The Club has again entered two teams this year. Team A is normally the stronger team, however this year the A and B teams have been swapped.

For further information, contact the Lady Captain Sheena Harrington or Vice Lady Captain Cheryl Woodhouse.

Team A Rd 1 at Portsmouth
Report by Cheryl Woodhouse

Result: 2-3 Loss

Portsmouth is a hilly course overlooking the Solent to the south and the Downs to the north. On a clear day you can see the Isle of Wight to the west and the views are magnificent from many of the tees. As a matter of interest it has just been taken over by Glendale with a lease of 25 years.

Richmond's intrepid Team A travelled to Portsmouth on 10th April to play their match, led by Cheryl Woodhouse with Molly Hood, Sonia Inniss, Ros Lake and Pia Langeland making up the team.

The format is match play. This year, for the first time, each player played off their full handicap difference and not 3/4 as in previous years.

The weather turned from cloudy and blustery to a sunny warm spring day resulting in those magnificent views. Although Cheryl won her game the others were not as fortunate. The Team A has therefore been eliminated from the competition.

Cheryl would like to thank her team for their sterling efforts losing only after hard fought rounds of golf and especially to welcome Pia to her first external match play competition.

Team B Rd 2 Home to Bird Hill
Report by Sheena Harrington

Result: 3½-1½ Win

The team comprised Sheena Harrington, Anne Koychev, Maureen Slade, Julie Smith and Tracy Wright.

As with our Hawtree team, the Richmond Park team were the givers and not the receivers, with Anne having to give 2 shots on 4 holes, her opponent receiving 22 shots. It was only in Maureen's game that no shots were exchanged with this game going to the 18th green before Maureen sunk the winning putt.

Needless to say this statistic in their favour only enhanced their already very friendly approach to the afternoon, despite one of their team preferring to be watching the FA Cup Final. Although I'm sure that once she found out the result she wasn't so bothered.

The weather (cloudbursts on & off most of the morning) and the Cup Final were helpful in keeping people away from the course, but despite not having to wait too much, if at all, at most of the holes the round still took 5 hours courtesy of the penal rough around our newly narrow fairways. Fortunately for us, we spent more time looking for the Bird Hill balls than we did our own, a fact reflected in our victory.

Team B Rd 3 at Sandown Park
Report by Sheena Harrington

Result: 1-4 Loss

The team comprised Sheena Harrington, Di Jackett, Maureen Slade, Julie Smith and Tracy Wright.

Spirits were not high going into this match as most of the team had not so fond memories of the course - which is a 9-hole one in the centre of the racecourse. We'd also been warned that since the new management had taken over it was not possible to book tee times so we would have to turn up and hope that the public weren't out in force. Fortunately, despite the glorious weather, we had no delay in starting and only one other 2-ball slotted in between our games on the second nine.

Our one victor was Julie Smith with a tight tussle that went to the 17th, sadly the rest of us were not so fortunate. One good piece of news from our Treasurer's perspective is that they very kindly gave us courtesy of the course, so there is no cheque to write Dave!

Despite beating us soundly our opponents were very friendly and we each enjoyed the games, followed by some shopping in the newly opened Discount Golf Shop - so something good came out of it after all!