Ireland made a great start to their attempt to win the coveted Raymond Trophy as home international champions for the first time for six years, when they overwhelmed Scotland 10-5 at Southerndown in Wales on Wednesday.
In pole position today, they meet hosts Wales who caused a surprise by battling to a 7.5-7.5 share of the spoils with reigning champions England yesterday.
Ireland edged the foursomes 3-2 and then took the singles 7-3.
Dubliner Gavin Moynihan beat newly-crowned Scottish champion Chris Robb by 2&1, while Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy was five under par in winning. Cormac Sharviin, the 2013 Irish champion from Ardglass, battled for a last-green success.
Colm Campbell, Paul Dunne and Chris Selfridge also won, while European championship bronze medallist Gary Hurley and Robin Dawson secured half points.
Boys and girls
Rowan Lester carries Irish hopes into the match-play stages of the British Boys Open Amateur Championship in Scotland.
The Dublin teenager, who plays out of The Hermitage Club, posted a three over par 74 at Prestwick yesterday to add to the 72 he carded the previous day at Dundonald for a 36-hole aggregate of 146.
That knocked him off the top of the leaderboard but he still qualified only one stroke adrift of the leading qualifiers Scottish pair Calum Fyfe and Christopher Curran.
In the British Girls Open Championship at Massereene in Co Antrim, Irish hopes of success vanished.
Niamh McSherry and Ciara Casey got through to the second round but ended there, while Mary Doyle, Chloe Weir and Annabel Wilson all fell at the first hurdle.
