First Name : Dermot
Surname : Gilleece
Email : dermot.******@golf.ie
Number : +35387******

Enquiry : "West to Provide Sterner Test"

Twelve months on from East's stunning singles performance to snatch the inaugural trophy from the hands of hotly tipped West, we return to the shores of beautiful Lough Ree, and assess the chances of these evenly balanced teams.

After returning a comprehensive 3:1 lead from the opening fourballs in last year's event, West were in confident mood on the bus into Athlone. Bres and Mark put early points on the board with a comfortable victory over Cian and Dec, while John Daly and P A T accounted for the out of sorts east pairing of Muppet and Brian (cpt.). Ferg and Dunc did finally put some East points on the board with a hard fought victory over Wronger and Malley. (The former clearly affected by earlier remarks about his 'wig'). But it was to provide only temporary relief, as Toby finally put paid to a brave effort from Stubo, to add the third vital point for West.

The singles matches in the end turned out to be a complete reversal of fortunes for the men in blue. The battle of the captains was wrapped up by Captain LA, who take advantage of a somewhat disorientated Brez (who perhaps could have used a solpadeine or two). Successive victories followed for Chuck, Gar and Stew - who's hot irons proved too much for the hapless Wronger. Then when Ken Brown finally closed out his match with Toby on 17th, it all came down to Malley and Shots to conclude the drama. In the end it fell to the Dubai bound limerickman to miss a relatively easy 5-footer , and hand the initiative back to the East's anchor man. He duly dispatched his slightly shorter effort, and scenes of wild celebration followed on 18th green, where the teams had been gathering.

The 2004 affair may yet turn up a different result however. With the fourballs likely to see the teams within a point of each other overnight, it may well come down to saturday's individual matches. Captain Brez may well decide to 'top load' his singles pairings for the saturday, in an effort to avoid the drubbing received last year, when his banker points - in particular Toby - failed to materialize. Indeed by the time The Crank did miss that infamous tiddler, the moral and psychological edge was already in the hands of the exiles.

That said - the manner in which the match was allowed to slip away from West in such dramatic fashion on that sunny sunday is likely to provide the motivation needed by Brez's men. If the wind does finally blow from the lough ree, one feels the advantage may just swing back to the West-siders.

Betting:

Ladbrokes, East 5/2, West 5/2, Draw 5/1 William Hill, East 2/1, West Evens, Draw 5/1
Prediction: West by 1 point.