Thursday, September 29, 2016

DAY 3 -- England win the Senior Home Internationals and Scotland win the wooden Spoon

Senior Home International Teams
Photo courtesy of Colin Farquharson
From Colin Farquharson
England are the Senior Women's Home Internationals title winners for the 10th time since the tournament started in 2003. They completed a 100 per cent winning week at Alyth Golf Club, Perthshire by beating Wales 5.5-2.5 to win the Sue Johnson Trophy for the third year in a row.
Ireland beat Scotland 6-2 in today's other match on a very windy day. That meant that Ireland, Scotland and Wales finished with 1pt apiece. After a long involved three-stage countback, European champions Ireland were declared the runners-up with Wales third and Scotland last of four.
Ireland led Scotland 2-1 after the foursomes and then won the first four singles to finish to assure themselves of victory, if not by the 8-0 margin of last year's match still a comfortable margin.
Senior British champion Laura Webb was back at something like her best in beating Scotland's Alex Glennie by 6 and 5.
Gertie McMullen was also back in form with a 5 and 4 win over Lorna McKinley, achieved with one-under-par figures, quite an achievement in the bright but very breezy conditions.

Mary Sheehy won by 6 and 5 against Gillian Kyle.
Sheena McElroy gained Ireland's sixth point with a 4 and 3 win over Mary Smith. The key holes in this match were the eighth, ninth and 10th. McElroy won all three, birdieing the eighth and 10th. She was roughly level par at the finish

Scotland supporters had to wait all afternoon for a solitary home success in the singles. It was achieved by Aberdeen's Sheena Wood who had to go all the way to the 18th green to win by two holes against Suzanne Corcoran.
The Scot was four up after eight but Corcoran kept chipping away at the lead by winning the ninth, 11th and the 16th with a birdie.
Wood held her nerve and was able to win the 18th with a par 4 for a hard-earned victory.

SENIOR WOMEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS
Alyth Golf Club, Perthshire
Day3

Wales 2.5   England  5.5 

Morning Foursomes (Wales 1 England 2)
Ann Lewis and Sharon Roberts beat Julie Brown and Aileen Greenfield 2 and 1
Denise Richards and Jane Rees lost to Jackie Foster and Catherine Rawthore 3 and 2
Olwen Davies and Chris Harries lost to Helen Lowe and Karen Jobling 5 and 4

Afternoon Singles (Wales 1.5 Engand 3.5)
Jane Rees lost to Catherine Rawthore 1 hole
Anne Lewis beat Katherine Russell 3 and 2
Olwen Davies lost to Helen Lowe 1 hole
Dineise Richards halved with Karen Jobling
Sharon Roberts lost to Jackie Foster 7 and 6


Scotland 2    Ireland 6

Morning foursomes (Scotland 1 Ireland 2)
Sheena Wood and Gillian Kyle lost to Laura Webb and Gertie McMullen
Fiona De Vries and Lesley Lloyd lost to Sheena McElroy and Carol Wickham 2 holes
Mary Smith and Lorna McKinlay beat Mary Sheehy and Maria O'Reilly 1 up

Afternoon Singles (Scotland 1 Ireland 4)
Sheena Wood beat Suzanne Corcoran 2 up
Alex Glennie lost to Laura Webb 6 and 5
 Lorna McKinlay lost to Gertie McMullen 5 and 4
Mary Smith lost to Sheena McIlroy 4 and 3
Gillian Kyle lost to Mary Sheehy 6 and 5


HOW THEY FINISHED

3pt England 3 wins
1pt Ireland 1 win, 2 defeats (F11 A13)
1pt Wales 1 win, 2 defeats (F11 A13)
1pt Scotland 1 win, 2 defeats (F9.5 A14.5)
+Ireland won a three-stage countback to be official runners-up.