Ireland finished on a high as they defeated Wales on the final day of the R&A Boys’ & Girls’ Home Internationals in Cork.
After back-to-back defeats against Scotland and England, the Irish were dominant in the morning foursomes on Thursday and that laid the platform for their brilliant win over the Welsh.
The first match out, Hannah Lee-McNamara and Zoe McLean-Tattan, set the tone with a 7&6 victory and by the time Caelan Coleman and Barry O’Connell won their match 2&1, it put Ireland into a 6-1 lead.
Kate Dillon, Róisín Scanlon, McLean-Tattan and Ella Cantwell gave Ireland the perfect start to the afternoon singles, and there were further wins for William O’Riordan, John Moran, Coleman and O’Connell.
Ireland ended up winning the singles 9-5 and that resulted in a 15-6 overall total while the Girls’ finished second in their standings.
“It was an absolutely brilliant bounce back today after the disappointment of yesterday,” said Girls’ Captain Brenda Craig.
“The girls really stood up and very proud of them, won two matches this morning and the first four matches this afternoon to get the girls over the line and the boys had a great day as well, so absolutely thrilled.
“They did exactly what we asked them to do and absolutely thrilled. Brilliant day and taking away a piece of silverware really tops it off.”
Just a few weeks ago Ireland secured a brilliant bronze medal at the European Girls’ Amateur Team Championships in Slaley Hall, England.
And this was another huge boost for a side who will see the likes of Dillon, Scanlon, Lucy Grattan and Ella Moynihan all moving on ahead of next season.
Roisin Scanlon and Kate Dillon celebrate after their win in Cork. Photo: Bryan Keane / Inpho
Meanwhile, a youthful looking Irish Boys’ side also defeated Wales on Thursday, and they will take plenty of positives from this campaign.
“Yesterday was so close we had a great chance to beat England and just pipped on the line but the fine margins that sport brings, so we bounced back and went out with the intention of getting something from the week,” said Boys’ Captain John Carroll.
“We have a very young team so it was great to see the lads who lost down the stretch yesterday, come through today and win their points. Hopefully they keep learning and keep improving for next year and into the future.
“These lads have put in a long shift and girls, they’ve been training since last November and toured Europe, played loads of tournaments so it’s great that the girls have won a trophy and we’re also winning a trophy.”
England secured the overall title after winning all three matches, thanks to a resounding 13-8 victory over Scotland.
The English were 4-3 ahead after the morning foursomes and won all six of the Girls’ matches in the afternoon. Victories for Harry Cox, Jack Swift and Alex Boyes saw the overall side over the line.
England have now won all five of the combined events since its inception in 2021, and their Captain India Clyburn was thrilled with her side.
“It’s great to keep that winning streak. Didn’t realise that before the beginning of the week so had that in mind and that’s a good stat to keep going. Really pleased for the girls and boys to win each day and get it over the line,” said Clyburn.
“The girls have played some fantastic golf and got better every day really. I don’t even think at one point we were ever really down in a match, so we were always up from the front and we kept that going.
“Yesterday getting 6-0 in the afternoon and then we knew we could do it, so we tried it again this afternoon and we managed and we didn’t lose today, we got that half in the morning and apart from that we won all the games.
“They played some great golf, strong performances from everybody.”
View the final standings here
