Championships - Home International Matches 2009
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10.09.2009
Scotland v Wales to decide Home International title at Irvine
Scotland is the only team with a 100 per cent record going into the third and final day of the Women’s Home International matches at Irvine Golf Club, Ayrshire. They followed up their first-day 5-4 win over Ireland by beating England 5 1/2-3 1/2 although they made hard work of clinching victory in the the singles after taking the morning foursomes 3-0. The Scots’ match against defending champions Wales will be the title decider. Wales, who beat England on Day 1, won the last three singles to finish to salvage a 4 ½-4 ½ draw with Ireland. Ireland won the first afternoon singles to finish, Gillian O’Leary beating Katie Bradbury 5 and 4. It was a close tie in the early stages until O’Leary went two up at the eighth and doubled that to lead by four after 12 holes. The lead-off singles between Danielle McVeigh and Rhian Wyn Thomas was a quality contest that ended all square. Neither player could get more than one up at any stage bu McVeigh looked to have the edge as she maintained a one-hole lead through the 15th and 16th but she had a double bogey at the 17th to lose that and the last hole was halved. Victory in the tussle between the two players with 100 per cent win records Charlene Reid of Ireland beat Gemma Bradbury by one hole. Reid won the ninth, 10th and 11th for a three-hole lead before Bradbury birdied the 12th to cut her deficit to two holes. Reid promptly restored her three-hole lead by winning the 13th but lost the next and Bradbury came with a late charge to square the tie by winning the 14th with a par and the 16th and 17th, both with birdies. But Reid kept her nerve and won the last with a birdie for victory in an absorbing tie. Wales were trailing 1 ½-4 ½ until their “tail” wagged with wins by Amy Boulden, Lucy Gould and finally Tara Davies whose one-hole victory over Aedin Murphy earned Wales a share of the day’s honours at 4 ½-4 ½ Boulden won by 3 and 1 over Victoria Bradshaw, thanks to clinching victories at the 16th and 17th. Gould built up a four-hole lead after only six holes against Sarah Cunningham and, though her advantage was cut to two at the 12th, the Welsh player came away again, with a birdie 2 at the 16th helping her to win by 4 and 2. England’s fightback from a 0-3 lunchtime deficit began with their native champion, left-hander Charlie Douglass beating Carly Booth by 3 and 2 in the lead-off singles tite. Carly won the first two holes but lost the third and fourth to be pulled back to all square. Douglas continued to prosper with wins at the fifth and sixth to lead by two holes at the turn. Booth rallied to win the11th and 12th to regain equality but Douglass quickened again to win the 13th and 14th and then the 16th with a birdie 2 for the match by 3 and 2. It was Douglass’s third win in four ties. The England fightback continued with Rachel Jennings beat Pamela Pretswell 3 and 1 to narrow the gap to one point in Scotland’s favour overall. Jennings was three holes to the good on the sixth tee but Pretswell fought back to square the match by winning the 14th. Jennings then produced a master stroke, holing a chip for a birdie 3 to win the 15th and regain the lead. The English player prompt went two up with a par at the short 16th and then was conceded the 17th for a 3 and 1 victory. It was Pretswell’s first defeat in four ties and Jennings’ first win in two outings. England levelled the overall scoreline at 3-3 when Hannah Barwood beat Kelsey MacDonald by 2 and 1. Barwood took a grip on the outcome by winning the first, the third and the eighth to be three up, although MacDonald won back the ninth and the 11th to be only one down. Barwood went two up again at the 13th and was able to maintain that lead until MacDonald ran out of holes. Kylie Walker stopped the slide for Scotland by beating Charlotte Wild 3 and 2. The Scot led throughout and a birdie 4 at the long 11th put her three up. It was Kylie’s third win in a row. With Scotland leading 4-3 overall, the match was finely poised. The two ties still to finish were both all square with two and three holes respectively to play. Scottish champion Megan Briggs, who had been three down after five holes to English girls title-holder Holly Clyburn, fought back to win the seventh, eighth and ninth. Then she birdied the 11th to lead for the first time. Briggs went two up at the 14th but Clyburn was not finished yet. She won the 15th with a par and the short 16th with a birdie 2 to square the match. In a thrilling finish, Briggs edged ahead again with a par 4 at the 17th, which meant she was assured of a halved match at least and that half-point would guarantee Scotland at least a halved match overall with England. Briggs in fact was able to clinch overall victory for Scotland, beating Clyburn by two holes when the English player conceded the 18th. The last match of the day to finish ended with honours even between Louise Kenney and Charlotte Ellis. Kenney had been two up after 12 holes but, in the end, was glad to hole a putt on the last for a half in 4. They followed up their first-day 5-4 win over Ireland by beating England 5 1/2-3 1/2 although they made hard work of clinching victory in the the singles after taking the morning foursomes 3-0.The Scots’ match against defending champions Wales will be the title decider.
Wales, who beat England on Day 1, won the last three singles to finish to salvage a 4 ½-4 ½ draw with Ireland.
Ireland won the first afternoon singles to finish, Gillian O’Leary beating Katie Bradbury 5 and 4.
It was a close tie in the early stages until O’Leary went two up at the eighth and doubled that to lead by four after 12 holes.
The lead-off singles between Danielle McVeigh and Rhian Wyn Thomas was a quality contest that ended all square. Neither player could get more than one up at any stage bu McVeigh looked to have the edge as she maintained a one-hole lead through the 15th and 16th but she had a double bogey at the 17th to lose that and the last hole was halved.
Victory in the tussle between the two players with 100 per cent win records Charlene Reid of Ireland beat Gemma Bradbury by one hole.
Reid won the ninth, 10th and 11th for a three-hole lead before Bradbury birdied the 12th to cut her deficit to two holes. Reid promptly restored her three-hole lead by winning the 13th but lost the next and Bradbury came with a late charge to square the tie by winning the 14th with a par and the 16th and 17th, both with birdies.
But Reid kept her nerve and won the last with a birdie for victory in an absorbing tie.
Wales were trailing 1 ½-4 ½ until their “tail” wagged with wins by Amy Boulden, Lucy Gould and finally Tara Davies whose one-hole victory over Aedin Murphy earned Wales a share of the day’s honours at 4 ½-4 ½
Boulden won by 3 and 1 over Victoria Bradshaw, thanks to clinching victories at the 16th and 17th.
Gould built up a four-hole lead after only six holes against Sarah Cunningham and, though her advantage was cut to two at the 12th, the Welsh player came away again, with a birdie 2 at the 16th helping her to win by 4 and 2.
England’s fightback from a 0-3 lunchtime deficit began with their native champion, left-hander Charlie Douglass beating Carly Booth by 3 and 2 in the lead-off singles tite.
Carly won the first two holes but lost the third and fourth to be pulled back to all square. Douglas continued to prosper with wins at the fifth and sixth to lead by two holes at the turn.
Booth rallied to win the11th and 12th to regain equality but Douglass quickened again to win the 13th and 14th and then the 16th with a birdie 2 for the match by 3 and 2. It was Douglass’s third win in four ties.
The England fightback continued with Rachel Jennings beat Pamela Pretswell 3 and 1 to narrow the gap to one point in Scotland’s favour overall.
Jennings was three holes to the good on the sixth tee but Pretswell fought back to square the match by winning the 14th. Jennings then produced a master stroke, holing a chip for a birdie 3 to win the 15th and regain the lead.
The English player prompt went two up with a par at the short 16th and then was conceded the 17th for a 3 and 1 victory. It was Pretswell’s first defeat in four ties and Jennings’ first win in two outings.
England levelled the overall scoreline at 3-3 when Hannah Barwood beat Kelsey MacDonald by 2 and 1.
Barwood took a grip on the outcome by winning the first, the third and the eighth to be three up, although MacDonald won back the ninth and the 11th to be only one down.
Barwood went two up again at the 13th and was able to maintain that lead until MacDonald ran out of holes.
Kylie Walker stopped the slide for Scotland by beating Charlotte Wild 3 and 2. The Scot led throughout and a birdie 4 at the long 11th put her three up. It was Kylie’s third win in a row.
With Scotland leading 4-3 overall, the match was finely poised. The two ties still to finish were both all square with two and three holes respectively to play.
Scottish champion Megan Briggs, who had been three down after five holes to English girls title-holder Holly Clyburn, fought back to win the seventh, eighth and ninth. Then she birdied the 11th to lead for the first time.
Briggs went two up at the 14th but Clyburn was not finished yet. She won the 15th with a par and the short 16th with a birdie 2 to square the match. In a thrilling finish, Briggs edged ahead again with a par 4 at the 17th, which meant she was assured of a halved match at least and that half-point would guarantee Scotland at least a halved match overall with England.
Briggs in fact was able to clinch overall victory for Scotland, beating Clyburn by two holes when the English player conceded the 18th.
The last match of the day to finish ended with honours even between Louise Kenney and Charlotte Ellis.
Kenney had been two up after 12 holes but, in the end, was glad to hole a putt on the last for a half in 4.
Morning Foursomes
Ireland responded to their opening-day defeat at the hands of Scotland by taking a 2-1 foursomes lead over Wales, conquerors of England, on Day 2 of the women’s home international matches at Irvine Golf Club this morning.
Scotland followed up their victory by taking a 3-0 lunchtime lead over England.
Ireland’s Gillian O’Leary and Victoria Bradshaw put the first foursomes point on the board in quick time. They beat Welsh champion Tara Davies and Amy Boulden by 6 and 4. It was Boulden’s first defeat after wins in both the foursomes and the singles against England.
There was not much between the sides over the first six holes at the end of which O’Leary and Bradshaw were one up. But the Irish pair then moved up a gear to win the seventh with a birdie 3, the eighth with a par and the ninth to be four up at the turn.
The Irish lead was stretched to five at the 11th and they finished off the match by winning the 14th to go six up with four to play.
Ireland went 2-0 ahead with a 2 and 1 win by Danielle McVeigh and Charlene Reid over Kath O’Connor and Katie Bradbury.
The Irish pair were three up after eight holes, having seized the initiative with successes at the second and third. O’Connor and Bradbury scored their first success of the match with a bogey 5 at the 10th and were conceded the 13th to be only one down with five to play.
But it was so far and no further for the Welsh pair. They lost the short 16th to a par to slip two down again and a par at the 17th clinched victory for McVeigh and Reid. It was Reid’s third win in three sessions of play and British stroke-play champion McVeigh’s second success.
Wales opened their account with a 3 and 1 win by Rhian Wyn Thomas and Gemma Bradbury over Mary Dowling and Sarah Cunningham. Thomas and Bradbury thus extended their 100 per cent success records through three sessions.
Gemma holed the Welsh pair’s second shot at the 358yd third hole for an eagle 2. That put them two up and, on a high, they quickly doubled their lead by winning the fourth and fifth also.
Dowling and Cunningham got one back with a birdie 3 at the seventh but lost the eighth to a par and went five down to a par by the Welsh at the ninth.
The Irish pair had to birdie holes to win them and they got another at the 10th to cut their deficit to four holes. Dowling and Cunningham got a bit of momentum going to win the 12th, 13th and 14th
But Bradbury and Thomas stopped the rot as far as they were concerned with winning pars at the 15th and 17th.
Scotland went one up on England with a 3 and 2 win by Louise Kenney and Pamela Pretswell over Hannah Barwood and Charlotte Wild. It was Pretswell’s third win of the series. It was a tight match on the outward journey with never more than a hole in it either way but the picture changed dramatically after the turn.
The Scots wiped out the English one-hole lead with a birdie 4 at the 11th and went one up with a par at the 13th, two up with another par at the 14th and three up with a birdie 3 at the 15th. A half at the next ended the contest.
Scotland went 2-0 ahead when teenagers Carly Booth and Kelsey MacDonald beat Charlie Douglass and Holly Clyburn by 2 and 1. The Scots bounced back from losing the first with a bogey to birdie the second and win the third with a par to go into a lead they never lost. Birdies at the eighth and ninth put Booth and MacDonald three up at the turn.
Clyburn and Douglass birdied the 10th to get one back but didn’t win another hole until the 14th to keep their hopes alive. However, the Scots closed the door on their opponents by going two up again with a par 3 at the short 16th and halving the 17th for a 2 and 1 success.
Kylie Walker and Jane Turner completed a 3-0 foursomes whitewash of England with a one-hole win over Kelly Tidy and Charlotte Ellis.
The Scots were never behind in the match and were two up for most the outward half.
However, Tidy and Ellis won the 10th and 11th to square the contest before Walker and Turner edged ahead again by winning the 13th with a par. Tidy and Ellis squared the match with a par at the 16th but the Scots regained the lead for the umpteenth time with a par at the 17th and a half at the last completed a 3-0 morning victory for Scotland.
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