Heartbreak for Banbridge in Junior Cowdy final

THE second leg of the Junior Cowdy Cup final between Banbridge and Castleblaney was played last Sunday at the magnificent Conra Wood golf course in County Monaghan.

Banbridge had come unstuck in the home leg when they only secured one and a half points out of a possible four. That left them with a difficult hill to climb in the second leg away from home.

It was unfortunate that Jonathan Kerr could not play in the second leg of the final due to a family bereavement. Jonathan had been an ever present throughout the competition and he was really looking forward to the challenge of Concra Wood.

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Seamus McNally came on in his place and he was a wonderful substitution. Seamus had been a former member of Concra Wood and he was very excited to get a chance to play against his old friends.

The weather at Concra Wood last Sunday was glorious, a contrast to what the Ryder Cup players were experiencing in Wales. The Banbridge members, by and large, stayed at home to watch the Ryder Cup. They would have seen more golf at Concra Wood early on Sunday morning.

And a very high standard of golf it was too. It was the Junior Cowdy for players of 18 handicap and over, but some of the shots would not have been out of place in the Senior Cowdy.

Banbridge needed to win three games, an almost impossible task. But everyone set off in determined mood.

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After nine holes, the result was very much in the balance. Seamus McNally and Carson Clegg were five up. Barrie McCoy and Gerry Blevins were only one down. Jim Bryson and Cecil Wilson were all square. Shane Crossan and Aidan Barry were three down. It was all to play for.

Shane and Aidan ran out of holes against Pat McNeill and Ciaran Pronty and lost their match 5 and 4. They were disappointed, naturally enough. But they should remember that they played in every match, ten in all, and only lost twice.

Jim and Cecil were hit with a mixture of birdies and chip-ins over the second nine and they couldn’t do a thing about it. Despite their best efforts, they lost by 4and 3 to PJ Harte and Greg Duffy.

That was the match over. At that stage, Barrie and Gerry were four down against James and Paddy King. Seamus and Carson were dormie three up against Joe McGrath and Ronnie Dignam.

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It was a disappointment for Tom Fee and his team but they had done themselves proud by reaching the final. On their way there, they had defeated Ashfield, Dungannon, Clover Hill and Mannan Castle. Castleblaney just proved to be a bridge too far, but that’s the game of golf. There has to be a winner and a loser.

But the real winner was the game of golf itself. The match was played in the best of spirits, new friendships were made and everyone was smiling at the end of it all.

Concra Wood is an awesome course, one of the most beautiful layouts in the whole of Ireland. If you haven’t played it yet, do so. It’s only 40 miles away down the motorway and they welcome visitors with open arms.

Joe McClelland, representing the Cowdy Association, presented the Junior Cowdy Cup to the Castleblaney captain, James King and then everyone sat down to a sumptuous meal.

With the sun shining, and the view over Lough Muckno simply breathtaking, the pain of losing was considerably eased.

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