MEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS:Ireland will have to return to the Glasgow Gailes Links on the Ayrshire coast at the crack of dawn this morning to complete their battle with Scotland after rain forced play to be halted prematurely last night.
When play was halted Ireland trailed the Scots 5½-4½ but the Irish have very much the upper hand in the incomplete games, being ahead in four of them and level in the other.
Ireland went down 3½-1½ in the foursomes. British Amateur champion Alan Dunbar playing at the top of the singles order won three of the first four holes against Graeme Robertson but then faltered badly and lost 2 and 1, the same score by which Chris Selfridge went down to Paul Shields.
After that Ireland moved into top gear and Reeve Whitson started well against Paul Ferrier and won 2 and 1 and Lucan’s Richard O’Donovan was always in the driving seat against Matthew Clark and triumphed 5 and 4.
West Waterford’s rapidly-improving Gary Hurley was three up after four holes on Scottish champion Grant Forrest and got home on the 17th.
Early on Gavin Moynihan, the Irish open champion, was down early against Scott Barrowman but recovered to be one up with two to play when the rain stopped proceedings and Rory McNamara was two up with four to play on Brian Souter after being behind on the outward half.
Nicky Grant was on his way to victory and is three up with four holes remaining against Fraser McKenna. Kevin Phelan had his nose in front of James White with Harry Diamond level with Jack McDonald.
BRITISH BOYS' AMATEUR OPEN: Rarely is a double bogey welcomed but 16-year-old Seán Flanagan was relieved when he got one in the torrential rain on the final hole of the Notts Course in Hollinwell yesterday while competing in the second qualifying round of the British Boys Championship.
He had to play another ball under penalty and finished with a six for a 77 and a 36-hole aggregate of 150 – but that was good enough to ensure that he made it into today’s match-phase.
“I have never been so pleased to get a double bogey,”said Flanagan.
Dubliner Paul McBride also made certain of qualifying after posting a total of 149 following a 74 at Coxmoor yesterday and Whitehead’s John-Ross Galbraith made it by the skin of his teeth on 151.
BRITISH GIRLS' AMATEUR OPEN:Jean O'Driscoll staged a tremendous battle before bowing out in the second match-play round at a wet and windy Tenby in West Wales yesterday.
The Muskerry teenager, now an established junior international, pulled out all the stops in the morning to dispose of France’s Shannon Aubert on the home green in round one.
Then she came up against top seed Perrine Delacour,the brilliant French teenager, and O’Driscoll took the match all the way to the final green before succumbing by one hole.
Delacour will meet England’s Georgie Hall next.
