Leinster captain Harry McAlinden says his side’s wonderful interprovincial three-in-a-row was built on the foundations of team spirit.
The reigning champions reclaimed their crown in dramatic fashion at Slieve Russell, with Munster avenging their 2023 heartbreak, to take home the women’s title.
In the men’s, Leinster left it until late to secure a third straight trophy, winning on matches won / halved, just ahead of Ulster in the standings. Connacht finished third and Munster were bottom.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement,” said McAlinden.
“Each and every one of them, it’s been tough. Year one I think we won it by a point. Year two, I think it was a little bit easier but year three was right down to the wire. You needed a maths degree out there to calculate who was going to win the matches, they were all so tight.
“We pride ourselves on team spirit. We’re here to play a game of golf, to win a championship if possible but we’re here to enjoy ourselves. The group of lads that are there, they know how to do all three.
“We have a bit of fun, we have a good laugh, we have a good laugh at one another. The lads play on the circuit, so they know each other so they know their ins and outs. They’re a good bunch of lads.”
It looked set to be a thrilling Friday and in the men’s section, Leinster won the morning foursomes 3-1. Paul Coughlan and Brian Doran, Keith Egan and Adam Smith, and Evan Farrell and Eoin Murphy all won their matches.
Then in the afternoon, with Ulster still right in contention, Leinster were forced to dig deep and wins for Coughlan, Jake Whelan, Doran and Smith got them sufficient points.
The women’s interprovincials were just as tense, with Munster finishing just ahead of holders Ulster, Leinster were third and Connacht fourth.
The big match on the final day was always likely to be Munster and Ulster, and so it proved, with Ulster gaining the ascendency after a 2-1 win in the morning foursomes.
Molly O’Hara and Judithe Allen combined for a crucial 1up win while Kate Dwyer and Amy O’Donnell were also victorious.
But Munster turned things around in the afternoon singles, Mairead Martin, Aideen Walsh and Anna Dawson won their matches before Valerie Clancy decided it.
“It means the world, it is just absolutely incredible,” said Munster captain Mary Dowling.
“My players were fantastic all week. We were pipped at the post last year. We came out very determined this year and what a dream come true.
“It was nip and tuck all day, one up one down. We had a few matches well up early but you never know on the course, the way it finishes anything can happen. The greens were amazing and they were big so if you got on the wrong end of the green it’s very easy to three-putt. It’s never over until it’s over. It really was fantastic.
“We thought we might share the foursomes this morning, fantastic putt by Ulster to grab that point. We knew it was a big hill to climb but maybe it made them extra determined.
“They were fantastic.”
View the final scoring here
