After a tight draw in his first match as Captain of Captains, John Perkins led his team west to Camelford to take on Cornwall, looking for a win. Match Manager John Beer had arranged an overnight stay for the team and many of them took the opportunity to enjoy some Cornish hospitality and play the course again the next day before heading home – well done John!.
The weather was much kinder than the previous away match in Perranporth when wind and heavy rain almost caused a cancellation. The course at Bowood is an undulating parkland layout, with some very strong holes on the back nine and some tight tree lined fairways.
Captain John Perkins and partner Steve Butterfield led the way in Match 1 against Colin Beadle and Dave Goodman. Dave was giving plenty of shots and although Steve didn’t have a great day at the office, he won the final hole to give Somerset the first point. The Cornish pair were magnanimous in defeat.
Geoff Rooke and Jeff Saunders were out in the second match against Jim McKenzie and Phil Purnell where only few shots were given. The game was entertaining and played in a very friendly manner but the Cornish pair outplayed the Somerset pair to win 6&4.
Match 3 saw Rob Darvell and Glyn Sewell take on Gary Faraway and Ross Oliver with Rob giving plenty of shots. A quick start from Rob and Glyn, including a two from Rob on the second, saw them pull ahead by 3 holes. Despite a mini-comeback by Cornwall, the Somerset pair held them at bay and ran out comfortable winners, 5&3. Glyn tells us that Rob should be available for short game lessons!
In the 4th Match, Keri Allchurch and Mark Swallow took on Cornwall’s pair of David Heat and Dave Dungate. Despite Keri having to give a few shots and suffering from some radar issues on the front 9, he really turned up on the back nine to help Mark register a healthy 5&3 win for the travelling Somerset team.
At the halfway stage then, 3-1 to Somerset and the hopes were high for that first win of the 2025 season.
Match 5 saw Mike Usher-Clark team up with Tony Charalambous to take on Andrew London and Steve Cox. Losing the first 3 holes was always going to prove hard to recover form but the Somerset pair stuck at it. 5 down at the turn did not look good but a mini-revival saw Mike and Tony take the game to the 17th, losing 3&1 in the end.
Match 6 saw Mike Rossiter paired with Rob Ford taking on Paul Hicks and Rober Nicholas. Mike had to give 9, 11 and 13 shots which is a tough ask away from home. However, the Somerset pair forced a half and declined to share much more than the result on the match report sheet!
As Match 7 neared its conclusion, the over score was 3 ½ to 2 ½ in Somerset’s favour. With Simon Waddington and Nigel Phillips paired against Barry Lumley and Peter Tunnicliffe it was in a game with no Somerset or Cornish born men! This was a great match throughout and although Simon was giving quite a few shots, the Somerset pair pulled a hole back on the 17th having been one down, and held on to secure a valuable ½ point at the end.
Match Manager John Beer and Maddie Casson were the final pair for Somerset taking on Dermot O’Callaghan and 4 handicapper Simon Andrew who was giving plenty of shots. The Cornish pair got off to a quick start and nothing John and Maddie did changed the course of the match. They held on to the last few holes but had to shake hands on the 15th green, losing by 4&3 meaning the Cornishmen had and levelled the match.
A draw in the far west is never a bad result and with the win at Oake Manor in 2024 Somerset retained the trophy for another year. A great day for all involved – followed by some banter and Cornish hospitality at the Clubhouse.
Next up will be another long trip to Romsey to take on Hampshire with Somerset holding the trophy after a close win at Enmore Park in 2024.
