Cassidy gears up for Waterford

Yvonne Cassidy plans to slip out onto the practice range at the Nuremore Hotel over the next few evenings to ensure that a case of all work and no play doesn't ruin her chances of successfully defending the Irish Women's Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Waterford Castle next weekend.

Cassidy, who works with the Irish Region PGA, is based at the Monaghan course all week for the Irish Club Professionals' Championship. But the Dundalk player will then head to Waterford to face the country's top women amateurs in the 72-hole strokeplay championship where former Curtis Cup player Lillian Behan, the Irish Close champion, will be seeking a double.

"I haven't managed a single competitive round since the Irish Close in May," explained Cassidy, a quarter-finalist in those championships. "There is a big gap in the calendar and I'm lacking competition. However, my game is pretty strong and I intend to sneak out for some practice on my short game after I finish work over the next few evenings."

The competition in Waterford will be stiff. Former national champion Suzanne O'Brien, who is a reserve on the British and Irish team for next month's Curtis Cup match in America, and Alison Coffey, winner of both the Leinster and Ulster titles this season along with a second-placed finish in the Scottish Open strokeplay championship, are in the field. Most recently, Coffey led Royal County Down to the All-Ireland Senior Cup title.

Other current internationals in the field for Waterford Castle include Behan, Hazel Kavanagh, who's a previous winner of the event, Elaine Dowdall and Michelle McGreevy, while Oonagh Purfield, who lost to Behan in a marvellous Irish Close final, and Barbara Hackett, who was surprisingly dropped from the Irish team last year, will be out to continue their fine form of this season.

Indeed, after a quiet spell on the women's competitive calendar, this week will be very busy for a number of players, most especially the younger contingent. The Lancome-sponsored Irish girls' and intermediate championship starts in Galway today and the team for next month's Home Internationals Girls' Championship in Mullingar will be announced on Friday evening.

Among those competing in Galway prior to making the trip down to Waterford Castle are Dowdall Maura Morrin - ironically, both players are actually paired to play together for the first two rounds of the strokeplay - and McGreevey, but their immediate thoughts will be focused on the national intermediate championship.

Dowdall, who is on a golfing scholarship to UCD, will probably start as favourite for the Irish title and her main rivals are likely to be fellow-internationals McGreevey, Jenny Gannon, Joanne Black, Gemma Hegarty, while the girls' championship also has the makings of a competitive affair with Pamela Murphy, Martina Gillen, Una Marsden, Sheila Galvin and Marina Gillhawley among the main contenders.