County Armagh have qualified for the Ulster final of the All-Ireland Four-Ball Trophy, with the one-off clash against Nuremore to take place at the neutral venue of Dungannon this Sunday 26 August at 2pm.
That appetising fixture was made possible by a tremendous semi-final triumph over Greenisland, the team's fifth opponents in an exhilarating run in this year's tournament.
Tim Teahan's men travelled to Greenisland for the first leg on Sunday 12 August when, on paper, they looked to be weakened by the absence of two of their talismanic pairings due to pre-booked family holidays. However, this squad has repeatedly shown its strength in depth and they turned in another resilient performance here, emerging from the tricky nine-hole course, where the home side was well backed by the many members who watched on, with 2½ of the 5 points on offer.
Having dispensed with Greenisland, County Armagh's All-Ireland Four-Ball Trophy side will now play Nuremore in the Ulster Final of the competition.
Paul Kelly/Gavin McElmeel were dominant from the off and ultimately sealed County Armagh's first point on the 14th green. Meanwhile, Paul Rice/Cathal Cullen started slowly but overturned a three-hole halfway deficit to restore parity after 17. The Greenisland faithful waited expectantly around the final green but were left disappointed when Paul's superb closing birdie claimed victory and crowned a magnificent comeback for the Rice-Cullen axis.
Paul Wasson/Stephen Nugent were unlucky not to post a third County Armagh win but did manage to notch a crucial half point. Stephen Miller/Gerry Kelly lost on the last hole when the former's putt to tie the match lipped out, before the final duo of captain Teahan and Gareth Frizell were edged out by a Greenisland double act who were now unbeaten in nine encounters.
The return leg was contested in the Cathedral City the following Sunday 19 August. The Greenisland outfit had visited for a number of practice rounds and were well prepared for their bid to halt County Armagh's Four-Ball Trophy progression. However, despite mounting a stiff challenge, again in the presence of numerous Greenisland supporters, the away team was simply unable to cope with a commanding County Armagh display.
Oliver Connell/Philip Dowey surrendered a three-hole lead and were all square exiting Rokeby Green. But under the glare of gaffer Tim, they proceeded to take the next three holes to prevail by 3&2. More straightforwardly, Paul Wasson/Stephen Nugent were always in control and they completed the job on the 15th.
Then in game no.5, Paul Rice/Cathal Cullen had registered a four-hole advantage after 14. With Stephen Miller/Gerry Kelly and Paul Kelly/Gavin McElmeel all level along the closing stretch, Greenisland conceded defeat as they couldn't recover their points or holes shortfall. The unfinished tussles were deemed to be drawn, thus producing a marvellous 6-4 scoreline in County Armagh's favour.
So Tim Teahan's merry band marches on, and the winners of their bout with Nuremore will go on to compete in the All-Ireland series semi-finals and final at Limerick Golf Club on the weekend of 15-16 September. Exciting times.
On the subject of stirring County Armagh cup campaigns, Marty Daly's Ulster Cuppers kick off their semi-final with an away leg at Malone on Monday 27 August before hosting their Belfast rivals for the decider on Sunday 2 September. All the very best to the Ulster Cup and All-Ireland Four-Ball lads for their upcoming battles, and congratulations to both on fantastic seasons so far.
In a final piece of inter-club matchplay news, Paul Kelly's Senior Cowdy Cup crew have exited the competition after a last-eight reversal at the hands of Mourne. Many thanks to everyone involved for giving up their time to represent any of County Armagh's teams.