Small is perfect for Kilrea ladies who work their away day magic

Catherine O'Donnell and Sandra Millar of Kilrea

Daily Mail
21 Apr 2009

TINY Kilrea have made the big clubs sit up and take notice after reaching the third round of the new Irish Mail All-Ireland Fourball Trophy.

The 9-hole club from County Londonderry has one of the smallest lady sections in Ireland but that does not stopping them having big ambitions.

Sandra Millar, who with Catherine O’Donnell beat Bushfoot’s Alana Wallace and Susie McDowell, said: ‘Ours is a small ladies branch and a small club with about 55 lady members and we enter every competition we can to see how we are getting on.’

The answer is they are doing pretty well. Civil Servant Millar and businesswoman O’Donnell had to cope with wild weather conditions at Bushfoot, but still managed an impressive 5&4 win.

Millar said: ‘Bushfoot is right on the north coast. Scotland is on one side and Canada is on the other. There were strong winds and showers. Bushfoot were one up after the first nine, but we got our game together and managed quite a good win, although I put two balls into the River Bush.’

The Kilrea pair, who won a qualifier to play in the Irish Mail Trophy, have also had to beat the luck of the draw. In the first round they were also drawn away to Galgorm Castle.

‘In theory away matches mean that you're not favourites to win. And we had a very tight match at Galgorm, but we managed to win on the 17th when Catherine holed a knee jangling four foot putt to give us a 2&1 victory. Now we are just hoping for a home draw in the third round,’ added Millar.