TITLE-HOLDERS SCOTLAND CAN’T BEAT
THE IRISH BOGEYMEN AT CALDY

Ireland loosened defending champions Scotland’s grip on the senior men’s home internationals’ title by beating them 5-4 on the second day at Caldy Golf Club, Cheshire today (Wednesday).
At the same time, England, who have not been champions since they last hosted the event in 2004, looked ominously powerful in thrashing Wales 8-1.
Having beaten the Irish 5-4 on the opening day, England go into Thursday’s final match against Scotland full of confidence with a 100 per cent record.
Ireland must beat Wales by as big a margin as the English did today and then hope for a narrow win by the Scots over England. Even then England's games-won tally is an ace up their sleeve if it comes down to a countback.
The Irish, having pipped Scotland in the European seniors’ team championship final in Slovenia during the summer, fancied their chance of staging a repeat performance and they carried on in the foursomes as they had finished in the singles against England the day before.
Ireland went in for lunch with a 2-1 lead, thanks to the efforts of Val Smyth and Nigel Duke, and Barry Reddan and Hugh Smyth.
The Scots fought back, as expected in the singles, but that one-shot advantage from the foursomes was the deciding factor in favour of Ireland.
The singles were shared 3-3 with Seamus McParland beating Stephen Ellis 4 and 3 in the top tie. Other Irish afternoon winners were Val Smyth and Tony Goode.
England were not quite foot-perfect in the foursomes against Wales who took a match off them in going down 2-1. But in the singles the English ruthlessly made a 6-0 clean sweep, building up an impressive “games won” tally that will stand them in good stead should Scotland manage to beat them.
FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE:
Scotland’s progress wasn’t helped when they trailed 2-1 after the morning foursomes and it might have been worse as Ian Hutcheon and John Johnston trailed Seamus McParland and Maurice Kelly for most of the match.
But the Scottish pair won the 13th to draw level and the 15th to edge ahead for the first time, a lead they protected to run out one-hole winners.
But Stephen Ellis and John Fraser lost the top match 2 and 1 to Val Smyth and Nigel Dukes while Jim Watt and Gordon Brown were beaten 5 and 4 by Barry Reddan and Hugh Smyth.
In the singles, McParland struck first by beating Ellis in the top match but Hutcheon kept the Scots in touch with a 5 and 3 success over Hugh Smyth.
Although Jim Watt, with three successive birdies from the fourth, scored another point for Scotland with a 2 and 1 win over Kelly, Val Smyth’s 3 and 2 victory over Brown restored Ireland’s advantage.
That still left the contest in the balance but Tony Goode, finishing birdie-par-birdie, saw the Irish over the line with a 4 and 3 win over Donald McCart while Fraser restored Scottish pride by edging home by one hole against Reddan.
Click here to go to the English Golf Union website for the latest results, news and photos, www.englishgolfunion.org.

Day 2 results:

SCOTLAND 4, IRELAND 5
Foursomes: S Ellis & J Fraser lost to V Smyth & N Duke 2 and 1; I C Hutcheon & J W Johnston bt S McParland & M Kelly 1 hole; J Watt & G Brown lost to B Reddan & H Smyth 5 and 4 (1-2).
Singles: Ellis lost to McParland 4 and 3, Watt bt Kelly 2 and 1, Hutcheon bt H Smyth 5 and 3, Brown lost toV Smyth 3 and 2, Fraser bt Reddan 1 hole, D McCart lost to T Goode 4 and 3 (3-3).

ENGLAND 8, WALES 1
Foursomes: D Lane & R Smethurst bt J Whitcutt & M Rooke 5 and 4; D Arnold & A Squires bt B Griffiths & B Cramb 3 and 2; A Morrison & C Reynolds lost to P Jones & K Stimpson 8 and 7 (2-1).
Singles: Lane bt Whitcutt 4 and 3, Morrison bt G Rees 4 and 3, Squires bt Stimpson 2 and 1, Smethurst bt Jones 2 holes, Arnold bt Griffiths 4 and 3, Reynolds bt Rooke 1 hole (6-0).

How they stand.
England 2pt (13-5), Scotland (10 1/2-7 1/2), Ireland 1pt (9-9), Wales 0pt (3 1/2-14 1/2).
Final matches:
Scotland v England, Ireland v Wales.