Absolutely no offence to those in the top half of the draw, but immediately the first game in the bottom half takes to me a level of euphoria that usually necessitates a changing of undergarments.

The first game is between two of the most impressive performers in modern Pitch and Putt. John Walsh, JJ, John-John, call him what you will, the small guy from the banks of the Lee is one of the greatest the country has seen, and his National tally just does not stack up to the constant level of performance he has brought to tournaments up and down the country over the past 20 years. His opponent Sean Downes always came across as something like a Terminator. Robotic in style, disciplined, his routine never seemed to change, and to me he was the best outside of Murphy. The best thing about these two guys is the aura they had/have. You would never miss Walsh at a scr cup, as he was always on the podium, whereas the gag we heard about Sean was that he had a select 5 scr cups and outside of that he went into cold storage. The naivety of the youth – how could someone amass his collection of titles and not play regularly, sure that’s not human!

It’s almost a shame that these two must play each other so early, but there is no need for seeding in this most brilliant of tournaments. One of them must shower early, and I suppose it is a toss of a coin to see who does. The smart money is going on Walsh, and while I can understand the justification in it, I’ve a suspicion this is the type of game Downes needs to get him motoring in Lucan. I think Downes will edge it, and tie-holes are a possibility.

The second game features Anthony Culhane of Tipp Hills, and he plays Larry Maher of Erry. Yet again this is another tight game featuring two similarly able players. “Cul” has won a lot of respect in Tipperary through the years and is sure to fancy his chances against a player who just doesn’t seem to have luck on side in Championship Pitch and Putt. Larry Maher is notoriously inconsistent; winning matches he has no right to win, and losing matches that seem straightforward. It’s as if the gods have yielded against him, and one wonders when we’ll see the best from the Clara man in a PPUI event. I am struggling to decide who will emerge as victor in this tie – Maher should win if looking at this objectively, but there are doubts there. I’ll stick with Maher.

I had the pleasure of meeting Hillview’s John Fitzgerald today, a player I’ve to come to know of in theory, but today was the first actual introduction. A gentleman and a knowledgeable Pitch and Putt man, his tie against Collinstown’s Mick Buckley will if nothing else be a pleasure for both in a sporting sense for as long as the game lasts. Fitzgerald is a veteran of PPUI championships, while Buckley has plenty of experience and bucket-loads of ability. Westmeath Pitch and Putt is on an upward curve, it might not seem like it now, but seeds have been sown, and we’re going to see an explosion by the end of this decade in the Lakeland County. The Buckley’s will be at the heart of it, and no better weekend to display some of those shoots: Mick Buckley for the second round.

Finally one of the contests everyone will want to watch on Saturday. Anthony Skinner Malone: Dublin Chairman, twice National Champion, storyteller, showman, legend. Alan Hanlon: Westmeath and Collinstown administrator extraordinaire, Leinster champion, bard, leader, legend. This game is huge. Skinner has an iconic status, Hanlon too, both for different reasons. Hanlon is the more eccentric, but often in this game, intelligence and a genuine belief to do what is right, can be seen as eccentricities. Both men have an incredible will to succeed, masked by their personalities. Both will see this tie as infinitely winnable. Skinner has to be considered favourite, home course and playing well [44, 41 is the weekend scoring doing the rounds on the gossip lines], while Hanlon is only finding his way through what could be described as a long slump.
The thing about Hanlon though is this: he never gets the credit he deserves. I’ve made this mistake myself in the past. If you scratch the surface you see a man that is selfless in thought, and the reason he finds conflict is that he doesn’t accept mediocrity, not of himself, of others, or of the sport. I’d go so far as to say he has sacrificed his own game in order to try and make the future better for the next generation: not just in this sport either. Those who attend convention will have heard his passionate reasoned interjections on subjects far and wide, and those who have heard will not be surprised to know that this man is at the heart of the trade union movement so active these past 5 years.
He couldn’t have timed his return to form any better either. A semi-finalist at this venue ten years ago, he adores Lucan, and having listened to his delight at some signs of improvement, I’d be worried for Skinner. Any slip-ups are going to be punished, and it is not going to be a walk in the park. The doubt is which Alan Hanlon turns up? I think Skinner is the likely outcome, but this is one of the few games where there is money to be made by backing the underdog.

The second round games here will be more clear-cut. Downes will account for Maher, while in the other game, if Skinner emerges to face Buckley I’d feel strongly for Malone to continue, but if Hanlon were to win, well Buckley would surely be confident. Skinner though remains the most likely to progress.

This presents us with a humdinger of a knockout game in the last 16 between Downes and Skinner. A real clash of the titans! I have wondered for a while where does Skinner fit into top-level pitch and putt these days. Douglas was one of the days that I wondered are his days as a proper challenger numbered. Don’t get me wrong, he played wonderfully well to get to a position to challenge, but there was an opportunity with about 8 holes to go to make a kick, but it was the younger guns that made the charge. That has left me doubting his chances of outright (or qualified) success this weekend. I know there will be no quarrel from the effervescent Skinner, he loves the theatre that we try to create around our championships, and he will do his utmost to prove anyone that doubts him wrong. So I’ll wait for him to prove me wrong. Downes to be quarter-finalist number 5.