Ballyclare's Gareth Maybin survived a fantastic matchplay battle to beat David Kelleher of Portmarnock by one hole in the second round of the Golfsure Irish Close in Tramore.

But his victory was all the more remarkable as Kelleher showed his sportsmanship by calling a penalty shot on himself that could have changed the outcome of the match.

The Dublin banker was on a downhill lie when his ball moved at address on the fourth hole and immediately penalised himself.

His honesty cost him the hole and he never managed to regain that one hole deficit in a tremendous contest that went on until dusk.

"Your Dad doesn't teach you to play golf and then cheat," Kelleher joked afterwards. "In fairness to Gareth I had to hole a lot of putts just to stay alive but losing the match was more enjoyable than having to go to the 22nd to win my first round match."

One down with four to play, Kelleher kept the match alive by holing putts of six, ten and 15 feet for halves at the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th.

Still just one down, he drove into trees at the 18th but hit a marvellous long iron recovery from 200 yards that found the front of the green.

Maybin matched him from the middle of the fairway and two-putted for a birdie four halve the hole and clinch a showdown with Mallow's Mervyn Owens in the last 16 today.

On a day of surprises, Noel Fox's Walker Cup hopes took a blow when he lost by two and one to Irish Youths international Richard Kilpatrick of Banbridge in the first round.

"It just didn't click for me today and Richard played some nice golf," he said.

Wayward off the tee, Fox found himself two holes in arrears at the 13th when he lost a ball. He fell three behind with three to play and eventually lost on the 17th where Kilpatrick sank an eight footer for par after recovering from the trees on the left.

The impressive 21 year old followed up with a four and three win over Ballinasloe's Mark Staunton and will meet Mullingar's Des Morgan in the last 16 this morning.

There was no luck either for Scrabo international Andrew McCormick as he lost by two and one to David Carroll of the Grange in round two, victim of a hole in one.

Level with four to play, Carroll aced the 128 yard 15th with a wedge and went on to win by two and one.

Defending champion John McGinn lost by five and four to Michael Brett of Portmarnock while City of Derry's Michael McGeady crushed Mallow teenager Jimmy Walsh by four and three and then hammered Kilkenny's Graham Nugent by six and five after lunch.

Douglas' Peter O'Keeffe clinched his place in the last 16 with a one hole win over the highly fancied Brian McElhinney of North West.

McElhinney was two up after 13 holes but was pulled back by O'Keeffe who won the 14th with a par and levelled with a birdie at the 16th.

In the end he took advantage of an outrageous piece of luck at the par five 18th when he thinned his third shot, hit the flag and drained an eight footer for a winning birdie.

O'Keeffe will meet Waterville Mark Murphy in the third round after the Kerry disc jockey recorded two impressive wins over David Ryan of the Grange and Ulsterman Gordon Forbes.

Golfsure Irish Amateur Close Championship, Tramore

1st rd.
1st quarter
J Kehoe (Birr) bt P McGrath (Dromoland) 5/4;
E Haugh (Westmanstown) bt J Mulready (Castle) 1 hole;
G McKevitt (Greenore) bt T O'Mahony (Mallow) 3/2;
C Doran (Banbridge) bt J Lyons (Galway) 3/2;
J Foster (Ballyclare) bt D Rawluk (The Island) 2 holes;
A O'Callaghan (Douglas) v E Power (Kilkenny) 21st;
D Carroll (Grange) bt M Morris (Portmarnock) 3/2;
A McCormick (Scrabo) bt G Mallon (North West) 2/1;

2nd quarter
M McGeady (City of Derry) bt J Walsh (Mallow) 4/3;
G Nugent (Kilkenny) bt R Leonard (Banbridge) 3/1;
N Turner (Muskerry) bt L Owens (Royal Dublin) 1 hole;
G Bowden (Hermitage) bt C McAleavey (Banbridge) 4/3;
M Brett (Portmarnock) bt J McGinn (Greenore) 5/4;
R Cannon (Balbriggan) bt B O'Connor (Hermitage) 4/2;
C Martin (Nenagh) bt S Moloney (Castletroy) 3/2;
C Moriarty (Athlone) bt D Moran (The Island) 3/1;

3rd quarter
R Kilpatrick (Banbridge) bt N Fox (Portmarnock) 2/1;
M Staunton (Ballinasloe) bt J Rafferty (Stadium of San Diego) 3/2;
D Morgan (Mullingar) bt M Poucher (Limerick) 2/1;
R McCarthy (The Island) bt N Kavanagh (Westport) 2 holes;
M Murphy (Waterville) bt D Ryan (Grange) 2/1;
G Forbes (Newtownstewart) bt T Cleary (Cork) 3/2;
P O'Keeffe (Douglas) bt S Galvin (Kilkenny) 2 holes;
B McElhinney (North West) bt E O'Sullivan (The Island) 3/2;

4th quarter
D Crowe (Dunmurry) bt H Boch (Ballybunion) 20th;
P O'Hara (Kilkenny) bt S Power (West Waterford) 23rd;
M O'Sullivan (Galway) bt B Keating (Clonmel) 19th;
S McTernan (Co Sligo) bt A McKinley (Shandon Park) 2/1;
M McDermott (Stackstown) bt C McNamara (Limerick) 3/2;
M Owens (Mallow) bt B Trainor (Warrenpoint) 19th;
D Kelleher (Portmarnock) bt M Horan (Birr) 22nd;
G Maybin (Ballyclare) bt M Campbell (Stackstown) 7/6.

2nd rd.
1st quarter
J Kehoe bt E Haugh 1 hole;
C Doran bt G McKevitt 1 hole;
A O'Callaghan bt J Foster 2 holes;
D Carroll bt A McCormick 2/1.

2nd quarter
M McGeady bt G Nugent 6/5;
G Bowden bt N Turner 1 hole;
M Brett bt R Cannon 3/2;
C Moriarty bt C Martin 2/1.

3rd quarter
R Kilpatrick bt M Staunton 4/3;
D Morgan bt R McCarthy 2 holes;
M Murphy bt G Forbes 4/2;
P O'Keeffe bt B McElhinney 1 hole.

4th quarter
D Crowe bt P O'Hara 6/4;
M O'Sullivan bt S McTernan 5/3;
M Owens bt M McDermott 6/4;
G Maybin bt D Kelleher 1 hole.

Draw 3rd rd.
(08.30) Kehoe v Doran;
(08.40) O'Callaghan v Carroll;
(08.50) McGeady v Bowden;
(09.00) Brett v Moriarty;
(09.10) Kilpatrick v Morgan;
(09.20) Murphy v O'Keeffe;
(09.30) Crowe v O'Sullivan;
(09.40) Owens v Maybin.

Qualifiers
136 G Maybin (Ballyclare) 69 67, N Fox (Portmarnock) 68 68
137 G Bowden (Hermitage) 71 66, M Murphy (Waterville) 66 71
138 D Ryan (Grange) 67 71
139 M McGeady (City of Derry) 70 69, C Martin (Nenagh) 69 70, D Morgan (Mullingar) 68 71
140 S McTernan (Co Sligo) 73 67, J Mulready (Castle) 69 71
141 C Moriarty (Athlone) 74 67, A O'Callaghan (Douglas) 70 71, M O'Sullivan (Galway) 69 72, N Turner (Muskerry) 69 72
142 R Kilpatrick (Banbridge) 72 70, G Forbes (Newtownstewart) 71 71, M Staunton (Ballinasloe) 71 71, L Owens (Royal Dublin) 71 71, P O'Keeffe (Douglas) 70 72, R Leonard (Banbridge) 69 73
143 M Owens (Mallow) 75 68, A McCormick (Scrabo) 73 70, T O'Mahony (Mallow) 71 72, D Crowe (Dunmurry) 70 73, B Trainor (Warrenpoint) 70 73, J Walsh (Mallow) 69 74
144 C McNamara (Limerick) 75 69, M Brett (Portmarnock) 73 71, J Foster (Ballyclare) 72 72, C Doran (Banbridge) 69 75
145 G Mallon (North West) 76 69, R Cannon (Balbriggan) 74 71, P O'Hara (Kilkenny) 73 72, D Rawluk (The Island) 73 72, S Power (West Waterford) 73 72, G Nugent (Kilkenny) 72 73
146 C McAleavey (Banbridge) 77 69, M Campbell (Stackstown) 76 70, E Power (Kilkenny) 75 71, J Kehoe (Birr) 74 72, M Poucher (Limerick) 73 73, D Kelleher (Portmarnock) 73 73, J McGinn (Greenore) 71 75, M McDermott (Stackstown) 71 75
147 A McKinley (Shandon Park) 75 72, B McElhinney (North West) 75 72, J Rafferty (Stadium San Diego) 75 72, G McKevitt (Greenore) 75 72, R McCarthy (The Island) 75 72, J Lyons (Galway) 74 73, M Horan (Birr) 73 74, S Moloney (Castletroy) 73 74, N Kavanagh (Westport) 73 74, E O'Sullivan (The Island) 72 75, M Morris (Portmarnock) 72 75
148 H Boch (Ballybunion) 77 71, E Haugh (Westmanstown) 76 72, B O'Connor (Hermitage) 76 72, S Galvin (Kilkenny) 75 73, B Keating (Clonmel) 75 73, P McGrath (Dromoland) 75 73, D Moran (The Island) 75 73, T Cleary (Cork) 74 74, D Carroll (Grange) 74 74

Non qualifiers
148 P Sheehan (Castletroy) 74 74, D McNamara (Connemara) 73 75, P Power (Tramore) 73 75, P McDonald (Woodbrook) 73 75, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 72 76
149 K Bornemann (Douglas) 77 72, J Fox (Portmarnock) 76 73, R Williams (Baltinglass) 76 73, J McDermott (Stackstown) 75 74, J Mitchell (Tramore) 75 74, D Snow (Portmarnock) 75 74, R Walsh (Tralee) 74 75, M McGinley (Grange) 73 76, M McTernan (Co Sligo) 73 76
150 P McLaughlin (Ballyliffin) 79 71, J Flood (Woodbrook) 77 73, S Heavey (Co Sligo) 76 74, P O'Brien (Lucan) 74 76, D Coyle (Co Louth) 72 78
151 P Murray (Limerick) 80 71, C Clancy (Stackstown) 78 73, N Colfer (New Ross) 78 73, M Collins (Sutton) 77 74, D O'Brien (L'town & B'town) 76 75, D McInerney (Lahinch) 75 76, G Lynas (Shandon Park) 75 76, R Guilfoyle (Kilkenny) 74 77, L Ryan (Stackstown) 74 77, J Hughes (Woodbrook) 69 82
152 I Morrison (Cahir Park) 78 74, A Pierse (Tipperary) 76 76, M Rowe (Athlone) 75 77, M Ryan (Grange) 75 77, D Dunne (Royal Dublin) 73 79
153 D Burns (Tramore) 78 75, K Canty (Douglas) 77 76, K Kinsella (Waterford) 77 76, D McWilliams (Holywood) 77 76, N Cunningham (Tramore) 77 76, F Flynn (L'town & B'town) 77 76, D O'Sullivan (Youghal) 76 77, C Cassidy (Portmarnock) 75 78, E McCormack (Slieve Russell) 73 80, C Conaty (Royal Dublin) 73 80, H Hanley (Grange) 73 80, D Daly (Muskerry) 72 81
154 J Barton (Ballinasloe) 80 74, A Dowling (Hermitage) 78 76, E Coghlan (Luttrellstown) 78 76, S Crowe (Dunmurry) 77 77, I Moore (Dunmurry) 76 78, D O'Donovan (Muskerry) 74 80, E Barton (Grange) 73 81
155 D Quilligan (Elm Park) 78 77, G Massey (Hermitage) 78 77, B O'Neill (Waterford) 75 80
156 D Coyne (Tuam) 81 75, G O'Flaherty (Cork) 81 75, R Duggan (Kilkenny) 80 76, R Fitzgerald (Tramore) 76 80, M Reck (Lucan) 73 83
157 R Maher (Nenagh) 82 75, B Cashman (Belvoir Park) 79 78, P Higgins (Mullingar) 78 79, D Finn (Mallow) 77 80, D Deasy (Waterford) 77 80, P Davidson (Dungannon) 77 80, M Butler (Athlone) 76 81, M Kemmy (Limerick) 74 83
158 T Murphy (Lismore) 81 77, P McNamara (Youghal) 79 79, G Hall (Edenderry) 76 82, L Mulligan (Co Longford) 75 83
159 P O'Hagan (Charlesland) 81 78, L Hynes (Blainroe) 79 80
160 M Kelly (Killeen) 81 79
161 G Morgan (Donabate) 85 76, B Garvin (Castlerock) 78 83
162 K Maher (Limerick) 84 78
165 P Clifford (Waterford) 87 78, D Murphy (Abbeyleix) 77 88
168 M O'Brien (Charlesland) 85 83
174 S Eyres (Connemara) 86 88
DQ  D Logue (Letterkenny)

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© Brian Keogh 2003

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