Athenry golfers aim for Connacht success on the treble

Date Published: 03-Aug-2011

ONE Galway golf club will be carrying the hopes of the county when they contest three finals in the Cups and Shields provincial deciders which take place at Loughrea Golf Club this weekend.

Members of Athenry Golf Club will be there in force for the two day event as they are involved in the Barton Shield, Junior Cup and Pierce Purcell finals.

In fact, it will be a busy weekend at the Loughrea club where the Senior Cup qualifiers also have to take place early on Saturday morning. The qualifiers had been fixed for Belmullet but atrocious weather at the north Mayo links resulted in the competition having to be abandoned half way through and was rescheduled.

But the local focus of attention will be on the Athenry teams who are the only County Galway representatives in the Cups and Shields finals.

Once the Senior Cup qualifiers have got under way on Saturday morning, it will be the turn of Pat Nally’s Pierce Purcell team who defeated Enniscrone in the semi-finals having previously beaten Gort and former All-Ireland champions, Galway Bay.

Those observing this team teeing off will be forgiven for thinking that there is a hurling match taking place as all of the team members are either current hurlers or former hurlers – and there is a couple of All-Ireland medal winners in the line up.

Former Galway heroes Martin Naughton and Brendan Lynskey feature on the team along with former Turloughmore goalkeeper Michael Shaughnessy, ex-Galway player Luke Glynn and twins, David and Shane Donohue, who are current members of the Athenry senior squad.

See full preview in this week’s Tribune Sport.