McDonnell Cup V Donabate
McDonnell Cup 2024 QF Round 16th May
Sutton march proudly to semi final of McDonnell Cup with a strong win over Donabate GC .
With 3 matches away as in the 1st round and more new faces in the team, Sutton delivered another determined victory with some excellent scoring and new heroes. Fred Gilbert and Dave Jones were first out at home. It was tight in the front 9, with Dave and Fred playing nicely and then Fred threw in some punches at the Par 3 on the back 9 (captured and commentated on film for perpetuity) allowing our lads to enjoy a super 3&2 win. Getting the 1st leg up at home is always critical– thanks lads.
Our 1st game away again saw debutant Dan O’Grady join Paul Leech. This match was box office. The opposition had 5 birdies on the day yet our Sutton men did not yield. A magnificent birdie by Dan on the long Apr 3 16th levelled the match. All 4 players hit the par 5 18th in regulation and a half seemed a fair and likely result. In a cruel blow to Dan and Paul, the last putt by Donabate on the last roll fell for another birdie. Unlucky to lose Men but a super effort!!
2nd team out away in Donabate, again the away specialists Simon English Mark Banahan step up. A quick match gets a quick report…We won 8&7 and 3 under combined after 12….Mic drop, move on! Superb
The 3rd team away say Brian Cole join Justin Ray to take on a strong pair from Donabate. The match was tight with Brian and Justin recovering from 2 down early to level at the 9th . The match was still alive and way,way out the course when it was called in as the overall result became known. Great battling lads!.
For Match 2 in Sutton, we had the wounded golfer Brian Deane and ebullient Robbie Lyons. Sutton grabbed the initiative towards end of Front 9 and went 4 up. Our experience in the field was described as being somewhere between a wobble and a ffn disaster to give up most of this lead. Naturally Brian and Robbie restored equilibrium and balance with some superb play to go dormy on 15 and calmly closing out their game and the match on 16 with another 3&2 win. Brian and Robbie grabbing the headline win for the 2nd match in a row…we won’t quibble if they make it a hat trick.
Overall, a very good Sutton 3.5:1.5 win against an experienced and gracious Donabate. We now await winners of Roganstown/Island before 22nd July June with 3 matches home – a tough but exciting challenge ahead. Victory celebrations were held in the clubhouse with a cold meat salad buffet (that’s a first??) and several pints – another great day for SGC & McDonnell 2024.
