The Irish golf selectors have given young players their big chance for the men's Home International Championship to be played at Royal Porthcawl on September 9th to 11th.
Three new caps have been named and Eamon Brady recalled after a three-year absence. Teenager David Jones from City of Derry may be a surprise selection to many but the youngster has proved his potential over the past couple of seasons. This week David (18), reached the quarter-finals of the British Boys' Championship and didn't bow out until the 19th hole while last month he was a prominent member of the Irish Youth team which made history by winning the European Championship. Jones has since been named as captain of the Britain & Ireland Youth team which will play the Continent of Europe at Villa Deste in Italy on August 28th and 29th. Gary Cullen (22), was runner-up to Michael Hoey in the Irish Amateur Open and a quarter-finalist in the Irish Close this year as well as winning the Waterford Scratch Cup.
Foster, also 22, and probably the first player from Ballyclare to win a senior cap, is the present South of Ireland Champion and holder of the Dundalk Scratch Cup. He won the Ulster and Munster Youths' Championships last season.
Unavailable for selection were Michael Hoey, who goes off to Clemson College in America in a fortnight's time, and Bryan Omelia who wants to prepare for the PQI test the week after the Home Internationals.
Omelia, Jody Fanagan, Adrian Morrow and David Dunne, a Walker Cup panelist, are missing from last year's Irish team which was beaten for the title at Burnham & Berrow by England on a countback.
Meanwhile, Leinster regained the men's Senior Interprovincial Championship title at Portstewart yesterday with a display that demolished holders Munster.
The new champions swept to a massive eight-point victory to regain the trophy after an absence of nine years.
It was a stunning performance from the new champions, who stopped Munster taking the honours for a fourth year in a row and a sixth time in seven seasons.
After morning action there was little doubt but the championship was moving east. Leinster laid the foundations with a 3-1 result in the morning foursomes and when they won the top three singles the writing was on the wall for Munster. Big hitting Gary Cullen was first up with a 4 & 3 win over Irish Close Champion Eddie Power and as Eamon Brady and Lee Dalton posted one hole wins Leinster were on their merry way.
Cullen, who gets his first senior international cap shortly, won four holes in a row from the 11th to be four up and after losing the 12th to par he eagled the 13th to regain total control.
The next was halved in birdies and the 15th in pars to end the battle. It was a relieved Eamon Brady who saw his six feet putt on the home green drop. That gave the Royal Dublin man a one hole win over John Morris.
"I struggled a bit but finished about level par in that match but thankfully that putt dropped. My heart skipped a beat. This is the end of a long week but it's a week I'm ecstatic about. I'm feeling very tired and I'm going to take two weeks off now," said Brady.
