The Irish ladies Masters Over-55 team took home a brilliant silver medal following their week at the European Masters Championships in Tilburg.

After their run to the final, they came unstuck in the final 4-1 against a fancied England side with Maggie Hunter netting the Irish goal. Nonetheless, it was a superb performance throughout the week.

The ladies 45s took bronze after a 1-1 draw with Wales, Kathryn Henderson the scorer. In the shoot-out, only one goal was scored, Ireland grabbing the crucial one for a 1-0 win.

The 40s Ladies went down 4-1 to the Dutch hosts in the semi-final and then faced mighty England for the bronze medal. There, they came unstuck 2-0, ending their campaign in fourth place.

The Ladies 50s drew 0-0 with Netherlands; it put Ireland into the third place playoff where they beat Scotland 5-4 on shoot-out for a bronze medal.

On the men’s side, the Over-50s won 3-2 against Spain – Willie Quinn, Peter Richardson and Mark Murray – finishing the tournament in a credible fifth place.

The men’s 40s lost 2-1 to the Scots, Eise Lodewijk – to end in sixth place. The 45s men finished fifth with a 3-0 win over Scotland, Jason Hill scoring twice with Stephen Magee getting the other.