Sunday 11th August @ 9a.m.
Cement Pitch & Putt Club,
Drogheda,
Co. Louth

Ladies Draw:
Offaly, Meath and Kildare
Dublin and Louth


The Leinster Ladies Inter-County Championship is contested by 5 teams on Sunday. Still blighted by the omission of traditional counties Down and Westmeath, this event will still pack quite the punch, and while it should be a shoot-out between the big two rivals, there could be a tightening up behind them, and I don’t think any team is going to be too far adrift, which can only be good for the integrity and the viability of the competition. (A word to the wise as well, there are girls coming through the juveniles at the moment that will be gracing this competition when they reach the age, there is no doubt in my mind of that. Mme’s Mahon, Cullen, McCarthy and of course Galvin, take a bow...)

Dublin and Kildare are quite well-known at this stage, so I’ll try and put more focus on the three remaining counties that will be aiming to try and break the prevailing hegemony. Meath, Offaly and Louth all have strong traditions in ladies Pitch and Putt, which many national champions between them, throughout the grades, so there should be no inferiority complexes on display.

Offaly brings the competition to a start, and they have one lady in Tracey McGrath who knows what it takes to challenge the best and win. True that might have proved a little beyond her the past couple of seasons, but everyone comments that it is around the green that Tracey excels, and it is a vital commodity in the sport.
Denise Pyke is an excellent player in her own right, and if daughter Lauren is getting all the platitudes at present, it’s because she didn’t lick it off a stone, it’s in the genes, and Denise can play Pitch and Putt, that much is definitely certain. Annie Galvin too is well able to put manners onto a Commando and will go around Cement with the minimum of fuss.
The Ferbane pair are well established county players at this stage, Ger Ryan always in great form and always at the business end of Leinster Championships while Ann-Marie Farrell (or is it McCabe?) won the Inter Strokeplay in great fashion in Athgarvan, not for the first time, and she is well capable of hitting a score that will serve Offaly well.
Lauren Pyke is of course hot property in Offaly, and I’ll be keen to see what kind of score she can shoot ahead of next season when the challenge gets a little tougher.

Offaly:
Capt:
Tracey McGrath (Erry), Denise Pyke (Tullamore), Lauren Pyke (Tullamore), Annie Galvin (Tullamore), Ann-Marie Farrell (Ferbane), Ger Ryan (Ferbane)
[Subs: Chris McCarthy (Tullamore) & Ann Minogue (Ferbane)]

Meath also have a champion to boast of, and a National Champion at that, in the form of Kells’ Carol O’Brien. She reeled in the unfortunate Laura Whelan in excellent fashion and that will stand to her and the rest of the team on a venue that Meath people could nearly count as home.
Kathleen Geraghty is the cornerstone of this team, and she will form a formidable doubles partnership with NEC Competition Secretary Mary Farrell. Mary has seen the benefit of the fledgling Inter-club, competition (as have most of the Meath players) and it can only help them going forward.
Ann Bird didn’t have the best of days in the National Strokeplay at Navan where some eager family members thought she could be a dark horse. The woman with the most unusual swing will surely atone for that in Cement. The Newtown pair of Noreen and Yvonne surprisingly (to me!) don’t play together in the doubles, but both these pair will be able to dovetail with their partners Carol and Ann to good effect, and should contribute nicely in the singles.

Meath:
Capt: none selected
Kathleen Geraghty (Navan); Carol O Brien (GCC); Noreen Myles (Newtown); Yvonne Carney (Newtown); Ann Bird (Laytown); Mary Farrell (GCC)

Kildare are not in the final two-ball and will play with Offaly and Meath. Their players in the main need no introduction. They have the current Leinster, National and World Strokeplay champion, Chrissie Byrne; her sister Marian who was runner-up in the National Matchplay, and Tara Dillon has performed impressively in all the Championships of 2013 to-date, and challenged despite playing little or no pitch and putt aside I'm told.
The National Strokeplay was a huge success for them and it was a lesson to all others that you never underestimate the experience! If, as expected, it is a shoot-out between Dublin and Kildare, it will be the performances of Mairead, Mary and Rose that will decide the destination of the gold medal. I think the Kildare ladies might just pull it off.

Kildare:
Capt: Chrissie Byrne (St. Bridget’s)
Marian Byrne (St. Bridget’s); Tara Dillon (St. Bridget’s); Rose Kelly (Ryston); Mairead O’Toole (Poulaphuca); Mary Donnelly (Ryston)

On another venue I’d consider Louth to be possibly the weak team, but that notion must be discounted in Cement, a course that hasn’t been a traditional haunt for Ladies Championships in recent times, and that will be worth a few shots per player on Sunday. Speaking of leading by example in your county, Mary Agnew does just that, as the Regional Board Chairperson leads her county into battle. She has a decent team behind her as well.
Ann Ward narrowly missed out on claiming the Leinster Intermediate Strokeplay Championship, and she is a delightful player off the tee-box. She along with Christine Carroll have steadily progressed through the ranks in the past couple of years from Junior to Intermediate, to prove that it isn’t just the tweenies that the development officers need to be focussing on to progress the ladies game. Carroll of course is a past National and Leinster Junior Strokeplay winner so will be experienced in front of a crowd.
Marlo Everitt has previous too as she was narrowly edged out for the Junior National Strokeplay herself by the minimum. Cepta Maddick is one half of the current National Mixed Foursomes Champions, and anyone present on the day will be praying that Louth get back on the winners table on Sunday, as Cepta gave everyone in the Seapoint clubhouse a wonderful tune after her win with Gerry Rock, that was worth the entry fee alone. Louth though will look to push on to third or perhaps better and Noleen Bedford’s score will be pivotal. She has been to the fore in the county in recent years winning Strokeplay events, so it will be interesting to see how she fares out.

Louth:
Capt:
Mary Agnew (Collon); Ann Ward (Seapoint); Noleen Bedford (Seapoint); Christine Carroll (Seapoint); Marlo Everitt (Seapoint); Cepta Maddick (Seapoint)


The Holders will feel they have nothing to prove, and really they don’t! Elmes and Ward have all the titles and medals that any player could possibly want, and yet they keep coming back time and time again. The support cast doesn’t have as many individual honours, but this is a team event and as the mantra goes, there is no “I” in team. There is a solid quality to the composition of the Dublin team. As with Kildare, if you are to square off Ger, Sheelagh and Maree against Chrissie, Marian and Tara, Dublin possibly need to find a shot or two, and will look to Linda, Siobhan and Stella to plug the gap.
Linda Thomson hasn’t had the greatest of years, but she has still played solidly during the season, is in the team on merit, and came to Dublin’s rescue in dramatic fashion in St Pat’s last year, and will hope for a little more relaxed run in to Cement. Siobhan Keely is a player who came on leaps and bounds, and has plateau’d slightly, while Stella Sheridan’s experience in battle counts for lots. In a way naming subs could work well for the Dubs, as Pauline Balfe is  going to like a squirrel on a Honda 50 around Cement on Sunday, and her exuberance, giddiness and zest for the game could be the X-factor Dublin need to hold onto their title. The doubles will be key.
 
Dublin:
Capt: Non-playing captain Marise Carroll.
Geraldine Ward (Portmarnock); Sheelagh Elmes (Portmarnock); Linda Thompson (Glenville); Siobhan Keely (RGSC); Stella Sheridan (Glenville); Maree O'Toole (Shandon); Pauline Balfe (O/C) Sub

(I feel that it should be pointed out that it isn’t apathy preventing the aforementioned missing counties: demographics in Down mean it isn’t feasible to send a team, despite the best intentions of young Marina, and although there was a concerted effort by all in Westmeath including the players, it was felt that this season was a step too soon to return. It’s a pity because we’ve seen girls come through in Westmeath in the juveniles, and they have a decent group playing regularly - maybe next year ladies?)

So to the pecking order! I think Kildare’s showing in the National Strokeplay will give them the edge, and I think they will take the bragging rights to Hillview. Dublin should be assured of at least second place. I am going to go for Offaly in third, followed by Louth and then Meath. But I don’t think there is going to be a huge difference between the top two and the rest, and maybe less than a shot per person between the bottom three counties.

Winner: Kildare.
Runner-up: Dublin.