean Enwright for the Birr native who had partnered Owen O'Brien to a gutsy one-hole win over international Colm Campbell and Ryan Gribben in the morning.
But his gamble paid off as Enwright partnered O'Brien to a two-hole win over brothers TJ and Daniel Ford — O'Brien's 25 footer at the 15th falling on its last revolution to seal overall victory.
The real damage was inflicted by Michael Reddan and Ciaran Vaughan, who completed a remarkable unbeaten run through the competition when they beat Ruairi O'Connor and Thomas Finnegan by five holes.
"It's been a fantastic journey for us in the Barton Shield," said Limerick skipper Juan Fitzgerald of the club's first success in the blue riband foursomes event since 1976, when they also won the Senior Cup to complete a double they will seek to emulate this weekend.
"We had to make some tough decisions because we had a lot of good players in our squad.
"You can only play four at any one time, so you're always going to have fellas who are disappointed.
"We made a decision to change the team in the afternoon, which is a hard thing to do.
"Justin [Kehoe] played really well this morning, but we just felt the golf course is so long and the wind is so strong that we probably needed someone like Sean Enright to come in and boost the side in the afternoon.
"We've been unlucky in a few Irish finals. Sligo beat us back in 2006 at Enniscrone so we kind of owed them one really. It was a very sporting game. I have great friends in Sligo Golf Club, I hope I still have them after today."
There was no joy for Munster, however, in the semi-finals of the AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield as Nenagh fell 3.5-1.5 to The Island who now face Tandragee, who were 3.5-1.5 winners over Roscommon.
The Dublin club looked to set to clinch the third point when the Hurley brothers Conor and Cillian went four up with four to play against Brian Freeman and Matthew O'Gara Jnr.
But while the Nenagh pair fought back to win the last four holes and send the match up the 19th, the missed a ten-footer for birdie at the 19th, and Conor Hurley made his eight-footer to win the match.
"We gave them a fright," said Nenagh captain, Collwyn Martin. "We are bitterly disappointed. This is our fifth year together, and we are after losing two Munster finals, a Munster semi and now an All Ireland semi.
"They got putts we didn't. But look, that's golf. We lost to a great birdie. They were good winners, and I hope they go on and do it."
The Island's skipper Humphrey Kelleher — a former Dublin hurling manager — was thrilled.
"It is 14 years since The Island last won a pennant - the Jimmy Bruen in 2005 in Rosslare," he said. "The team is brand new with the exception of Paul Cullen, who played in the first match today. We have a lot of inexperienced, young guys, so we are thrilled."
Tandragee have never won a green pennant, and the Co Armagh club was delighted to beat Roscommon and make another All Ireland final.
"Early doors we were under the cosh with one of our pairings," said captain Brian Fyffe. "Jeff Forde and Aidan Place were four down early but remarkably, they managed to win two up and get us over the line.
"We last got to the All Ireland Finals in 2013 at Royal Tara, but we have never won an All Ireland. I am so proud of the boys. We are a great team. We started in May, and it is a long journey."
In the AIG Pierce Purcell Shield, Charleville beat Rossmore 3.5-1.5 and now meet Castlebar for the title after the Mayo men beat a Cill Dara side featuring former Derby winner Christy Roche 3.5-1.5.
"It was a very tight match and we got lucky in the end," Charleville Captain Anthony Fitzgerald said.
They face a tough task against Castlebar, who are managed by the same team that brought them AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield glory in 2017.
"It was very tight," said club captain Gerry O'Malley. "Cill Dara gave us a good battle and we just came good in the end.
"They tried to come back at us in the end with Dessie Scahill and Anthony McCormack taking us to the 19th but we just came good with Colin Dawson and Pat Waldron getting us over the line."
AIG Cups & Shields All-Ireland Finals, Westport GC
AIG Barton Shield
Semi-Finals
Limerick bt Warrenpoint 2 holes:
C Vaughan & M Reddan bt P Reavey & R Carvill 1 h;
O O’Brien & J Kehoe bt C Campbell & R Gribben 1 h.
Dundalk lost to Co Sligo 7 h
J Mackin & A Grant lost to R O’Connor & T Finnegan 7 hs;
C Rafferty & E Murphy halved with TJ Ford & Daniel Ford.
Final
Limerick bt Co Sligo 7 holes
Vaughan & Reddan bt O’Connor & Finnegan 5 hls;
O’Brien & S Enright bt Ford & Ford 2 hls.
AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield, Semi-Finals
The Island 3.5, Nenagh 1.5
J Grant Jnr & P Cullen lost to C O’Dwyer & T O’Gara 2&1;
JW White & J Blake bt R Hurley & P Hackett 1 h;
C Hurley & C Hurley bt B Freeman & M O’Gara Jnr 19th;
C McCormack & R Govan bt M Scroope & J Adler 3&1;
J Gartland & C McGleenon halved with M Corrigan & B Hackett.
Roscommon 1.5 Tandragee 3.5
K Connaughton & JWalker halved with D Acheson & J Quinn;
F Grehan & J McHale lost to C Fearon & A Proctor 3&2;
J Sharkey & D Farrell lost to B Boyd & J McConville 2&1;
F Hoard & S McGahon lost to J Forde & A Place 2&1;
M Farrell & S McConn bt P Headley & J Campbell 5&3.
AIG Pierce Purcell Shield, Semi-Finals
Rossmore 1.5 Charleville 3.5
A Finnegan & J McKenna bt M Thompson & O Kennedy 4&3;
J Corrigan & P Trappe lost to T Barry & D Deady 3&2;
P Bennett & B Gilbane lost to C Herlihy & P O’Kelly 5&4;
R O’Donnell & A Trappe lost to G Mullane & J O’Keeffe 3&1;
B Casey & D McMahon halved with S Twomey & E Leahy.
Cill Dara 1.5 Castlebar 3.5
M Dowling & P Moran lost to R Prendergast & D Prendergast 4&3;
D Scahill & A McCormack halved with S Haugh & P Rice;
M Malone & C Roche lost to D Molloy & V Jennings 5&3;
C O’Leary & D Loakman bt J Quigley & P Fitzgerald 8&7;
N Flanagan & E Cross lost to C Dawson & P Waldron 3&1.
Today
AIG Senior Cup Semi-Finals
(0830) Massereene v Carton House:
T McLarnon v G McDermott;
D Jackson v D Flynn;
D Turkington v K Egan;
E McArthur v E Sullivan;
R McCullagh v P O’Hanlon.
(0915) Galway v Limerick:
L O’Neill v O O’Brien;
R Mullarney v S Enright;
E McCormack v C Vaughan;
J Lyons v P Naughton;
L Nolan v S Poucher.
AIG Junior Cup Semi-Finals
(1010) Malone v Westport:
L O’Sullivan v R Hehir;
F Dobbin v R Mahon;
M Deane v A Browne;
B Connolly v F Rothwell;
J Thompson v S Larkin.
(1055) Dun Laoghaire v Tramore:
B Begley v M Walshe;
P McCann v D Bennett;
J Campbell v D Spillane;
K Giblin v R Keighery;
S Varian v P Power.
AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield Final
(1200) The Island v Tandragee:
J Grant & P Cullen v B Boyd & J McConville;
JW White & J Blake v C Fearon & A Proctor;
C Hurley & C Hurley v J Quinn & D Acheson;
C McCormack & R Govan v J Haffey & A Thompson;
J Gartland & C McGleenon v J Forde & A Place.
AIG Pierce Purcell Shield Final
(1300) Charleville v Castlebar:
O Kennelly & S Twomey v S Haugh & P Rice;
D Deady & T Barry v R Prendergast & D Prendergast;
P O’Kelly & C Herlihy v J Quigley & C Rose;
J O’Keeffe & G Mullane v D Molloy & V Jennings;
JP Collins & D Deady v C Dawson & P Waldron.
