The annual match against the Past Captains from Wells Golf Club is always one of the highlights of our golfing calendar, and this year was no exception. In warm and dry weather the teams gathered for a light lunch before the teams were announced.
Both teams were welcomed by club captain Dean Hamilton who stressed how pleased the club were to entertain Somerset Golf Captains again.
Before the golf commenced, Somerset Golf Captains had to cope with two unforeseen events. Peter Dawson from Stockwood Vale had put his iron through his shirt (steam iron, not 3-iron!). And Captain Elect Rob Ford had clean forgotten about the match and had to be summoned at short notice and in great haste.
In match one, Stephen Butterfield and Mike Usher-Clark played against Rob Coate and Rob Swift. It was a great afternoon with superb hosts! Ham and eggs! Cheese and pickle! Salt and pepper! And on the day, another great pairing – this time Steve and Mike, who were unbeatable in securing a win by the margin of 5&4.
In match two, Paul Hucker and Ben Gliddon played against George Davis and Phil Slater. George and Phil were great company playing some excellent golf. Ben found the handicap for his golf ( i.e. his playing handicap!) too much to handle, and the Somerset pair lost by the margin of 3&2.
All the later matches had to shuffle up whilst we were waiting for our 16th player to arrive!
In the third match, Rich Bartin and Chris Warcup played against Andy Williams and Colin Mantle. It was a fun game as always but the Wells Captains handed out a proper thrashing and secured a win by the margin of 7&6.
In match four, old friends Murray Parsons and Jim Boyce had a very enjoyable day and some very good company against John Chillington and Malcolm Terry. The course was in good condition and the Wells pair just managed to hold on for a win by the margin of being one up!
The match five, Peter Dawson and Colin Davies played against Steve Rowse and Steve Bouquet. This group enjoyed great company both on and off the course. The match was won by Wells who thoroughly deserved the victory. The hospitality was first class and the Wells captains won by the margin of 4&3.
In match six, Jeff Saunders and Mike Snaith played against Andrew Boatswain and Richard Booth. This again was a very enjoyable day with some very good company and a lot of good golf. The course played very well. Jeff Saunder’s putter was red-hot and the Somerset team won by the margin of 6&5.
After Rob Ford arrived, he went out in match seven with his partner Mike Rossiter to play against club captain Dean Hamilton and Mike Mackay. Although Rob arrived late, he actually won the first hole but after that – left it to his partner. The Somerset team played very well and the opposition made it very enjoyable before Somerset secured a win by the margin of 2&1.
In the final match, John Beer and Kevin Blakeley played against Stuart Mann and Erica Klim. Somerset got off to a flying start and were three up after 10 homes. The opposition then started to play some good golf and used their shots to their advantage to win four holes on the trot. Wells were 1 up after 16, but Somerset Golf Captains managed to win the 18th. The final result of all square was a fair reflection on a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon on and off the golf course.
And so the overall result was Somerset Golf Captains 3 1/2 Wells captains 4 1/2 and Wells captains retained the trophy.
The Captains sat down for a very enjoyable meal of chicken wrapped in bacon, followed by fruit crumble and resisted the temptation to join in the bingo which was taking place in the adjoining bar. Both Rob Swift and Stephen Butterfield made entertaining and enjoyable speeches before Stephen presented the trophy to Rob to retain for another year.
During the meal, the Secretary of Somerset Golf Captains, John Beer, took the opportunity to present a printed Somerset Golf Captains scarf to Erica Klim. This historic moment was the first Somerset Golf Captains scarf to be presented to the growing number of lady captains and it was appropriate to use this occasion to the first scarf to Erica Klim from Wells.
Both Captains thanked their match organisers – Erica Klim and John Beer