Irish Cups and Shields finals Results: Tom Nolan thought he would never again experience sporting intensity akin to that of being part of an All-Ireland hurling final day. He was wrong. On Saturday, in the final of the Senior Cup at the Bulmers Irish Cups and Shields festival at Enniscrone, the 44-year-old was required to again show calmness under pressure to become the vital cog in the Galway team's annexing of the most prized team trophy in Irish amateur golf.
"It's much easier to hurl, I'll tell you that," remarked Nolan, a winner of an All-Ireland Under-21 medal with Galway in 1983 and a senior medal in 1988.
"No game isolates you as much as golf, it's a tough mental game because you've too much time to think. In hurling, it's all about reaction, you don't have time to think."
As a stiff inland wind blew across the Enniscrone links out to sea, accentuating the challenge for players, Galway finally emerged as 4 to 1 winners over Ulster champions, Knock. In last year's finals at Rosslare, Galway had failed at the semi-final stage but went one better on this occasion.
"What happened last year stood to us, we knew what it was like to lose," admitted David Scully, another winner, and, at 33, the youngest of the Galway quintet.
Eddie McCormack was a 4 and 3 winner over Edward McAnoy, although the match was closer than the score would indicate as McCormack, a native of Cavan, turned the screw on the homeward stretch by winning the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th holes.
On the 15th, he had 135 yards to the flag into a stiff crosswind and punched a seven-iron approach to four inches.
"A shot to dream of, Eddie," enthused his caddie. It was that, for sure.
While Joe Lyons and Michael Sinclair were involved in a slugfest that had them going to the 18th, destiny was being taken out of their hands by events elsewhere. Scully replicated McCormack's feat of winning four holes in a row, in his case from the 10th, as he carved out a 5 and 3 win over Irish youths international Nicky Grant.
Nolan, who had once upon a time toyed with the idea of seeking a career as a professional, joining the club pro ranks for two years before deciding otherwise, ensured that Galway would be crowned champions by beating teenager James Patterson by 4 and 3, going one up on the seventh and never being in serious trouble after that.
Earlier this year, Nolan had considered "retiring" from serious team golf, only to be persuaded to remain on for another year. The persuasion paid off.
So, will he be back again next year? "I don't know. I tried to hang up my clubs this year, so I don't know what's going to happen," he remarked.
Castleblayney's bid to add the Jimmy Bruen Shield to the Pierce Purcell Shield success of a year ago failed by the narrowest of margins.
Ironically, Rosslare had been the scene of the club's great success last year but, on this occasion, it was Rosslare who pipped them by a 3-2 scoreline in a Bruen final that came down to the wire.
Two of Rosslare's wins came on the 18th hole, and another on the 17th. The win was secured when Ken Maher and Tom Kennedy beat Mick Fee and Declan McAteer by one hole.
IRISH SENIOR CUP FINAL
Galway 4 Knock 1 (Galway names first) - J Lyons halved with M Sinclair; E McCormack bt E McAnoy 4 and 3; D Scully bt N Grant 5 and 3; S Keenan halved with C Fairweather; T Nolan bt J Patterson.
JIMMY BRUEN SHIELD FINAL
Rosslare 3 Castleblayney 2 (Rosslare names first) - L Brett and E McCarthy lost to E Tavey and K Quinn 6 and 5; J Doyle and M O'Connor bt A Bolger and J Quinn 1 hole; J Stewart and I Lynch bt R McHugh and E Hughes 2 and 1; T Rossiter and J Skerritt lost to F McDonnell and E McGuigan at 19th; K Maher and T Kennedy bt M Fee and D McAteer 1 hole.
