Maybe there were some nerves on the first tee, with only one of 4 players in the first game managing to find the (correct) fairway, but at the end of the day it was a perfect (dream!) result for RPGC – a 6-0 win. So we just need half a point in the 2nd leg at Tricky Ricky in September to win back the cup in this annual men’s match.

Our first pairing of Henry L-B and Richard Inglis reached the 13^th hole with a comfortable 4 hole lead. However, they lost the next 3 holes in a row (with shots being given to Ricky) and  became really tense when the match went back to Even/All Square on the 16th. But a strong birdie-par finish put the first “yellow” point on the board.

Game 2 became the showcase of an unsung hero. Roger/Tony K. won 8 holes. 5 of those wins can be credited to … Tony. He even birdied the 12^th (for the equivalent of … 5 stableford points). Ricky was no match. So RPGC won 3&2 and went 2-0 up. Mike Shabani and Kim went in the 3^rd game. 6 wins in the first 8 holes and an ugly slip-up on the 9^th meant a 5 hole lead at the turn. Holes 10-11 were halved and after a loss on hole 12 the pair closed out the match with wins on holes 13 & 14: a 6&4 win, making it RPGC 3 : Ricky 0.

Whereas the first 3 games may have looked “comfortable” for RPGC, the last 3 games had much more ebb and flow to them. In game 4 Nigel Gaymond and Sean Thomas were in a quite a fight over the front 9 but the back 9 totally belonged to the men in yellow as they stormed to a 3&2 win. RPGC 4 : Ricky 0.

Richard Back & Justin Wildman, fresh off an early exit from the RPGC Men’s pairs KO, stormed the front 9 with 25 stableford points equivalent and held it together RPGC its 5^th point.

The final pairing of Angus and the 3rd Richard in the RPGC team (Richard Owen) were ‘erratic’ on the front 9; all square after 3, 3 down after 6 and back to all square after 9. The momentum of holes 7-9 was then consolidated by wining holes 10 and 13. A loss on the tough 15^th hole created a bit of tension, but a birdie by Angus on the 16th and a birdie by Richard on the 17^th sealed their win. RPGC 6 : Ricky 0.

This Saturday 6 pairs faced off in the home leg of the annual friendly vs Rickmansworth. Playing conditions were pretty decent. Kim and Ryan Dewar were playing catch-up from the go. Things looked pretty dire when they went 3 down after just 3 holes. But some good iron play by Ryan allowed the lead off pair to square things off on hole 12. They even briefly took the lead on the next hole. Only to lose that slim lead on the next hole. Both teams stood on the 18th with the visitors 1 Up. The match ended in a real anti-climax when only 1 player (the visiting captain) managed to put a ball in play. RPGC – Tricky Ricky 0-1. Richard Owen and Sazer Cuneyt were in a real tussle the whole round. They managed to make something out of nothing when they won the last hole to earn a respectable draw. RPGC 0.5 – Tricky 1.5. Alan King and Rick Kimber played a steady round to earn the home team’s first victory RPGC 1.5 – Tricky 1.5. Surprise package of the day were Tony Kopczak and Mike Shabani who demolished their opponents 6&5 (they recorded a 4BBB stableford score of … 48pts). RPGC 2.5 – Tricky 1.5. Alvaro Garcia-Hoz and Uli Katte were able to increase RPGC’s lead with a solid win. RPGC 3.5 – Tricky 1.5. Sean Thomas and Damber were in control of their match for 13 holes. A few uncharacteristic errors lead to a heartbreaking loss on the last hole. Final Score RPGC 3.5 – Tricky 2.5.

Return leg on 11-Sep promises to be (even) tougher than expected but we’ll give it a shot.