Championships - Girls' Home International Matches 2009
« Back to news indexNews for this championship
06.08.2009
England win the 2009 Girls' Home Internationals
England duly won the Girls Home Internationals’ title for the eighth time in the past 10 years with a 100 per cent winning record through three days’ play at Fairhaven Golf Club, Lancashire.But Ireland showed the grit and skill that won them the European girls’ championship in Finland in early July as they gave the Stroyan Cup holders their toughest match of the week.
England finally won by 6 1/2-2 1/2after the Irish had held them to a foursomes scoreline of 1 ½-1 ½
Scotland came from 2pt in arrears to snatch a 4 ½-4 ½ draw with Wales and so win the Swansea Spoon as runners-up to England.
Ireland’s Lisa Maguire won the top singles by one hole over Holly Clyburn, the English girls’ champion, in a quality match. Lisa, two down with three to play, won the 16th, 17th and 18th for victory. She birdied the long 16th, won the 17th with a par 3 and then birdied the long 18th for victory.
Clyburn was three times three up over the first 10 holes before Maguire won the 12th to get it back to two holes of a difference. The 13th, 14th and 15th were halved, setting the scene for a memorable finish.
Lisa Maguire finished with five points from her six games – a record matched only by England’s Alexandra Peters, the Fairhaven woma
Peters’ fifth win of the week was achieved by 4 and 2 over Patrice Delaney but it was the Irish player who twice held a one-hole lead on the outward journey.
Peters squared the match at the eighth and then won the 11th, 12th, 14th and 16th for a smooth victory in the end.
Hannah Turland was struggling to get on terms with Ireland’s Carla Reynolds for most of the way – but won by one hole in the end. Reynolds was three up after seven holes and again three to the good after nine.
But Turland came with a strong run over the closing holes, winning the 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th while Reynolds was able to win only the 15th on the inward half.
Nikki Foster beat Emma O’Driscoll by 3 and 2 after leading almost all the way. The England player went two up after four, was pulled back to one after six but then broke clear again with wins at the seventh and eighth.
Hayley Davis and youngster Lauren Taylor wrapped up overall victory for England by winning the last two matches. Davis beat Laura McCarthy 3 and 2 after going two holes up at the 10th and later winning the 15th and 16th after the Iris player had won the 11th with a birdie 4.
Taylor scored the best win of her career, by 2 and 1 over Vagliano Trophy team player Leona Maguire. The Irish player was two up after four holes but Taylor pulled her back to square by winning the sixth and then the 11th with a birdie 4.
Taylor led for the first time with a 4 at the 13th and then a birdie 4 at the 16th put her two up with two to play. A half at the 17th sealed the England victory.
After the Wales v Scotland foursomes were shared 1 ½-1 ½, Wales claimed victory in the first two singles to finish. Amy Boulden beat Eilidh Briggs by 3 and 1 and Gemma Bradbury beat Rachael Watton 4 and 3.
Boulden won the first two holes from Briggs and went three up at the fifth. Briggs did get her deficit back to hole hole by winning the sixth and eighth but her Welsh opponent won the 10th with a par 3 and the next six holes were half.
Briggs conceded the 17th to go down by 3 and 1.
Gemma Bradbury was three up after six holeby s and survived a comeback by Watton which saw the Scot win the seventh and eighth. The Welsh player won the ninth, 10th and 11th with a birdie-par-birdie run and four halves in a row from the 12th ended the match in Wales’ favour.
The Scots’ rally began with a one-hole win by Alyson McKechin over Kelly Miller. The Welsh player was two up after eight but McKechin squared the contest with wins at the 12th and 13th. Miller was conceded the 15th to get her nose in front again but McKechin staged a grandstand finish to win both the 17th and the 18th for a one-hole victory.
Sammy Leslie’s 3 and 1 win for Scotland over Chloe Williams levelled the overall scoreline at 3 ½ pt each. Leslie led for the first time with a birdie 3 at the ninth and though she lost the 10th she quickly went back in front with successes at the 11th and the 12th, with a birdie.
Williams won the 13th to be only one down but the Scot went two up at the 16th and was conceded the 17th for a 3 and 1 win.
Katie Bradbury put Wales back in front by beating Rachael Taylor by one hole. The Welsh player had been one or two up for most ot the match before Taylor won the 16th and then the 17th with a birdie 2 to square the tie. Bradbury responded to the last-hole pressure with a birdie 4 to win it and the match for Wales.
Scotland, trailing by one with one tie to finish, got the levelling point with a 2 and 1 win by their champion, Ailsa Bain, over Natasha Gobey. Bain was never behind in a match in which she was three up after nine holes but lost the 10th , 11th and 12th to be pulled back to square.
Bain then won the 13th with a bogey 5 and after three halved holes in a row – both players had 4s at the long 16th, the Scot clinched her 2 and 1 victory with a par 3 at the 17th.
Do you have comments or questions about the LGU?
LGU legal disclaimer | Privacy statement | Copyright © 2010 - Ladies' Golf Union
Ladies' Golf Union, The Scores, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AT
Tel: 01334 475811, Fax: 01334 472818