There has been more scrutiny of this year’s National Matchplay Championship than normal. The draw is a peculiar one, slow-burning almost, and in my own opinion, with very few players in form, even allowing for the horrendous weather we’ve had to endure so far this decade year.

This year’s finals are as everyone knows being played at Lucan; you couldn’t help but have seen all the lead-up on the social media websites! This year’s venue is in stark contrast to Claycastle, where weather and little knowledge of the course were huge determining factors.


The usual names were being bandied around then as are now, and at this stage of the season I think it is fair to say that there is no outstanding favourite for the Gents title. Without trying to draw attention away from those who have qualified, this weekend will be tough for John Ross Crangle: it was an outstanding opportunity to break the National hoodoo, and the longer it continues the heavier the burden, just as Messr’s O’Brien and Dineen.


The odds on an upset were always increased in Claycastle given its unique setting, and the apprentice status as a Major Championship venue. The same does not apply to Lucan. All the ranked players will have played competitively at Lucan, some more than likely played here in the last Matchplay of 2003, when Darren O’Reilly prevailed.

I surely cannot be the only person to notice something of a sea-change at the top level of Mens Pitch and Putt both provincially and nationally? Names such as McCarthy, O’Loughlin, Dillon, O’Sullivan, Goodall, Fleming, Crangle, Goggin, Murray, Shoer, Walsh (Eoin) have either won, or nearly won the biggest Championships there are on offer. And there are more waiting in the wings to replace those who stay on the pot too long. How long do you have to wait for the likes of JJ, Sugar Ray, Dineen and Collins to win again before they officially are in downward curve?

Have the aforementioned now usurped the likes of Liam O’Donovan, William Buckley, Sean Downes and David Hayden as the staples of a championship challenge that you look to when a draw is made? 

Well, no frankly. Pitch and Putt has gotten extremely inconsistent in the last couple of seasons. That is horrible for the players, as one good tournament can be followed by a disaster, but for the on-lookers it’s great, as the uncertainty offers numerous possible outcomes as our Championships enter their final holes. 

Always trying to find an angle, I’m going to breakdown the gents draw into groups of matches, to give an idea of who I expect to see make the quarter-finals. So that will be the 8 mini-previews, and I’ll finish with an overall round-up. That should happen over the next 24 hours. So keep those eyes peeled.


Finally, it would be remiss of me not to say a word for my auld partner in crime over these past 5 years who has taken to the high seas with a new job. Able seaman Paul O’Brien has been an integral part of the previews and reviews of the PPUI Senior events in that time, and his input was always thoroughly enjoyable and worth a few laughs in the run-ups. There was many a guffaw’ in that time, so the past few months have been sombre to say the least. I wish him well.

Enjoy the preview, and if you find yourself nodding in agreement as you read, then as David Holmes might say, “check your head!”