Castlerock beat Banbridge in the GUI Mixed Foursomes

They had sailed through the qualifying round and then knocked out Lurgan in the first round of matchplay.

In the last 16 in Ulster, Banbridge came up against Castlerock and the match was played last Monday at the neutral venue of the Hilton, Templepatrick.

Colin Wilton and Mary Joe Thompson went out at number one and they played brilliantly to win 2 up.

Seamus Rooney and Anne-Marie Canavan didn’t fare so well. They have a great record in mixed competitions but were second best this time.

Harry Shannon and Mildred Hodgett put Banbridge back into the lead with a wonderful 2 up win against a very strong Castlerock pairing.

David Cherry and Denise McBrien, try as they might, just couldn’t get their noses in front. They lost their game and the match was tied, 2 points each.

So everything hinged on the final game, featuring Cathal O’Neill and Fionnuala Crossey. It was nip and tuck all the way and they arrived at the 18th tee all-square.

It turned out to be a sad ending for the Banbridge team. Cathal and Fionnuala flirted with the trees and it cost them dearly. They lost by one hole.

It was one of those matches, which neither team deserved to lose. That is no consolation to Banbridge at this time. They will get over it in time and, who knows, next year might be their turn.