Children's Hospital Club ChallengeThe axiom there is no substitute for experience was confirmed by the results in the Musgrave Children's Hospital Club Challenge Provincial finals, as a familiar Fermoy Golf Club combination clinched the Munster final at Kilrush.
John Kenny, Pat Greehy and John "Alti" Greehy demonstrated the pedigree that not alone won the provincial final in 2002 but also the National final, contested by the four provincial winners in Cape Town. By virtue of their latest success they will return to South Africa for the National Final on November 11th-19th.
A delighted John Greehy observed: "We have played every year since and I suppose we were under some pressure when we qualified - they first have to make it through their club qualification process - for Kilrush."
Ideal conditions greeted the sizeable number of participants over a testing Kilrush layout made all the more demanding by the hollow coring and sanding on the greens. Fermoy slipped out in the middle of the field and their experience provided a decent barometer of how they were faring on the day.
The format demands that a single score - there are three on a team - is required for the first six holes, two for the next six and all three scores count for the final six holes. John Greehy admitted: "We had a fair idea of what would be required in terms of figures having won through before, so we knew how we were going.
They finished on 89 points.
"We'd thought we blown it on the 17th where we scored only five points. That was the gut feeling. It's fair to say we encountered some putting difficulties on 18 despite managing seven points. We came in about 5.30pm and realised we were winning but one of the final two teams out, Ceann Sibéal, came in with 86 points to run us close."
There was a curious symmetry to the provincial finals this year in relation to Fermoy's victory in 2002. Elmgreen, who won the Leinster decider in that year - fielding the same team of Colin Bell, Michael Owens and Graham Temple - were beaten on a countback in this year's final while Cloughaneely, champions in Ulster in 2002, also finished runners-up last week.
Francie Boyle and Philip McGeady were back once again while Martin Terry, captain in 2002, filled in for Francie's son Denis. Rossmore were the Ulster champions.
In Connacht, a Galway team that included former All-Ireland football medal winner Bosco McDermott prevailed with another former provincial winner, Bearna - Jane Colclough was in South Africa in 2002 - third.
The same three members of the Oughterard team who have contested the Connacht final for the past three years were this time runners-up.
Roganstown produced a storming finish (11 points on the final hole) to claim the Leinster title, pipping Elmgreen on a countback. Castlewarden were beaten into third place, one point back, when the team could only amass two points at the same hole.
LEINSTER FINAL (at Mullingar): 1 Roganstown (Stephen Eustace 15, Liam Staunton 13, Pádraic Doherty 15, 64); 2 Elm Green (Colin Bell 12, Michael Owens 12, Graham Temple 9, 64); 3 Castlewarden (Eoin Tighe 11, Ciarán Tighe 9, Kevin Hickey 20, 63).
ULSTER FINAL (at Castle Hume, Enniskillen): 1 Rossmore (Gerry McMahon 15, Eugene McGinnity 10, Tommy Collins 12, 76); 2 Cloughaneely (Francis Boyle 13, Martin Terry 12, Philip McGeady 13, 73); 3 Nuremore (Gerard Birdy 14, Darren Gaynor 8, Shane Cassidy 15, 71).
MUNSTER FINAL (at Kilrush): 1 Fermoy (John Kenny 15, John Greehy 16, Pat Greehy 15, 89); 2 Ceann Sibéal (Tom Curran 15, Eleanor Curran 9, Paul Duffy 11, 86); 3 Muskerry ((John Connolly 15, Charles O'Leary 12, Noel Crowley 9, 84)
CONNACHT FINAL (at Galway GC): 1 Galway (Seán Morris 17, Bosco McDermott 16, Cyril Murray 14, 82); 2 Oughterard (Dominic Downey 9, Ted Murphy 18, Alice Murphy 22, 74); 3 Bearna (Jane Colclough 24, Colm Feeney 3, Michael Lydon 14, 73)
