Letterkenny land Purcell crown after cliffhanger
Saturday September 19 2009
Letterkenny captured their first green pennant in thrilling fashion when they beat Corrstown 3-2 in the Bulmers Pierce Purcell Shield after a marathon six-hour encounter that was decided on the fourth tie hole.
The Donegal club led 2-1 before the drama carried on late into the afternoon with two matches going to extra holes.
One of Leinster's youngest clubs, Corrstown sensed that it just might be their day when Ciaran Conneely and Paul O'Kane levelled the tie by beating Kenny King and Shane Sweeney with a bogey four at the 179-yard 20th.
But the drama was only beginning as John Russell and Kieran Walsh came out on top with a winning bogey six at the 22nd against the Beagan brothers, Jarlath and Gary.
Two up with four to play, the siblings found themselves one down playing the last, but forced extra holes with a win at the 18th.
The 19th, 20th and 21st were halved in bogey-par-bogey figures before Russell and Walsh secured an historic victory with the sweetest of sixes at the par-five fourth.
Recovered
Corrstown drove into trees on the left but recovered brilliantly to keep their hopes alive.
However, they were in greenside sand in three and while Letterkenny three-putted from 70 feet, the Dublin pair took four to get up and down from the sand and lost to a bogey.
In the Jimmy Bruen Shield, Waterford will take on Nenagh in today's final, bidding for just their third major success following wins in the 1990 Junior Cup and 1993 Irish Mixed Foursomes.
Representing Leinster due to the fact that their course is in Co Kilkenny, they beat Carrick-on-Shannon 3.5--1.5, while former Derry City centre-half Stuart Gauld couldn't prevent Foyle from going down 3-2 to Nenagh in the other semi-final.
Nenagh's Paul Moloney and Paddy Kennedy beat nine-handicapper Gauld and Cormac McGeady with a par four at the 21st.
Pierce Purcell Shield Final
Letterkenny 3 Corrstown 2 (Letterkenny first: P McMonagle & K Sweeney bt J Dowling & T Merrigan 2&1; B O'Donnell & T McMonagle lost to J Rafferty & J O'Dwyer 3&2; J Russell & K Walsh bt J Beagan & G Beagan 22nd; E Margey & B Roache bt G Finnerty & F Lawlor 2h; K King & S Sweeney lost to C Conneely & P O'Kane 20th).
Jimmy Bruen Shield Semi-Finals
Waterford 3.5 Carrick-on-Shannon 1.5 (A Aherne & C Lynch bt A Hogg & J Sharkey 3&2; A Mulhall & J Power bt S Bohan & C Loftus 2h; M Daly & E Griffin lost to N Sharkey & J Loftus 5&4; A Feicks & F Power bt D Beirne & G Kavanagh 3&2; A Ryan & M Freeman halved with N McDermott & T Mulvey).
Nenagh 3 Foyle 2 (Nenagh first: P Moloney & P Kennedy bt S Gauld & C McGeady 21st; C Heffernan & M O'Gara bt C Lynch & K Dunn 1h; M Corrigan & J Griffin bt B Barr & M Loughrey 5&4; M Scroope & S Forde lost to D Martin & T McGinley 5&3; T Lawor & TJ Burns lost to M Gallagher & D Knox 4&3).
- Brian Keogh
