Wednesday 10th June saw the Somerset Golf Captains host Warwickshire Captains at the historic Weston-super-Mare Golf Course.
Again, the weather joined in the fun, this time throwing gusts of up to 40mph into the mix. The tight links course, with its tricky rough, challenged all the players & resulted in one or two unexpected shots!
Captain of Captains, Marcus Woodward & John Davidson Weston-super-Mare’s current Captain opened the match with partners George Whitehead & Barry McDonald. This was John’s debut for Somerset & he & Marcus dovetailed well to win 4&2.
The second group with Mike Robinson & Rob Darvell playing alongside Ian Hoskin & Bill Ryan also resulted in a Somerset win. The well-contested game came to an end on the 17th after a great birdie from Mike.
Summing up the third game it was agreed that Somerset’s pair Mike Snaith & Martin Morgan played just a little less ‘mediocrely’ than their opponents Ravi Baga & Frank Barton. It was a repeat match for some of the group, who had met at Ladbrook Park last year, so this added to the occasion. The result was a 4&2 win for Somerset.
Unfortunately, the Somerset players in Match Four, Brian Reeves & Steve Butterfield decided to have an off day together. This opened the door for their Warwickshire partners Charles Leggitt & Michael Edwards to win 5&4. The game was played in great spirit continuing on to the post-match dinner.
Somerset’s ’wearer of the best pair of shoes’ David Willis & John Shakesby insisted that the winning 5&4 score flattered their performance. It had felt much closer out on the course with the wind causing ‘chaos’ at times! The moment of the game came on the 17th when Warwickshire’s Douglas Dawson & John Loyton just missed an eagle putt.
The only halved match of the day was between Somerset’s David Andow & Maddie Casson playing with Ron Saywell & Robert Yewer. Again, some of the group had played together previously so there was some insight into their playing styles! This might have contributed to the very close scoreline, with there only ever being 1 hole in it. The final score of a draw seemed very fitting.
The course & the wind won the seventh match, closely followed by Rob Ford & Bob Fowler who beat opponents Martyn Currie & Allan Moore 5&4. The game was very enjoyable with some ‘outrageous’ shots hit.
The final four players, Somerset’s Match Manager Clive Stilwell with Nigel Phillips & Warwickshire’s organiser Ian Griffiths & Andy Holloway had a great game. Clive & Nigel particularly enjoyed the kind greens & managed to hold on to their unbeaten pairing title with a 4&2 win.
The post-match meal was enjoyed by everyone, with no one seeming in a hurry to leave at the end of the evening. Our thanks to everyone at Weston-super-Mare Golf Club & the match organisers Clive & Ian.
