Under the Match Managing skills of John Beer, Captain of Captains Marcus Woodward led the Somerset team to this season’s first victory winning 5 ½ to 2 ½ at Wells. The Somerset team boasted three ‘debut’ captains.
Marcus and Colin Payne, Wells current Captain playing in his first match, were joined by Hampshire’s Captain of Captains Terry Glynn and Barry Stevens. The visitors began better and were leading until the 15th when the tide began to turn. By the 17th it was all over with a 2&1 victory for Somerset.
Rob Fear, Fixtures Secretary, & Mike Snaith were drawn against Hampshire’s President Idris Vernall & Kevin White. A chip in on the 2nd from one of the Hampshire duo, set the scene for a close match. Mike holed a great long putt to keep the game going but eventually Somerset were defeated 2&1.
The third match resulted in a 4&2 loss for Somerset. Whilst Martyn Clapp & Angela Baker gave their all, their competitors Geraint Ingram & Paul Childs, known affectionately known as Pacho & Jose, stole the win.
Match four featured another new Somerset Captain, again resulting in a win for the newbie & his partner. Chris Hyldon & Phil Turvill matched their partners, Peter Applegate & Alan Peters, golfing agility with the scoreline staying close, & eventually the game was won 3&2.
Pete Pritchard, the third debut of the day, with partner Jeff Saunders, played a close match against Paul Mantell & Howard Brace. The four players enjoyed the fantastic conditions of Wells Golf Club & kept things friendly by finishing with a level scorecard.
At this point the teams had two wins each with one match drawn. The final three matches would decide Somerset’s fate!
Match 6 saw Somerset’s David Boulton & Geoff Rooke pitted against Brian Mortimer & Rob Newbold. The game began slowly but from the 8th onwards we began to make progress, thanks in particular to David. The final result was 4&2.
Could Phil Stone & Phil Hardy bring in an all-important win? Their opponents Steve Wiseman & Allan Leech proved to be great company with the match feeling much closer than the 8&6 scoreline suggested.
So, Somerset were to be victorious, but could we finish with a hat trick of wins?
The final pair of John Beer, Match Manager, & Erica Klim won the first hole but were behind from then on. Whilst neither brought their best golf, their tenacity was rewarded when they won the 17th leaving them to finish 1 up on the 18th. The star of this show however, was Hampshire’s 91-year-old Eamonn Shiels who played some great golf, ably supported by their Secretary Martin Bennett.
The warm welcome offered by Wells Golf Club was reflected in the after-match celebrations. Congratulations to everyone involved on the day.
