A gusty and showery day greeted the two teams as they arrived at Enmore Park despite some traffic problems. Captain of Captains, John Perkins from Minehead and West Somerset was looking forward to his first match in charge and he welcomed both teams along with Home Club Captain Craig Wright.
The teams were announced before lunch was taken and the 24 players ventured out on a very firm and challenging course which had suffered due to the lack of rain. Match Manager Rob Fear did a fine job as the starter ahead of bringing up the rear in the final match.
John Perkins and Craig Wright took on Oxfordshire Captain Roger Davies and Martin Hawkins with Craig having to give plenty of shots. Home knowledge proved to be critical, and Craig hit some huge tee shots which, combined with John’s steady play, put Somerset in front and they eventually triumphed 4&3.
In Match 2, John Gray and Simon Waddington played against Peter Walton and David Drew. This proved to be a close contest despite Somerset taking an early 2 hole lead. The match was level at the turn and David’s good golf put Oxfordshire 1 hole ahead after the 16th. Not to be denied, Somerset won both the closing holes to win by 1 with a par-birdies finish from Simon ensuring the point went Somerset’s way.
Match 3 paired Phil Barrett and Clive Stilwell up to face Hans Menzel and Terry Killick. An early lead was grabbed by the Somerset pair and they combined well throughout the round to stay ahead, eventually closing out the match on the 15th green with a 4&3 win. All was looking promising for a home win to kick off the season!
David Andow and Geoff Rooke faced Robin Kennet and Alan Gray in Match 4 and despite giving away a four hole lead after the 4th, David and Geoff started a fightback that lasted all the way to the end. The teams shook hands on the 18th with an honourable half putting Somerset on the brink of the win they were looking for.
Match 5, past Captain of Captains Mike Rossiter and Dave Willis were matched against Paul Brain and John Waring. Despite their best efforts, the home pair could not hold on and slowly fell further behind, eventually losing 4&3.
President Iain Robertson and Maddie Casson were out next in Match 6 against Graham Robinson and Bill Major. After a close front nine, the Oxfordshire pair drew ahead by 3 holes. Maddie and Iain started a recovery but it proved too little too late and the match finished on the 17th with a 3&1 win for the visitors.
Match 7 saw Steve Parker and Martin Morgan take on Ray Davies and Graham Fullagar in what they described as a nip and tuck affair. Full of banter from the start, the match was close all the way and neither team seemed capable of closing the game out. So it proved as the teams came down the 18th which still failed to find a winner and the match was halved.
With Match 8 to come, Somerset just needed a half point and the home team was hoping for the best as Match Manager Rob Fear and Keri Allchurch looked to be a strong pair to take on Alan Bray and Ollie Bowden. The game seemed to take forever which was never in Somerset’s favour and the visitors drew ahead, winning on the 17th hole by 2&1.
The teams gathered for a hearty meal and some welcome libations to hear how the match had gone. The overall score ended 4-4 and as the Oxfordshire team had narrowly won the 2024 match 4 ½ – 3 ½ they retained the trophy which John Perkins presented to Roger Davies.
Somerset faces a long trip to Bowood Park in Cornwall later in April and we hope that John and his team will manage their first win before the pressure begins to mount up!
