East Cork are Revive Active Four-Ball All-Ireland Champions while Connemara Isles won the Men’s All-Ireland Four-Ball today at Athlone.
For East Cork, it is the third All-Ireland pennant claimed in 2022, as the club already had clinched the AIG Intermediate Cup and AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield earlier this month.
“Very emotional I’d say,” said Sarah O’Brien who holed the winning putt on the 17th green. “Breda [McCarthy] and myself battled, we were 4 up early, after 4 holes. But it was a slog in the end. I didn’t even know what was going on there and that it was for the win.”
The women’s club are well-versed with winning, having claimed All-Ireland Junior Cups and Challenge Cups in the past, and the Intermediate Cup this year. O’Brien was a part of two of those winning teams.
“Yeah, it’s been an amazing year, I have 2 Junior Cup All-Irelands in 2011 and 2013 – we’ve been here before winning a green pennant but it means so much to represent East Cork, it’s a great club.”
The Lady Captain of East Cork, Caroline Goldspring, was on hand to celebrate alongside the team and travelling supporters.
“They’re a fantastic bunch of girls who are just very competitive, we’re a friendly bunch of people, the whole clubs gets involved in matches and teams. I’m actually still so proud of them, I’m speechless – which doesn’t happen often!”
Connemara Isles a club with just 80 members, were beaten in the Men’s Fred Perry Final on Friday afternoon and were again successful in reaching the final of the Men’s All-ireland Four-Ball.
Newbridge started out strong, winning the first two matches by 2 holes and 2&1 respectively but, at the time they finished, the remaining 3 matches were all leaning in favour of the Connacht side.
Greg Kehoe and Robbie Brennan turned the tide in favour of Newbridge however when they won 3 holes to reach the 16th ahead by 1. Nollaig O’Tighearnaigh and Peter Mannion levelled the match once again on the 16th, and when the other remaining matches were won by Connemara Isles, it was a winner takes all situation heading to the 18th.
With both players from Newbridge and Mannion making bogey, O’Tighearnaigh became the hero, getting up and down from short left of the green to seal the first All-Ireland title for Connemara Isles.
“I feel like a million dollars!” O’Tighearnaigh said. “The match was very tight, we were 2 up for the early part of the match but we lost 3 holes in succession, we decided to make a comeback then and it all worked out. It’s a putt of a ball at the end of the day.”
Connemara Isles have just 78 male members, and no official clubhouse, and what it means to the team and supporters was clear from the celebrations at Athlone.
“You can see the excitement here,” continued O’Tighearnaigh. “We’re one big family in Connemara Isles and we’d love to see more people join us out there.”
This weekend marks the end of the All-Ireland Inter-Club season. Clubs will no doubt now turn their attention to the 2023 season to emulate the achievements of this year’s winners.
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