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Winter League preview - Day 2 - Group A

Posted on 7 Jan '25 by Dave Hayden II

(Disclaimer: As Winter League results are only available from the year 2000 onward, this preview will ignore the years pre-2000, so please accept my apologies for any omissions.)

GROUP A
Brace yourselves for a winter full of laughter as the infamous Group A takes centre stage every Sunday at 9am! These brave souls demonstrate that a wicked sense of humour can go hand in hand with a bit of self-inflicted suffering, as they give up their beloved Sunday morning snooze to embrace the unforgiving Irish winter. Who needs the warmth of a snug bed when you can wrestle with the elements for an exhilarating experience? Some folks really take the phrase "cold comfort" to a whole new level!



Dan Dans: (Michael Ahern 0, John Murphy -7, Dan Coady -11, & Angela Shanahan -15; combined handicap: -35)

Until last year, the Dan Dans fielded an unchanged team for six consecutive campaigns, however, this run came to a shuddering halt last season, when they were forced into making two last minute changes, with Maire O'Keeffe and Grainne Delahunt stepping into replace Dolores Pegley and Angela Shanahan. Angela, a three time Lucan club major winner, returns to the fold for the 2025 season and brings with her a wealth of experience which the Dan Dans sorely missed last time around. Angela's CV contains a Winter League victory in 2010 alongside current teammate Dan Coady. Dan has seen and done it all during the course of his Winter League career, which along with his 2010 victory, also includes three runner-up finishes in 2000, 2005 and 2007. Next up is the lowest handicapped player in this year's event, the 2016 Leinster Gents Inter Strokeplay champion Michael Ahern. The scratch player seems to have an affinity for matchplay competitions, having won the Club Scratch Matchplay in 2022, he also won the Club Handicap Matchplay title for the second time last year, having previously won the event in 2020. However, despite his bulging trophy cabinet, Michael is the only member of the Dan Dans team who has yet to win a Winter League title. The final member of the quartet is 2022 President's Prize winner John Murphy, who joins the team for the first time this year. John has led something of a nomadic life in terms of the Winter Leagues, having previously featured for the Fridge Magnets, Last Legs, Last Man Standing and Onwards and Upwards, with whom he won the Winter League title in 2022, before joining the New Faces for the 2024 season. After making it to the semi-finals in back-to-back tournaments (2020 & 2022), the Dan Dans faced a more challenging period in recent years, ending up at the bottom of their group in both 2023 and 2024. With Angela's return and the addition of another former champion in John, the Dan Dans are starting to look dan-gerous once again!



Flynn's Fliers: (Ted Flynn -4, Catherine Leonard -9, Mick Purcell -14 & Rita Dillon -18; combined handicap: -45)

With their boarding passes at the ready, the next team checking in for the 2025 flight to Freezingcoldsville are Flynn's Fliers. Having been forced to make some changes to the cabin crew over the last couple of seasons, the original line-up which dates back to their 4 Soups days is back in place for the upcoming season. Co-Pilot Mick Purcell makes a welcome return having encountered some turbulence with his health last year. The exceptionally talented Mick is renowned for his majestic pitching, divine chipping and incredible putting and this unrivalled skillset was truly missed last season... what can I say, he threatened to poison my soup if I didn't say something nice about him! Mick is reunited with the most frequent flier of all in Captain Ted Flynn, who makes his tenth appearance for the team this year. Ted is the lowest handicapped player on the team and his unshakable resilience could propel the team to new heights. The next crew member is the 2001 Dublin Ladies Junior and 2005 Dublin Ladies Inter Strokeplay champion Catherine Leonard, who enjoyed one of her most successful club seasons ever in 2024, with eight prize wins. Catherine is the only member of the team with a Winter League title stowed in her carry-on luggage, following victory in 2001. The final player appearing on the radar is Rita Dillon, who enjoyed her most successful club season on record, claiming seven club prizes during the course of 2024. Flynn's Fliers have reached the semi-finals in their last two flights and with the original crew back in the cockpit for the first time since 2022, will this year be the year when they finally reach their dream destination or are they doomed to make yet another crash landing?



Knee Knockers: (Sean Dillon -9, Paul Sharkey -9, Seamus McCormick -16 & Roma McCormick -20; combined handicap: -54)

The Knee Knockers, have become something of a regular fixture in the Winter League in recent years, as they ready themselves for their sixth successive start. The team formed for the 2019 season, under the guise of Power City and they have been ever-presents since. However, despite their wealth of experience, they have yet to really find their feet, having finished bottom of their respective group in all but one season, in which they finished second from bottom. This season sees the team making their first replacement since 2022, with Winter League debutant Paul Sharkey stepping in for the absent Helen Dunne. As a former member of Seapoint, the difficult winter conditions shouldn't have Paul trembling. The other three members of the side are Knee Knockers ever-presents, the first of which is Seamus McCormick, whose Winter League expertise and high handicap will make many opponents go weak at the knees. Seamus is joined on the team by his wife Roma McCormick, who enjoyed her most successful club campaign in 2024, during which she unnervingly picked up two club prizes. The team is rounded out by 2007 Dublin Gents Junior Strokeplay winner Sean Dillon, who made a welcome return to the winners enclosure in 2024, where like teammate Roma, he also won two club prizes. Will Sean's wealth of experience be enough to turn the Knee Knockers' quest for glory into a reality or will it forever remain just another pipe dream? Given that the Knee Knockers hold one of the highest combined handicaps among all teams in the tournament, dismissing them entirely based solely on their previous results would be a kneejerk reaction.



Murphs: (Tom McMorrow -2, Noel Leonard -7, Joe Murphy -7 & Brenda Purcell -8; combined handicap: -24)

In the years since 2018, the Murphs have been a team in flux, constantly swapping names, shuffling players and occasionally vanishing from the scene altogether. However, this season they've decided to buck the trend and stick with the same line-up as the previous year, their so-called "classic line-up". It's almost as if they've finally realised that changing their team more often than their underwear wasn't doing them any favours! The lowest handicapped member of the team is Tom McMorrow, who enjoyed a career defining moment in 2024 when he won the National Gents Inter Strokeplay Championship in Glenville. Tom capped off a remarkable season by earning the prestigious role of leading the Dublin Gents Intermediate Inter-County team as their captain. But Tom is not the only National champion on the side, teammate Brenda Purcell won the National Ladies Inter Strokeplay Championship in 2008. Brenda also won the 2004 Dublin Ladies Inter Matchplay and 2008 & 2018 Dublin Ladies Inter Strokeplay championships and these achievements speak volumes about her skill, consistency and prowess as a top-tier competitor. But wait! The team boasts yet another National champion in two time Winter League winner Joe Murphy, who was part of the Lucan team that triumphed at the National Team Event in Fermoy in 2003. While the final member of the team, Noel Leonard, doesn't have a National title under his belt, he can console himself with also being a two time Winter League champion, having lifted the title alongside Joe in 2000 and 2002. The Murphs' lack of success in the Winter Leagues is something of a mystery, despite having a very capable group of players, they've only reached the semi-finals once in the past decade, with the majority of their eliminations coming in the quarter-finals. With their fast-paced play and constant cheery mood, maybe 2025 will finally be the year that the Murphs turn potential into prizes!


Group A prediction:
Group A combines the teams who finished first and last in both Group A and B in 2024, which suggests that predicting the two teams to reach the quarter-finals should be relatively straightforward. However, while it's difficult to see past both Flynn's Fliers and the Murphs progressing, it's not quite the foregone conclusion it appears at first glance. While the Dan Dans have had a couple of poor years, they could be excused for struggling last year after the last minute upheaval to the team. I'd love to be able to make a case for the Knee Knockers, but unfortunately I think their run of failing to make the knockout stages will continue for at least one more year.
Going through: Flynn's Fliers & Murphs. Going out: Dan Dans & Knee Knockers.