The Continent of Europe savoured a double victory on Irish soil as they beat Great Britain and Ireland in both the Jacques Léglise Trophy and the Junior Vagliano Trophy at The Island.
On a closing day of keenly fought competition, Pierre Relecom’s under-18 boys’ team claimed the Jacques Léglise silverware for the seventh consecutive time with a 14 ½ – 10 ½ triumph.
In a thrilling under-16 girls’ showpiece, the Continent of Europe’s golfers continued their dominance of the match and earned the Junior Vagliano Trophy for the ninth time in ten stagings after a narrow 9 ½ – 8 ½ victory.
The Europeans had forged a commanding four-point lead in the Jacques Léglise Trophy after Friday’s matches, and they cemented their position of authority in Saturday’s morning foursomes as the session was shared 2-2.
GB&I had it all to do but Niall MacSweeney’s side emerged for the singles with considerable gusto and claimed three-and-a-half points from the opening four ties to give themselves hope.
“That got the hearts racing and there was excitement that maybe the impossible could become possible,” said MacSweeney of this early surge.
The standard of play from both sides was underlined by Scotsman Aidan Lawson, who was nine-under-par in his 5&3 win over Louis Klein of Czech Republic.
The half-point claimed by Iceland’s Óliver Elí Björnsson in the top-tie against Aaron Moody, meanwhile, gave Europe some respite from GB&I’s early onslaught.
The newly crowned R&A Boys’ Amateur champion was four-down after eight but reeled off three birdies in a row coming home and eventually hauled himself level.
“To push a match that is four-down all the way to the 18th gave the rest of the team a lift,” admitted Relecom.
After the initial scare, the Europeans gradually began to assert control and pushed themselves to the brink of glory.
Tao Pemerika’s one-hole win over Ben Sessions got them to the trophy-retaining mark of 12 ½ points before Václav Švub gilded the lily with a 3&2 win over Adam Fahey.
Švub, whose point retained the trophy for Europe in last year’s match at Royal Hague, rolled in a raking putt of over 30-feet on the 16th to finish with a flourish.
“GB&I came out of the blocks very quickly and they were ready to fight,” said Relecom, who tasted his third successive victory as captain and expressed a desire to stay on for a fourth term.
“But the birdies eventually came for us too. The level of play was very high and I’m so proud of my team.”
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