Result: tba

Home team (+??)
tba

Away team (+?)
tba

Report due soon…

Result: Win by 19 points

Home team (+14)
Julian Diamond & Richard Owen
John Bennett & Martin Wright
Dave Winter & Toby Hunt

Away team (+5)
Kerry Sargeant & Graeme Syme
Ian Smith & Paul Grand
Jason Loubser & Jon Cooper

Our second Clapham Common outing of the year – this time against Thorney Park.

At one time I thought we had the dream team out, but once again other commitments deprived us of some of our better – and in form – players (which means I was in the team again). A big ‘thank you’ to the club members who stood in at the last minute and turned out for us.

Thorney Park was a great venue, in fine condition with plenty of water and enough wind to make it very interesting. The Thorney Park team were a pleasure to play with and the games all very tight.

Our first game was Kerry Sergeant and Graeme Syme. After three holes they had one point only, but finished with 35 points and a three shot winning margin. Next came Ian Smith and Paul Grand who led their opponents in by one point and finally Jason Loubser and myself who were looking at three blow outs after three holes but did manage to pull things around to score 33 points, one more than our opponents. Overall we had a five point margin away and were delighted to get the telephone call form the home team to announce their 14 point winning margin.

The top home team pair were John Bennett and Martin Wright – and as luck would have it they were the only pair to have playing partners with a higher total. Richard Owen and Julian Diamond and Dave Winter and Toby Hunt both had big leads to provide a decisive 19 point overall victory.

Our next match is against Hurst and must be played by June 25th. Once again I will be trying to put out a team that does not have me in it…….

Result: Win by 11 points

Home team (+16)
Rob Urquhart & Richard Owen
Toby Hunt & Dave Winter
David Marsh & Jason Loubser

Away team (-5)
Jon Cooper & Phil Flanagan
Ian Smith & Nick Heale
Graeme Syme & Tim Meyer

RPGC started the year with a stonking victory over Iver Golf Club. The format is teams of six on the home course and six on the away course playing greensomes stableford. The total points for both teams are added up home and away and the most points overall wins.

Getting 12 players for the Bank Holiday weekend was no easy task, and I would like to thank all of you who turned out and did such a sterling job. Iver is a tricky 9 holer and your Captain made his first big mistake by encouraging the team to practice on the very fast putting green. The Iver team sat in the clubhouse and watched the lambs practice putting, knowing this was the only green not sanded and hollow tined, ensuring three putts for most players for the first six holes!

The away team fielded two new members to ‘team golf’ in Nick Heale and Graeme Syme. Graeme partnered Tim Meyer and achieved a very creditable 28 points, whilst Nick carried – I mean played with – Ian and also achieved 28 points. I played with Phil Flanagan, who decided this was a good day to try out his new spectacles.  I now know what ‘astigmatism’ means, the glasses having an inbuilt bias for all putts of 5 feet to the right. Suffice it to say I would not park next to Phil for the next week or two until he gets used to them. It did, however, provide me with a ‘first’ as Phil started to ask me to read his putts for him. Hitherto, no-one has ever let me read anything for them, including the local rules. Phil and I three putted our way to a stunning 29 points. Overall, we lost away to Iver by 5 points. We then waited an hour for the home team results (a three and a half hour round at Iver – really!).

Eventually the results came through. Our secret weapon – Richard Owen and Robert Urquhart – had burned up the course with 39 points – a massive 14 more than their playing partners. Dave Marsh and Jason Loubser (another welcome new team player) beat their playing partners by three and Toby Hunt and Dave Winter met expectations with a reliable and hefty 35 points. Thanks to the away team holding on – and the home team winning by an amazing 16 points – the first round ended in a win for Richmond Park.

Result: Loss by 30 points

Home team
David Marsh & Michael Rossiter
Jon Cooper & Peter Harrington
Rob Urquhart & Richard Owen

Away team
Kerry Sargeant & Toby Hunt
Ian Smith & George Martin
Phil Flanagan & Tim Meyer

On a day of heavy showers and horrendous rough the disappointed home team made a valiant effort to overhaul last year’s National winners, who surrendered nothing in terms of skill and good fortune.

Basildon had clearly lost none of their strong competitiveness to win, and win they did, by 9 points at home and 21 away.