Of all the captain’s reports I have written, this has to be the most satisfying of them all. The team left for Galway believing we had a chance of winning the tournament, as Jill Campion has joined our team at number one.
The tournament began with our first match against England on Friday evening. This was the test, if we could beat England we could have a chance of going all the way. First on was Lynne Davies against Sue Pynegar, it was a good match with Sue winning 3/0. Next on was Jill, who levelled up the match with a solid performance against Karen Hume winning 3/0. It was one all and down to yours truly to try and get the win. Fortunately, it went our way and we secured the win 2/1. This was the perfect start we needed.
Saturday began with a match against Ireland. Lynne got the team off to a good start against Christine Mooney with a confident 3/0 win. Jill followed with a 3/1 against Maureen Duke, which was much needed as I had picked up an injury and unfortunately lost 0/3 to Norrie O’Grady. However, we had secured a 2/1 victory. Tension was building, could we finish off the tournament with three wins out of three.
The final match of the tournament was against Scotland and the thought of winning the event was becoming more of a reality, could we do it? Well, Lynne started the ball rolling with a tense 3/1 win against Bernie Beattie, it was all looking good. Jill was playing Pauline Douglas, who is a tough competitor and the match did not disappoint. The lead passed from one to the other with Pauline eventually winning 11/5 in the fifth. Things seemed to be slipping away, as with an injury a win for me was a challenge, as Eunice Bond is a seasoned Masters player. It was a tough match with Eunice winning 11/7 in the fifth.
It seemed we had lost the opportunity and the chance of winning the tournament. The disappointment was palpable. However, on countback, we had sneaked the win by one point and won the event. The mixture of relief and enjoyment was overwhelming. At last, we had won a Home International title. Thanks to Lynne Davies, Jill Campion and non-travelling reserve Wendy Norris for their commitment.
Write up by: Sian Johnson – Women’s O60 Captain
