Raymond’s run of good form brings weekend dividend

Raymond Haddock lifted the Diamond Jubilee Trophy at Lurgan.INLM37-112

It has been a while since Raymond has figured in the prizes and recently he might have had to go round twice to get 43pts, but playing as he does in a fourball imbued with class and experience, it was simply a matter of time before his game would once again display similar characteristics.

Double bogeys at 7 and 15 were countered by birdies at 12 and 17 to make up a score which Raymond will hope has marked a return to form.

Tom Douglas lifted this trophy 17 years ago in 1997, he came so very close to a repeat when he took second place with 41pts off five.

Young Peter Kennedy took 3rd place with 40pts off 10. Fourth place went to Thomas Maguire, playing off 21, who also had 40pts.

Young Ronan McGivern has had a golfing summer many could only dream of. Having begun the season at six he now stands at a reducing three. His level par round at the weekend contained three birdies and three bogeys and gave him the day’s gross prize. Early in the season both he and his father Canice returned their first ever level par rounds and it seemed that the summer might have seen a ding-dong battle for family supremacy. While Ronan has gone from strength to strength, Canice has stumbled a little.

Vice Captain Ian Cousins began August by lifting the low section and he has begun September in similar fashion with 40pts off 10. Just out of the prizes on 39pts were young Michael McSherry and Peter Cummins, and not so young Garfield Harrison and Michael McMahon. On 38pts came Nigel McKerr and Brian Scullion, another former winner of this trophy.

Having registered his first victory of the season just a couple of weeks ago, Conor McEvoy found his way into the prizes again when he took the middle section with 38pts off 14.

The high section was a close run thing between three dogged competitors on 38pts each. Terence McCrory, off 19, had a modest 16pts on the front 9. His back 9 was much better and yielded 22pts to claim the section. Just missing out were Sean McEvoy, off 21, with 21pts on the back 9, and Colin Atkinson, off 20, with 20pts coming home.