Junior Cup v Corrstown
Sutton bowed out in Quarter Final after a super run.
Following 3 great victories, the Junior Cup campaign came to an end against a very strong and experienced Corrstown team. Corrstown won the Junior Cup pennant two years ago and were always going to be hard to beat, particularly with home advantage.
Nonetheless, Sutton approached the match with a significant degree of optimism and in truth this was a match that on another day could have gone our way. The weather was ridiculously bad with teeming rain and February like temperatures as the match got underway.
As in previous rounds, Dave O’Neill led out at home and from the off knew he was in for a battle. His Corrstown opponent was a fine ball striker and made very few mistakes in navigating his way around the Cush peninsula. Dave managed to edge in front after 6 but his opponent bounced back strongly and took a 2 up lead into the back 9.
Junior Captain Dylan Flanagan, returning after missing the previous round, picked up where he left off and, with Conor Litchfield on the (incredibly small) bag, established his dominance early and never let up. Dylan established a healthy lead on the front 9 thanks to some sensational driving and ice cool putting and as his caddie noted … “no wonder the bag is so small when all you need is a driver and a couple of wedges!”. Dylan closed out the match comfortably on the 15th hole and his opponent graciously commended him on the exceptional golf played.
Over in Corrstown, Ben Logan got proceedings underway and, despite playing some sensational golf, was behind after the early holes. Ben battled all the way but his opponent was an experienced campaigner who seemed to play exactly the right shot when needed, the match eventually finishing on the 16th .
Mick O’Sullivan in the anchor match faced an immediate birdie onslaught, with his opponent 4 under par after 8 holes – eh Junior Cup lads! Mick has plenty of fight though and kept plugging away until finally succumbing after 15 holes.
Mark Coates played in the second match in Corrstown and with the competitive juices flowing he sprinted to a healthy lead on the front 9. He was always in control until the match was called in on the 17th with “Coatesy” about to win 2 up. As the old saying goes, class is permanent.
Dave O’Neill’s match was the one that drew the biggest crowd as it became apparent that this was “the vital one”. Roving reporter Stephen “Radar” Moriarty kept the various WhatsApp groups updated in his own inimitable style – definitely a career change in the offing! After the turn, Dave steadied the ship with good pars on 10 & 11 and looked likely to win 12, but his opponent holed a long putt for a half. The sages in the crowd agreed that getting one back in “The Field” was crucial and it looked to be nailed on after the tee shots on13 – Dave down the middle with Corrstown on the path deep in the trees (photo below for reference!). Dave played a lovely shot to back of the green to apply the pressure. Corrstown, with a seemingly impossible shot then produced a miracle to land on the middle of the green – even “the sages” were impressed! So, a half from nowhere and an ominous feeling descended. All was not lost, however, as the Corrstown man pulled his tee shot on15 just short of the pot bunker and Dave had another sniff! But, the by now christened “Seve” had other ideas and chipped in for birdie to close out the match! Sometimes, it just ain’t your day.
This was a gutting defeat, but the panel can take great pride in getting so far in an extremely competitive competition. It has been a long time since Sutton had such an extended run in the Junior Cup and there is huge optimism for the future. Eight players featured over the course of the campaign and each contributed massively. Roll on next year!
