Douglas remain in the hunt for a third AIG Women’s Senior Cup title in a row after edging past Royal Portrush in a dramatic day of quarter-finals at Shandon Park on Friday.
However, Lisburn dashed Douglas’ hopes of becoming the first club to complete an historic All-Ireland treble, as Andrew Norrby’s side secured a 3.5-1.5 victory over the reigning champions to advance to the last four and continue their bid for a first AIG Men’s Senior Cup title.
The Women’s quarter-final between Douglas and Royal Portrush saw two matches go to a playoff before the winner was decided.
Hannah Lee-McNamara got Royal Portrush off to the ideal start, winning 6&4 against Clodagh Coughlan, but the reigning back-to-back champions quickly fought back.
Shannon Burke levelled the tie with a 3&2 victory over Amy O’Donnell before Claudia O’Donoghue put Douglas in front with a 2up win against Judithe Allen.
Royal Portrush refused to give up however, with Naoimh Quigg and Laura Webb fighting back strongly late in their matches to bring both ties to extra holes.
Webb held her nerve to secure victory on the 19th, bringing the tie level at 2-2 and leaving the middle match between Quigg and Aoife Ní Thuama to decide the quarter-final.
And, just as Justin Dennehy had done in the Barton Shield final the previous afternoon, Douglas would once again find success on the fourth hole of the playoff as Ní Thuama secured the decisive point to send Douglas through to Saturday’s semi-final and keep their hopes of a hat-trick of titles alive.
“We are absolutely thrilled to go on to the next stage,” said team captain Deirdre O’Sullivan.
“The girls have put in an awful lot of hard work, and you can see the dividends have paid off for them.”
“We were saying it that this was a good omen for Douglas, the fourth hole, and hopefully Aoife would do justice as well to it. My girls fought very hard and it wasn’t easy out there, but they fought back and we’re delighted.”
“We would love to be looking at that three in a row by Saturday evening. We’ll keep the fingers crossed and keep going.”
Douglas will face Lahinch in the semi-final, in a repeat of last year’s final, after the Clare side defeated Elm Park 3.5-1.5.
Aideen Walsh set Lahinch on their way with a 3&2 victory before Niamh O’Dwyer and Chloe Ryan secured the win, both claiming 2up victories.
Having lost at the quarter-final stage last year, Knock produced an impressive performance in their win over Royal Tara. Maddie Armstrong (5&3), Alanna Ross (3&2), Erin Poots (1up) and Annie Armstrong (4&2) sent the Ulster South champions through with a 4-1 victory.
Connacht champions Galway will be their opponents in Saturday’s semi-final after Clare Cunningham’s side came through a tight battle with Tullamore to secure a 3-2 win.
Nicola Fennessy (8&7) and Noreen O’Neill (5&4) picked up two early wins before Tara Walsh secured the vital third point to send Galway through.
Lisburn made history for the Antrim club by reaching their first AIG Men’s Senior Cup semi-final after defeating reigning champions Douglas.
Team captain Norrby was delighted with his side after Aaron Marshall (3&1), Ryan Symington (3&1) and Jack Shellard (1up) secured the points needed to send Lisburn through and keep their dream of winning a first-ever AIG Men’s Senior Cup pennant alive.
“It’s an absolute dream come true,” said Norrby.
“To take on the holders Douglas, such fine quality players and to get the better of them is a fantastic moment for my players and for Lisburn.”
“The quality still in the competition is fantastic. We’ve done so well to be in the final four. We’ll be here tomorrow and we’re going to give it our all.”
Carton House will be their opponents tomorrow after the Kildare outfit defeated Castletroy 4-1 with David Shiel (3&1), Jordan Boles (3&2) and Darragh Flynn (5&3) victorious for the 2022 champions.
Warrenpoint were first to book their place in the semi-final, with the 2025 Barton Shield winners in impressive form as they secured a 4.5-0.5 victory over The Island.
Colm Campbell (3&1), Paul Reavey (2&1) and Michael McGuirk (2up) secured the vital three points before Sean Ryan added the finishing touch with a 3&2 victory.
The Ulster South champions will face Co. Sligo tomorrow, who themselves put in a strong performance to advance.
Aodhagan Brady, Patrick Tuffy and TJ Ford all secured 3&2 victories to cement their place in the last four as they look to bridge a 10-year gap since their last Senior Cup win.
View the quarter-final results here
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