All-Ireland Cups and Shields Results:Sometimes, wise old heads are like a 15th club in the bag. Certainly, that's how it seemed for Galway Golf Club yesterday. The seasoned competitors, who in recent years have enjoyed the flipsides of pain and joy in these Bulmers Irish Cups and Shields finals, used their considerable experience to overcome a game Forrest Little side by two holes in the semi-final of the Barton Shield at Shandon Park.
That set up a final showdown today with Moyola Park.
"You know, experience was a big help," admitted Joe Lyons who, remarkably, was making his first appearance of the season in the competition. He had missed out on the club's provincial campaign because of work and other playing commitments in a stellar year that has seen him win the West, reach the final of the South, play in the Interprovincials and earn a call-up to the Ireland team for next week's Home Internationals.
Last year, Lyons and Tom Nolan, an All-Ireland hurling winner with Galway in 1988, were part of the team that captured the Irish Senior Cup. Now their intention is to make it back-to-back glory and add the Barton Shield, a trophy that dramatically eluded their grasps in the final of 2005.
Yesterday, they moved closer to making amends for that disappointment of two years ago when Lyons and Nolan produced the goods with a four-holes win over Joe McCarthy and Conor O'Toole to secure a place in the final, after Forrest Little's pairing of Eoin Arthurs and Adrian Brogan had won the top match over Eddie McCormack and Damien Glynn by two holes.
On an immaculate parkland course, where the fairways have been narrowed to just 10 yards in places and the greens are running at close to 13 on the Stimpmetre, the premium placed on accuracy was exemplified by the fact McCormack used the driver just twice.
"And that was probably once too many," he remarked.
As it happened, the Lyons-Nolan combination proved Galway's trump card, overcoming the deficit from the top match to move four holes up (and out of reach) with a winning par on the 17th.
In fact, the duo never trailed, going ahead with a winning par on the second and then winning the 10th, 13th and, crucially, that 17th to earn a place in the final.
Moyola Park's route to the final was harder earned. In fact, it took a winning par at the second tie hole from the team's playing captain, Randal Evans, for the Ulster champions to progress.
Moyola Park's Mark Hammond and Damien McCusker had won the top match over Doneraile's Damien Carey and Hugh Nolan by one hole. But Doneraile's Adam Carey and Dave Finn, who had won the second foursomes (they led by two holes on the 18th tee), were denied outright victory only when Moyola Park's Luke Lennox holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th to force extra holes.
Little Nicole Kelly didn't know much of what was happening yesterday. Just four days old, and snuggled up in her pram by the 18th green, the infant wasn't aware that just over 400 yards away her father, Martin, was performing as deft a chip as they come to close out his singles and guide Belvoir Park into the final of the Irish Junior Cup.
"The ball landed (on the green) like a butterfly with sore feet," quipped Kelly of his flop shot over the drain that finished 10 feet from the hole. He sank the putt for a 2 and 1 win over Castlebar's Stephen Munnelly, which, combined with results behind him, enabled Belvoir Park to claim a 4-1 win.
Muskerry, meanwhile, progressed to today's final showdown with Belvoir Park after a 3-2 win over Balbriggan.
BARTON SHIELD
Semi-finals: Moyola Park bt Doneraile at second tie hole (Moyola Park names first): M Hammond, D McCusker bt D Carey, H Nolan 1 hole; R Evans, L Lennox lost to A Carey, D Finn 1 hole (at 20th). Galway bt Forrest Little by 2 holes (Galway first): E McCormack, D Glynn lost to E Arthurs, A Brogan by 2 holes; J Lyons, T Nolan bt J McCarthy, C O'Toole by 4 holes.
IRISH JUNIOR CUP
Semi-finals: Belvoir Park 4 Castlebar 1 (Belvoir Park first): I Browne lost to E Lisibach 1 hole; M Kelly bt S Munnelly 2 and 1; D O'Hara bt D Haugh 3 and 2; A McMillen bt B Frost 3 and 2; M Malone bt P Hurst 6 and 5. Muskerry 3 Balbriggan 2 (Muskerry first): E O'Callaghan bt G Gallen 4 and 3; D Hallissey lost to I Reynolds 2 and 1; D Lane bt J Fitzpatrick 4 and 3; G Barry lost to P Slevin 4 and 3; G O'Shea bt L Rooney 6 and 4.
TODAY'S DRAW
PIERCE PURCELL SHIELD
Semi-finals: Warrenpoint v Woodstock (Warrenpoint first): 8.0: S Sands, D Flanagan v S Spencer, M Kelly. 8.10: S Colgan, P Devlin v J Kelly, J Dormer. 8.20: N Devine, A Campbell v N Dinan, L O'Connor. 8.30: K Caldwell, A Ferguson v M Nolan, M O'Brien. 8.40: M Redmond, M McGivern v T Lawlor, J McMahon.
Donabate v Bearna (Donabate first): 8.50: M Fearon, C Kirwan v T Tarpey, J Darby. 9.0: D Robertson, A Kealy v J Murphy, M Murray. 9.10: K Bradshaw, B Bowe v L McGee, E Keaney. 9.20: D Cullen, P McCrudden v B McLaughlin, P Walzer. 9.30: C Browne, J Dowling v P Ward, S O'Neill.
JUNIOR CUP
Final: Belvoir Park v Muskerry (Belvoir Park first): 11.0: I Browne v E O'Callaghan. 11.10: M Kelly v D Hallissey. 11.20: D O'Hara v D Lane. 11.30: A McMillen v G Barry. 11.40: M Malone v G O'Shea.
BARTON SHIELD
Final: Moyola Park v Galway (Moyola Park first): 12.0: M Hammond, D McCusker v E McCormack, D Glynn. 12.10: R Evans, L Lennox v J Lyons, T Nolan.
