Luttrellstown Castle and Hermitage are near neighbours, but despite their close proximity many members had never played on the other's course. However, that was corrected recently with the first staging of the River Cup.

Eight members from each club played a 36-hole competition to decide the first winners of this new cup, which was played under a fourball format with 18 holes at Hermitage in the morning and the same at Luttrellstown in the afternoon.

After the first four matches at Hermitage, the advantage lay with Luttrellstown as they won three and halved the other, while in the afternoon the matches were shared two apiece. That left Luttrellstown as the first winners of the River Cup by a 5-2 1/2 scoreline.

And the event produced some stunning golf, in particular by Luttrellstown's Seβn Haliday, who was five under par on his score card, having fired an eagle, five birdies and just two bogeys.

In a further attraction to the day's event, all 16 golfers were rowed across the River Liffey from Hermitage to Luttrellstown by former Irish international rower Seβn Tunney. "It all started out as a bit of fun," admitted Luttrellstown team captain John McDonald. "We hope to make this an annual event and I am sure everyone at both clubs will be battling hard to get selected for next year's event."