GOLF COPY AND RESULTS
CREDIT CAL CARSON GOLF AGENCY FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON
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| The Scottish Team - Courtesy of Colin Farquharson Click to enlarge |
Title-holders Scotland's hopes of retaining the Women's Home Internationals title at Hillside Golf Club took a potentially fatal blow on another very windy and latterly very wet day at the Lancashire links.
The Scots led Ireland by 2 points after the morning foursomes but the Irish took the singles by 3 points to finish as 5-4 winners.
Meanwhile, England, trailing 2-1 to Wales after the morning foursomes, won five of the six singles to win the match 6-3.
Scotland play England and Ireland play Wales on Day 2
Scotland looked set for a comfortable start to the defence of the title they won at Whitchurch (Cardiff) 12 months ago when Pamela Pretswell beat Lisa Maguire 5 and 4 to stretch the Scots' lunchtime lead to 3.5 to 0.5.
But it was a false dawn. Scotland did not win another singles tie.
Louise Coffey started the swing Ireland's way when she beat Louise Kenney 4 and 3,
Gillian O'Leary had a very good 3 and 1 win over Kelsey MacDonald and Charlene Reid chalked up a 5 and 4 win over former Scottish champion Megan Briggs.
That left the overall scoreline level at 3.5pt each with two matches to finish.
Ireland's Paula Grant, two down to Monifieth debutante Rebecca Wilson at the turn, fought back to gain a square match by winning the last hole.
And Ireland got the clinching victory point in the last match to finish with Emma O'Driscoll winning the 16th and 17th and halving the last for a come-from-behind one hole victory over Craigielaw's Jane Turner.
England came storming back in the singles against Wales, quickly making up their one-point deficit from the singles, winning five of the six afternoon ties.
A rampant England is bad news for Scotland's second match particularly after the morale blow they must have suffered with their collapse in the singles.
WOMEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS
Hillside Golf Club, Lancashire
DAY 1
SCOTLAND 4, IRELAND 5
Foursomes (2.5-0.5)
Louise Kenney and Kelsey MacDonald beat Louise Coffey and Karen Delaney 4 and 3.
Pamela Pretswell and Alyson McKechin beat Gillian O'Leary and Charlene Reid 2 holes.
Megan Briggs and Eilidh Briggs halved with Lisa Maguire and Paula Grant
Singles (1.5-4.5)
Kenney lost to Coffey 4 and 3.
MacDonald lost to O'Leary 3 and 1.
Pretswell beat Maguire 5 and 4.
Megan Briggs lost to Reid 5 and 4.
Rebecca Wilson halved with Grant.
Turner lost to Emma O'Driscoll 1 hole
ENGLAND 6, WALES 3
Foursomes (1-2)
Georgia Hall and Bronte Law lost to Becky Harries and Amy Boulden 2 and 1.
Kelly Tidy and Holly Clyburn lost to Katie Bradbury and Chloe Williams 5 and 4.
Charlotte Ellis and Charlotte Wild bt Gemma Bradbury and Sam Birks 4 and 2.
Singles (5-1)
Lauren Taylor bt Williams 5 and 3.
Tidy beat Boulden 5 and 4.
Charley Hull bt Katie Bradbury 4 and 2.
Charlotte Ellis bt Gemma Bradbury 4 and 3
Clyburn beat Birks 6 and 5
Wild lost to Harries 5 and 3.
THURSDAY MATCHES
Wales v Ireland
England v Scotland
