After 11 holes yesterday morning Yvonne Cassidy should have been resigned to making non-golfing plans for the weekend. Four down against Oonagh Purfield in the round of the last 16 at the Lancome sponsored Irish Ladies Close Championship at Co Louth; even Cassidy could not have countenanced victory against an opponent for whom Baltray is a golfing backyard.

That, though, is exactly what transpired. Cassidy clawed back to level terms by the 16th, eventually claiming victory at the 19th, a remarkable achievement. "I never gave up because it's a links course and matchplay and you can never tell when things might change." The Dundalk golfer won the 12th, 13th, and 14th to reduce the deficit to one hole.

Although Purfield managed to halve the 15th, Cassidy responded by winning the next two holes to claim a slender advantage playing the 18th. Purfield's superb birdie four, took the match into extra holes but her opponent's par on the first, their 19th, was enough to secure victory.

In the afternoon the former Irish international faced an equally tough proposition in opposing another Co Louth golfer in Jenny Gannon, the latter had made short work of her previous two opponents. Cassidy needed none of the heroics of the morning's play, crafting a 3 and 2 victory. One up at the turn she won the 12th in par and the 13th with a birdie to move three ahead.

Despite losing the next to a par, she closed out the match on the 16th when Gannon missed her par putt from the apron, 30 feet from the hole. Cassidy's reward is a semi-final against Leitrim Cup winner Alison Coffey. "We have never met in matchplay before but I did play with her in the qualifying earlier in the week."

Cassidy has already eclipsed her best performance in the Close - she lost in the quarter-finals last year to Lillian Behan - and is quietly confident. "I'm striking the ball well." Coffey sustained the impressive form that she has displayed all week. The Warrenpoint golfer dispatched Brigid Gleeson Healy 3 and 2 in the morning and was even more impressive later in the day when ending the reign of defending champion Claire Coughlan by a similar margin.

Woodenbridge's Denise McCarthy, a former international, is proving to be a scourge of the current national side, completing a hat-trick of international scalps with victories over Emma Dickson, Martina Gillen and Lillian Behan, the latter two yesterday. "Lillian beat me in the Senior Cup last week so it was nice to get revenge."

The Aer Lingus employee will play her first Close semi-final and in it she faces Suzie O'Brien. The Milltown golfer eased past Naoimh Quigg 3 and 2 in the morning and then hammered Pat Doran 5 and 4. The latter victory included two eagles at the ninth and 13th holes. The 1997 champion admitted: "On the back nine the tempo was back and I enjoyed much more control."