02.08.2016
Church of Ireland Clergy Help Secure Golf Title for Great Britain and Ireland
The Cranmer Cup, the clergy version of golf’s Ryder Cup, was played in the Celtic Manor Golf Resort in South Wales last week. A total of 16 clergy drawn from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland competed against a 16 member team from the USA and Canada over five days.
Five Church of Ireland clergy took part: Archdeacon David Pierpoint (Captain), Archdeacon Ricky Rountree, the Revd Ian Gallagher, the Revd Gary Dowd and the Revd Nigel Pierpoint (who joined the team at short notice to replace Archdeacon Terry Scott who was injured on holiday in France). The five, who are coincidently all based in Dublin and Glendalough, played no small part in the overall team. The contributed nearly half of the points needed to secure the Cranmer Cup for the home side.
This is the first time since 2008 that the Great Britain and Ireland team have held the cup. The competition was held in Rosses Point in Sligo that year. While the USA and Canada team had no less than three bishops playing on their side, the Great Britain and Ireland team could only boast the Archbishop of Wales, but he brought in the winning point on the final day.
Congratulations to David Pierpoint for his leadership of the home side on this significant victory. The next Cranmer Cup will be held in Canada in June 2018.
Photo captions:
Top – Church of Ireland members of the team L–R Gary Dowd, Ian Gallagher, Nigel Pierpoint, Ricky Rountree, David Pierpoint
Bottom – The Great Britain & Ireland team with the trophy