Competition Results
The Halford Hewitt Cup 8th-11th
April 2010
Thursday 8th of April - St Bees v The Leys – Royal Cinque Ports
GC
In match 1, Neil Morton and Charlie
Crummey, as the senior pair, led the team from the front. Unfortunately
the Leysians’ current county players proved daunting opposition.
Three down after seven competitive holes, St Bees suddenly found their
true form and were only one down at the turn. A poor run then ensued
and the match finished on the 14th. It was a great effort by Neil
to stand in at the last minute. The sacrificial pair had done their
job! Match Result; St Bees lost 5 and 4.
In match 2, Mike Stamper and Mark Morrison
had the task of taking on a couple of ex-county players, one of whom
had also had some time in the professional ranks. After losing the
first to par, the match stayed close, mainly thanks to Stamper's hot
putter. Unfortunately, though holding on well, the pair were unable
to capitalise on the odd couple of chances that came their way on
the first nine. Through the turn two holes were lost easily to the
steady Leysians, putting the Old St Beghians firmly on the back foot.
The game closed on the 14th when St Bees were unable to sink the birdie
putt required to keep the game alive. St Bees lost 5 and 4.
In match 3, Andrew Deall and Stephen
Moss won on the last par 3, the 14th. St Bees were up throughout the
match and took the game easily.
St Bees won 5 and 4.
In match 4, Gareth Edgar and Adrian
Peckitt made a good start going three up at the fourth with a birdie
two. Some sloppy play let the opposition back into the match as we
lost the seventh and eighth to be one up. A par at the ninth put the
St.Bees pair two up again. The Leys fought back and the match was
all square after the 12th. It was obvious by now that this would be
the deciding game. The 13th was halved in par. The Leys then holed
a 30 ft putt to win the 14th and go one up. An extraordinary 15th
was halved in 7, Adrian holing a 25ft putt. There were similar happenings
at the 16th, though unfortunately, the St. Bees pair three- putted
following a brave attempt at a hole- winning putt. St Bees lost 2
and 1.
In match 5, the result was 5/4 in favour
of St Bees and would have been more if it had not been for a lost
ball on the 5th. The game was really all over after 6 holes. John
Currie and Andrew Goodwin played a very solid first four holes, scoring
a steady 3 x par start and a birdie 2 at the first short hole, going
four up after 4 holes. Having lost the 5th to a Leys bogey due to
the lost ball, the St Bees reply was another birdie at the 6th to
go four up again. Thereafter, St.Bees settled down into steady golf,
which was just enough to defend a Leys fight back on the tenth and
eleventh, and St Bees eventually closed out the game at 14. St Bees
won 5 and 4.
Overall result: St Bees 2, The Leys 3
The Princes Plate
Friday 9th of April - St Bees v Edinburgh Academy – Princes
GC
In match 1, Andrew Deall and Stephen
Moss played a pair who were a combination of youth and experience.
The match was played in an excellent spirit. A good twelve holes from
St Bees were followed by two poor ones by both teams. St Bees managed
to keep their lead intact, closing the match out on the 17th, having
narrowly missed out on a win on the 16th. St Bees won 2 and 1.
In match 2, Adrian Peckitt and Gareth
Edgar started poorly and were soon five down. A great tee shot by
Gareth led to a win at the 8th. An Edinburgh Academy player had a
brainstorm at the 9th when he knocked his ball off the green after
a missed putt and therefore conceded the hole, so we were back to
three down. A great 4 and win at the 10th put us two down. The match
was probably lost with some ill fortune at the par three 11th, when
we had to drop from GUR from the side of a greenside bunker to a drop
zone which left an impossible shot over the same bunker. Edinburgh
won with a par three and the match was back to 3 down.
St Bees lost 4 and 3.
In match 3, John Currie and Andrew Goodwin
made a steady start but St Bees soon found themselves down. It seemed
the "hit one down the middle" strategy was paying off for
the opposition. This, combined with a devastating chipping display
from one of the opposition pair, resulted in St Bees being four down
at the turn, having done not a lot wrong.
Both Currie and Goodwin all too often could not find the hole after
having played their way into good positions. The crucial moment in
the match was at the fourteenth hole, where our opponents made a good
bogey, but St Bees were in good heart after a fine drive up the left
by Currie and an excellent long iron from Goodwin to the heart of
the green.
Goodwin, who had partnered Currie many times previously, was aware
of the fact that his partner tended to leave him with the odd ten
footer! Thankfully this time, Goodwin was left by comparison with
a mere four foot put to get the match back to two down. Unfortunately
he missed and the match remained three down.
St Bees made a valiant effort to recover this, the deciding match,
but had left it too late. Eventually the match finished on the 17th
with a monster putt from the front of the green by one of our opponents.
St Bees lost 2 and 1.
Overall Result: St Bees 1, Edinburgh Academy
2