Asia-Pacific claimed a clean sweep of both the Bonallack and Patsy Hankins Trophies as the prestigious tournaments concluded in Doha on Saturday.
Ireland were represented in both competitions with Lisburn’s Paula Grant the sole representative on the Patsy Hankins select while Tramore’s Robin Dawson is the only Irishman on the Bonallack team.
It was Dawson and the men’s team that fared much the better at Doha Golf Club as they headed into the final day’s singles matches with an 11-9 advantage.
However Asia-Pacific came out in inspired form and it was Dawson who fell first in the opening match, going down 3&1 to Australia’s Min Woo Lee. It was two points apiece after the first four matches before Asia-Pacific seized the advantage by taking matches 5-7.
The ebbing and flowing continued throughout the afternoon and it all came down to Frederic Lacroix of France in the final match. However he came up against a brick wall in Lloyd Jefferson Go, going down 3&2 as Asia-Pacfic regained the title that they’d lost two years before.
Patsky Hankins Trophy
In the women’s event, Asia-Pacific took what proved to be an unassailable lead into the final day with an unprecedented 16½ to 3½ advantage.
The home side quickly put the contest to bed winning the first four matches of the singles in fine style to retain their trophy.
Lisburn’s Grant had some personal glory on the final day of competition however, taking down Yu-Chiang Hu in the anchor match 5&3.
The official final score saw Asia-Pacifc regain their crown by a whopping 23½ to 8½ and although far from the result that Team Europe were hoping for, now doubt this experience will stand to the girls in blue when they come up against even greater tests in the months to come.
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