A splendid day for Kerry Pitch & Putt both at individual and inter-county level was crowned with a third consecutive National U16 Inter-County title for the Kerry ‘Gold’ team on home turf in Deerpark, Killarney last Saturday.
The team of Brian McCarthy, A Jay Barrett, Nathan Cronin and Noah Sexton were convincing 22 shot winners of the National title in what was Kerry’s seventh success overall in the competition but the very first to take place at a Kerry course. Listowel’s A Jay Barrett was the star of the win as a five under par round in his 36 holes singles was very beneficial for both himself and his county.
A Jay became Kerry’s fifth and his club Listowel’s first ever winner of the National Boys U16 Strokeplay with an overall total giving him a massive 10-shot winning margin over the field. A Jay had started on three under before leaving the field in his wake as he also shot a strong six under par Scotch Foursomes round alongside Brian McCarthy as Nathan Cronin and Noah Sexton were the other members of the winning Kerry side. Brian as captain followed his father Derry in winning the competition as Derry was a member of Kerry’s first ever National Inter-County winning side back in 1986.
Brian was third overall in the Boys section just missing out on countback from Tipperary’s Adam O’Brien for second. Elsewhere the Kerry ‘Green’ team of Ben Kelliher, Jayden Chute, Daniel Leahy and Dylan Sweeney finished third in the competition only two shots off the silver medal score posted by the Tipperary 1 side. Great credit must go to Kerry U16 Officer Gearoid Cronin for his work with both teams this summer that yielded first and third at both national and provincial level. The team were also kindly sponsored by Sewells Pharmacy in Killarney again this year.
Elsewhere last Saturday in Deerpark, Tralee’s Sophie Moynihan (pictured, on right) was second once more in a National U16 Girls competition as her score of 125 was good enough for the silver medal behind defending champion Sarah Cooney of Seapoint who had beaten Sophie in the National Girls Matchplay Final in Newbridge last month. Well done to Deerpark on a great presentation of their course last weekend as their U16 Scratch Cup event on Friday (sponsored by the Victoria Killarney) was won by Brian McCarthy after a four hole playoff with Noah Sexton with A Jay Barrett having come third in that event and Erin Moloney of Deerpark claiming the U20 prize. 
Speaking of Scratch Cups Tralee host their adult events last Saturday as well with three different events held by the club. In the Senior event John Walsh of Collins in Cork made up for his recent loss in Listowel with a five shot victory with a 20 under par total. Another Cork man Bryan Delaney just piped John McGrath of Deerpark by one stroke on 15 under in claiming second as a 10 under par round gave Alan Hobbart from the hosts the Last 18 prize in this grade.
Roger Guthrie from the hosts won the Intermediate event with a score of two under par for clear of Celestine Ryan from Larkspur Park in Tipperary in second as Cork’s Cian O’Callaghan won the Last 18 prize with four over par. In the Junior grade, Mark O’Regan from the hosts was the victor on one over par, eight clear of club-mate Stephen Browne as Noel Lee from Castleisland won the Last 18 with four over par.
The two Ladies prizes at the event were won with scores of 123 by Castleisland’s Julianne Broderick (0-10) and Lisa O’Connor (11-upwards) from the hosts.
Meanwhile on Sunday at the St Annes Scratch Cup Deerpark’s Damien Fleming finished second overall with a 54 hole score of 17 under par.
(The Kerry Gold U16 Pitch & Putt team; A Jay Barrett (Listowel), Nathan Cronin (Deerpark), Gearoid Cronin (Kerry U16 Officer), Brian McCarthy (Deerpark, Captain) and Noah Sexton (Deerpark). A Jay was also the winner of the National Boys Singles Strokeplay Championship.)
