On a day of high winds and some thunderous downpours, Corballis Links captured the 2021 Best Cup over a 2-legged affair beating Kilmashogue in the Final.
In the first leg played on Sunday 19th in Kilmashogue, Kilmashogue led by 3.5 to 1.5 so Corballis Links knew they needed 4 wins at home to capture the Trophy.
The first Corballis Links pair of Ed Mulligan and Malachy Quinn got Corballis Links their first point with a solid 5&4 win. Match 2 went to Kilmashogue with Brendan McGovern and Kevin Burke getting the away win leaving Kilmashogue on an aggregate 4.5 needing just one more win to claim victory. Matches 3 and 4 went to Corballis Links tying the Final at 4.5 each so it all came down to the final game.
Kilmashogue had a horrific start to game 5 going 5 down after 6 holes but the Kilmashogue pairing of John Kinsella and Brendan Sheehan fought back to level the match on the 17th, leaving the teams facing the prospect of sudden death if nobody emerged victorious on the 18th.
Playing into driving rain and with the light fading the Kilmashogue tee shots found trouble resulting in an Out of Bounds and a lost ball situation. Corballis Link’s player Paul Kilberd found the green with his third shot and with his playing partner Joseph McGann just off the green, the odds favoured Corballis Links. Kilmashogue did manage a six off a second ball but Paul cooly two-putted to give victory to Corballis Links.
Kilmashogue manager Jim Nix was magnanimous in defeat thanking his own players for reaching the final having overcame Deer Park, Malahide, Celbridge & Elm Hall and Powerscourt on route and congratulating his opposite number Corballis Links Manager Bryan Higgins for guiding his charges to victory. Bryan thanked Jim and Kilmashogue for a sporting battle and wished them well in future competitions.
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