GOLF: Four of Ireland's top young golfers will be taking another step up the golfing graph when they represent Ireland in the European Young Masters in Augsburg, Germany from July 25th to 27th.
Sinéad O'Sullivan from Galway and Carlow's Tara Delaney will be joined by boys representatives Cian McNamara from Limerick and Waterford's Kevin Kinsella.
The European Young Masters is for golfers under 16 years of age. The tournament is played over 54 holes strokes for the individual boys and girls titles while the Nations Cup is run in conjunction with the singles and the three best gross scores out of the four scores returned by the girls and boys will count each day for the team trophy.
The aggregate total of the nine scores over the three days will decide the team's score.
Both O'Sullivan and Delaney play off five handicaps and were born within one day of each other, 16 years ago.
O'Sullivan, who was born on January 30th, 1986 was on last year's Young Masters Team. She was runner-up in the Hermitage Scratch Cup in May and runner up in the Irish Intermediate Strokeplay Championship in Claremorris this month.
Delaney, who is a day younger than Sinead, won the Irish Schools' Championship in April with her sister Karen.
Cian McNamara (Limerick) has also been selected to represent Ireland in the Junior British Open Championship, at Royal Musselburgh, on July 15th and 16th.
And a bonus for taking part in that event is that all the participants will also be invited to attend the British Open Championship at nearby Muirfield on July 18th to 21st.
Meanwhile, Noel Fox (Portmarnock) and Colm Moriarty (Athlone) have been selected to play in the Murphy's Irish Open at Fota Island next week.
Fox won the East of Ireland Championship for the third time at Co Louth golf club over the June Bank Holiday and is the current leader of the Willie Gill Order of Merit table, while Colm Moriarty produced an outstanding performance to finish runner-up to South African Charl Schwartzel in the Brabazon Trophy when he took the title with a closing round of 70 at Deal.
Three of last year's boys team have again been selected for the European Boys Team Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland from July 9th to 13th.
Clancy Bowe (Tramore), Martin McTernan (Co. Sligo) and Michael McHugh (Ballinalsoe) will be joined by David Rawluk (The Island) and new caps Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye) and Michael Mulryan (Athenry) in a team captained by John Moloughney.
Darren Crowe (Royal Dublin) and Ronan McCarthy (The Island) second and third respectively to Fox in the East of Ireland will lead a strong youths team in the European Championships in Gdansk Golf Club, Poland from July 9th to 13th.
The other members of the team are Brian McElhinney (North West) Alastair McKinley (Shandon Park), Derek McNamara (Connemara) and Sean McTernan (Co. Sligo).
Meanwhile, Warrenpoint's Allison Coffey, while achieving her dream of a place on the Curtis Cup team to face the US in Pittsburg on August 3th and 4th after her performance of reaching the semi-finals of the British Women's Amateur Championship at Ashburnham last week also helped Ireland to the team event.
Coffey won the Doris Chamber trophy as the leading qualifier and with Claire Coughlan and Elaine Dowdall beat Scotland by one shot for the team title.
