Baltray girls are top in Leinster
Wednesday July 30 2008
The championship, held this year at Malahide Golf Club, is one of the most presti-gious events in the Irish Junior Women's calendar, and it was with great satisfaction that the team of Sarah Murray, Rebecca Reilly, Emer O'Shea and Siofra Heraty carried the trophy back to Baltray for the first time in 12 years.
Spurred on by their man-agement team of Lucy Mc-Connell and Barry Plunkett, who is the Junior Convener at County Louth Golf Club, the girls coasted to victory in the final against hosts Malahide.
It was in the three singles matches where the triumph was cemented. Sarah took her match 3 and 2, while Emer had a 4 and 3 win against her opposite number, allowing the third match to be called in with victory - and the Leinster title - already assured.
About 30 teams from all over Leinster had made it to Malahide, including County Louth's local rivals Laytown and Bettystown who had two teams involved. As luck would have it, County Louth came up against both over the course of the competiton, dis-posing of one at the quarter-final stage and dumping out the second Laytown and Bettystown side in the semis.
The girls, who practise regularly together and take part in the weekly club competitons in Baltray, may be on a roll now, but they will need every ounce of skill and determination to put one over Ulster representatives Warrenpoint in the All-Ireland finals. The Northern counties have a particularly strong base at the moment and the province expects, but the County Louth girls will travel north confidently and with expectations of their own.
The Inter-provincial All-Ireland finals take place on August 26th at Massareene Golf Club in County Antrim.
