Shannon wins 25th JB Carr Diamond Trophy Tournament at Woodenbridge
John Carr presented the JB Carr Diamond Trophy to the winning club, Shannon, at Woodenbridge
The 25th year of the very popular JB Carr Diamond Trophy Tournament took place in Woodenbridge Golf Club over the first weekend of September, bringing the All-Ireland competition to a thrilling end.
The over-60s Scotch foursomes took place in the Garden County after over 2,000 players competed from early April across all four provinces. Over five months, more than 4,000 rounds of golf were played, with the finalists welcomed to Woodenbridge on September 2nd after a two-year break due to the pandemic.
The four provincial winners - Royal Curragh, Shannon, Castlebar and Dunmurry - were piped over the iconic bridge at the parkland course, following their managers who were holding high their respective provincial flags.
The draw took place that evening, pitting Castlebar against Shannon and Royal Curragh against Dunmurry. Castlebar was the only team to have previously reached the Finals.
Saturday morning brought very wet and challenging conditions, with other courses in the locality closing. At Woodenbridge, the gladiators competed manfully, with Shannon overcoming the conditions and Castlebar 3/2 with the final match concluding on the 18th hole. The second semi-final was even tighter with Royal Curragh overcoming Dunmurry on the 19th hole.
Sunday was a warm sunny day, but matches remained tight. Dunmurry overcame Castlebar 3/2 while in the final, it was a case of new overcoming old – Shannon was formed in 1966 while Royal Curragh is the oldest course in the country dating from 1858 – with Shannon winning 3/2.
The teams were presented with their prizes that evening by John Carr, who took delight in the fact that Kieran Considine of Shannon got married on Thursday and yet managed to play and win both of his matches on Saturday and Sunday.
The finalists had played 10 games each before qualifying for the Woodenbridge weekend. A total of 200 games were played in the 2022 competition, being over 4,000 rounds of golf. More than 2,000 players competed from early April. The weekend ended with a Gala Dinner followed by party pieces with some great and not so great songs performed.
The four winning teams were guests of the club for the weekend, enjoying two nights at the Woodenbridge Hotel, as well as the Gala Dinner.
In 2019, the last playing of the tournament, Rossmore, Ballykisteen, Castlebar and Cill Dara were the finalists, with Ballykisteen getting the better of Castlebar in an exciting final.
