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England and Ireland set for showdown in Home Internationals

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The R&A
11 Aug 23
3 mins
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As with last year at Ballyliffin, England and Ireland will fight out it for The R&A Men’s and Women’s Home Internationals at Machynys Peninsula in Wales. 

England narrowly defeated Ireland last year, but Ireland take a slight edge heading into the final day. The two sides are tied at the top of the table with two points apiece, with Ireland holding the edge from more game points won. The Irish have 26 game points to England’s 24.5.  Wales and Scotland have zero points, with the home side occupying third place by half a point. The Welsh have 17 game points to Scotland’s 16.5.  Ireland bounced back on day two to defeat Scotland 12 ½ - 8 ½. The team in green didn’t get off to the best start, losing the foursomes 4 ½ - 2 ½. However, the Irish came screaming out of the blocks in the afternoon to take the singles 10 - 4. 

Momentum 

“We gained a bit of momentum in the last foursomes match on the course this morning,” Irish captain Niall MacSweeney said. “Caolan (Rafferty) and Paul (Conroy) came back from two down with three to play to get a half point (against Jack McDonald and Matthew Wilson).   “Everybody was in good form at lunchtime, and everyone all got up and got at it. Sara (Byrne) and Max (Kennedy) got big wins (over Lorna McClymont and Gregor Tait) and that fed through the team.”  MacSweeney’s side won seven of the last eight singles. “That was crucial,” he said. “There was a bit of momentum switch after the turn and we were on the right side of that momentum swing and were able to see the job done.  “It was a great effort from the whole team, especially the women who were fantastic in winning five of their six singles. Our aim tomorrow is to win both sessions. If we do that we’ll have a good evening tomorrow night.” 
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Scottish disappointment 

The loss was hard to take for Scottish captain Gillian Paton and her team. “For much of the afternoon we were on track to win 11-10,” Paton said.   “It was hard match to lose after winning the foursomes in the morning. We gave ourselves every opportunity to win but we just weren’t good enough this afternoon. We only won one point of the last eight which was disappointing. The team are pretty down but we fought our hearts out, we fought with courage. We didn’t get it over the line but we play Wales tomorrow and it’s an opportunity to try and finish third.”  England beat Wales 11 ½ - 9 ½, but the visitors had to rely on a stronger foursomes showing to defeat the team in red. England took the foursomes session 5-2 only to see the Welsh bounce back with a 7 ½ - 6 ½ victory in the head-to-head contests.   “I’m pleased with the overall team result but winning the foursomes 5-2 in the morning was massive,” England captain Gareth Jenkins said. “There were tight matches in the morning that we got through with sheer grit and resilience.  “This afternoon we just got out played. The Welsh team deserved to win the singles, especially the men (who recorded six of the 7 ½ points), because they were fantastic. They played great. They putted beautifully. Our lads huffed and puffed all afternoon but just couldn’t get anything going.” 

Backbone of side 

While the English men faltered in the foursomes, losing six of their eight matches, the women recorded four-and-a-half of England’s six-and-a-half points.  “I watched the women play today they were outstanding,” Jenkins said. “They were the backbone of the team.”  Rosie Belsham provided quite a bit of backbone. The Whitley Bay Golf Club member is a perfect four matches won from four played over the first two days. She came back from three down early on against Burnham & Berrow member Harriet Lockley to win 3&2.   “In some ways nothing has changed,” Jenkins added, “because we still have to go out and try and beat Ireland convincingly. They’ll have some fire in their bellies for tomorrow against Ireland.”  Welsh captain Laura Jane Griffiths lamented another poor foursomes session which cost her team dearly. “We’ve got off to slow starts both mornings but we’ve managed to turn it round, and we did that this afternoon to win the singles,” Griffiths said.  “The men are absolutely buzzing. They are such a strong side and they proved it by beating the English men 6-2. They were brilliant, and the mood in the camp is so good. We’re looking forward to the match against Scotland tomorrow.” 

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