Dublin ladies celebrate Pitch & Putt title

THE Dublin senior
football team weren’t the only sportspeople from the capital celebrating
All-Ireland success last month.

The Dublin Ladies’
Pitch & Putt team also did their bit to put us on the map by winning the
National Inter County title in Portmarnock.

In the doubles,
vice captain Maree O’Toole from Shandon paired with debutant Linda Thomson from
Glenville.

The mix of
experience and enthusiasm proved to be a solid combination as they shot a
positive 56 to get the ball rolling.

The two home players
on the team split up to share their experience so Ger Ward again partnered
Helen Greagsbey from CY as Sheelagh Elmes played alongside RGSC’s Siobhan
Keely.

Sheelagh and
Siobhan also added a +2 total while Helen and Ger teamed up brilliantly to post
a 1 under par score that gave Dublin a superb +3 total. This saw them leading
from Cork by two shots and Tipperary by three going into the singles.

In the singles
section, the wind was extremely strong and players throughout the field were
struggling to deal with it. Putting was even being affected by the elements.

Linda was first
out and found the putting quite difficult with the treacherous pace of the
greens adding to the wind conditions but the experience she has gained will be
huge for her future efforts. Maree O’Toole posted a very good 59 total in the
second pairing to get the ball rolling, while next in was Ger Ward who posted a
brilliant 53 which really showed the difficulty of the course.

If you had to pick
a performance out on the day as the standout score, it would have to be Helen
Greagsbey’s 54 total in her first Inter County outing.

She seemed to
thrive on the pressure and the occasion. She was two under par with four holes
to play but found some trouble on the difficult closing stretch.

Her score was a
huge addition to the overall team total and really put Dublin in prime
position.

Siobhan Keely came
in fifth and continued her excellent Inter County form of the last few years
with a 57.

Sheelagh produced
a brilliant pitch and an even better long putt to win the championship with a
birdie and bring the National Inter County title back to Dublin for 2011.

The following day,
the Dublin Gents’ team took to the course but despite their best efforts
couldn’t replicate the success of the ladies and finished fourth. Cork won the
title for the ninth consecutive year.

The Dublin County
Board would like to express huge congratulations to the ladies’ team who have
now added another National Inter County title to the Under 16 title won so well
in Deerpark this year.

They would also
like to thank every one who came out to support both teams over the weekend,
which was very much appreciated.