Nail-biting win for 
Dominic’s Pierce Purcell team at Masserene

The Banbridge Pierce Purcell team were drawn to play Cushendall in the second round of the Ulster section. Massereene was designated as the neutral venue. The match was played last Saturday evening.

Dominic Quinn has captained this team for many years and he takes his role very seriously. Everyone would just love to see Dominic reach an All-Ireland final with his Pierce Purcell team. But we all know the margin between success and failure is very slim indeed.

At the halfway stage, the chances of Banbridge winning were a thousand to one against. That’s what an onlooker told me.

Banbridge were down in all five games. They needed to win three of them and that looked an impossibility.

Jim Matthews and Sherwin Curran lost the first game by 3 and 2. Paul McDonald and Cathal McNiff came back from the dead to win 1 up. Hugh Dunne and his son Damian lost five holes in a row on the first nine but they staged a miraculous recovery to win 3 and 2.

The last two games were extremely tight.

Joe Glass and Cecil Wilson were one down standing on the 18th tee.

Up ahead, Jonathan Kerr and Gary McCormick were all square. Jonathan looked to be in trouble as he faced a tricky chip over a bunker close to the green. Could he keep his nerve? Could he execute the shot? Nobody dared looked. Jonathan played the shot of his life, floating the ball softly over the bunker to within a few inches of the hole. Jonathan and Gary won 1 up.

What a match! Banbridge are now into the Ulster quarter finals where they will play either County Armagh or Malone.

Could this be Dominic’s year? Let’s hope so.

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