Boys' Home Internationals Day Two: Ireland's bid for a second Boys Home International title since the present format started in 1996 will have to wait another year after they lost 8½ to 6½ to England in yesterday's second series of matches here.
A promising start saw the Irish show a new determination to earn a 3½ to 1½ foursomes win in the morning, but, as on the first day against Scotland, the home side were unable to capitalise on the good beginning and lost the singles 7-3.
"With the good foursomes result in the morning it was very disappointing not to finish the job in the afternoon," said Irish captain Ciarán Burke.
England have won seven of the last eight Boys' titles - Ireland being the only one of the other Home countries to break the sequence by winning in 1997 - and are now set to continue the run when they take on Scotland today in the final series of matches.
Despite the result it looked for a long time yesterday as if Ireland would make a bold bid for a second title, being down in only three of the 10 singles matches going through the turn. However, they lost the momentum on the back nine and with it the chance of overall victory.
But there were some positives for the Irish to take out of the match, most notably in the foursomes where Rory McIlroy and Karl Gilbert played impressive golf to beat Ben Evans and Lawrence Allen 6 and 4, while The Island pair of Ronan O'Connor and Andrew Pitcher were also at top form to beat Grant Slater and Alex McGregor 5 and 3.
Christopher Hughes also showed his striking ability. The Royal Portrush player covered 17 holes in six under par to beat McGregor 3 and 1. Hughes, who did not concede a shot to par, had birdies at the first, third and seventh but still turned only one up. Three more on the back nine at the 10th, 13th and 14th finally saw off the challenge of McGregor.
Niall Kearney was another to impress when beating Evans two up. The Royal Dublin member won the 10th, but was back to square when Evans birdied the 16th. However, a 12 footer at the 17th restored his one hole advantage and a safe par at the last secured a one hole win.
Ireland needed to win the last match, where O'Connor was in a titanic struggle with the European Boys champion Oliver Fisher. O'Connor turned two up, but a number of putting lapses on the way in saw the match all square playing the last. And here O'Connor was unlucky to see his tee-shot roll into a bunker and he eventually lost the hole to push England over the winning line.
Scotland and England will fight it out for the title today after the Scots beat Wales in another close tussle, 8½ to 6½. This game also went to the last putt on the last green, where David Addison holed from four feet for a winning par against Peter Williams, a son of rugby legend JPR.
