Co. Sligo ended a 14-year wait for All-Ireland glory when Gerry McManus\u2019 side claimed their first Fred Daly Trophy victory since 2012 following a brilliant performance against Galgorm Castle at Moate.<\/p>\n
Kanturk claimed the Girls\u2019 Inter-Club title with a combined total of 71 Stableford points, while Ballina won the Boys\u2019 Inter-Club with a 121-point haul, and Clontarf defeated Monkstown to claim the Boys\u2019 Foursomes pennant.<\/p>\n
After winning in 2007 and again in 2012, Co. Sligo claimed a third Fred Daly Trophy, with Mark Muldoon sealing the 3-2 victory with a 1up win over Jack McKee on the 18th green.<\/p>\n
Muldoon\u2019s win came after Patrick Tuffy had claimed the first point of the afternoon with a 6&4 victory, before James Park\u2019s 4&2 success put the Rosses Point side on the verge of a third Fred Daly Trophy.<\/p>\n
\u201cFred Daly is close to my heart,\u201d said McManus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI captained the first team that won the Fred Daly in 2007. It\u2019s a special occasion to win the Fred Daly and it\u2019s particularly special for the departure of our good friend Terry Brady.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had three tough matches. It\u2019s never a walkover for anybody and it\u2019s great to see so many good young golfers in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was proud to see our boys perform well under extreme pressure, but they delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have nine players here, all of them have played Fred Daly this year so we have a good panel of players. I\u2019m particularly proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Co. Sligo had earlier battled past Belvoir Park in their semi-final on Wednesday morning, securing a 3-2 victory to book their place in the decider, while Galgorm Castle advanced after defeating Killarney 3.5-1.5.<\/p>\n
In the Girls\u2019 Inter-Club, Kanturk emerged victorious in a tight contest, edging Belvoir Park by a single point to claim the title.<\/p>\n
Hannah O\u2019Connell, Ava Buckley and Beth Buckley combined to secure the coveted green pennant for the Cork side.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are great girls, I\u2019m thrilled with them and so happy to bring it to Cork,\u201d said team captain Eimear Savage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did this in 2019 with other girls and it was amazing but this is absolutely amazing to come home with the cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Boys\u2019 Inter-Club, Ballina finished four points clear of Cliftonville in another closely run contest. Richard Doherty\u2019s side returned to the final having finished fifth when qualifying in 2023, but this time there was to be no denying the Mayo club.<\/p>\n
Michael John Mercer, Corey Teer, Aidan Murphy, Oisin Corbett and Ben Osborne combined for a 121-point total to claim another All-Ireland title for Mayo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really delighted,\u201d said Doherty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe set ourselves a target in terms of scoring, but the guys actually came in over what we had hoped and fortunately it was enough to get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve all played from when they were really young and today is a culmination of all that. All the preparation, all the competitions, all the days when it didn\u2019t go for us and it did finally today.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Boys\u2019 Foursomes, Clontarf came through another nip and tuck battle with Monkstown to secure a one-hole victory. Despite defeat for Brian Heary and Luke Conway, Henry Cronin and Lorcan O\u2019Connor produced a superb performance in the top match, winning 4up to hand the Dublin club the All-Ireland crown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had our fair share of bad luck in this competition, so we\u2019re thrilled to get over the line this time,\u201d said team captain David Hennessey.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great day. We won a bronze medal in the Boys\u2019 Inter-Club and to cap it off with the Boys\u2019 Foursomes was a fantastic achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to celebrate success, it doesn\u2019t happen very often. You lose a lot more than you win.\u201d<\/p>\n