Magnificent Seniors Triumph in Channel League

Match: Wiltshire Seniors v Glamorgan Seniors (Channel League)

Date: Wednesday 5 October 2016

Venue: Cumberwell Park, Wiltshire

Dear All!

Our match against Glamorgan was headlined as ‘the clash for the championship’!  This match would decide which county would reap the plaudits as 2016 Seniors Channel League winners…and the match produced a real cracker!  This match generated more spectator involvement than our disappointing involvement in the Ryder Cup of just a few days ago…well…we, too, had to put up with rowdy, noisy fans: one spectator fan from High Post, one from Salisbury, three from Chippenham and a past President.  There was, I admit, plenty of room for a few more!

Our now regular pre-match tactical get-together appears to have borne some fruit this time…we teed-off on time and the morning 4BBB matches produced wins for pairs Bloomfield and Graham, Smart and Phillips, Warensjo and Dymoke; a great fightback for a half from Lewis and Jeffery; and a disappointing (and unusual) nil pointer from Searle and Davis.  However, at lunch we were in a great position, leading the match 3.5 to 1.5.

There were some who thought (and said) we ‘only’ needed 4 points from ten games to halve the match and win the league…! I have to admit, again, that this was, of course true BUT…the boys were sent out in the afternoon to play to win EVERY point…yes, our target was WIN EVERYTHING!  In the end, it was a nail-biting, nerve-jangling match which, for almost all of the match, could have gone either way.

The Glamorgan ‘manager’ had said to me that they had been overwhelmed with demands from their top golfers to play in this match…and it showed in the quality they were able to field: the majority of their team were current or past Welsh international golfers…and, while the best of them were packed into the top four or five singles matches, their team was full of top-class quality. 

In the singles, Bloomfield came home with a great 4&3 win and put our fist point on the board (he is, of course, through and through a Welshman, but today he wore his Wiltshire colours truly well).  Searle, unlike Searle, suffered an uncharacteristic poor day with his putter and returned with nil point, losing 3&2; likewise, Graham was outputted for another nil point, losing 4&3; Jeffery was, unusually, off form today and suffered a heavy loss, 6&5.  So, four matches concluded and we were 3-1 down…we needed a minimum of 3 points from the remaining 6 matches…now looking like a tall order.

Davis’s match was still going, with our man generally trailing; Lewis looked to be playing well and maintaining good form; Smart looked to be in control and brought home our next point – winning his match 3&2; Phillips too was having a see-saw match but eventually succumbed on the 17^th, losing 2&1; Warensjo was variously in front, then behind, then closing…another see-saw; and Dymoke, at number ten, was likewise never out of touch with his opponent.  We needed 2 points from remaining 4 matches!  Desperately close!

I was now breaking buggy speed records whizzing from match to match, trying to keep up with the ebb and flow of scores and permutations.  Davis was 3 down with four to play.  Lewis was dormy 3 up.  Warensjo was dormy 2 down.  And Dymoke was 2 down with 3 to play.

Davis started to win holes…15…win…16…win…17…win; Lewis missed a short putt on 16, lost 17 to an eagle two!; but was still guaranteed a half point; Warensjo fought hard but went down by one hole; Dymoke was playing 16 and was 2 down, three to go.

The end happened quickly: Simon Davis completed a four hole winning run to turn his match into a 1up win (we now had 3 points in the bag; David Lewis, dormy one up on the last, won the 18th taking us to four points in the afternoon…our total points for the day reaching an unbeatable championship total of 7.5.  Wiltshire had just become, for the first time in the history of the Seniors Channel League, CHAMPIONS!!

One final twist to the day.  In the last match, Dymoke was (if you remember) dormy two down on the 17^th tee.

Having halved the 16^th I then told him that we had enough points to win the match but it would be nice if he could play out for his half.  The Glamorgan manager informed Dymoke’s opponent (the Glamorgan Captain) that Wiltshire had won the championship and we couldn’t be caught.  At this point, I was involved in a moment of genuine golfing sportsmanship…the Glamorgan captain (Ian Henderson) offered to concede the remaining holes thereby giving Dymoke a half point and Wiltshire a winning margin on the day.  Simon Dymoke, also in true sporting fashion, ‘protested’ that he felt he should play on and earn his half point.  Ian Henderson confirmed his concession and it was, reluctantly and gratefully, accepted.  A truly magnificent gesture.  Well done Ian…and Simon.

WILTSHIRE ARE SENIORS CHANNEL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS, 2016!!

A huge thank you to our President (Jerry Gegg), everyone who has played this season, everyone in the squad, everyone in the ‘back office’, and  everyone everywhere (home club venues, staff, secretaries, pro’s)  who has supported our efforts this year.  Shall we have another go in 2017…?  Of course we will!!

Aye!

Bill Cardno

Wiltshire Seniors Captain

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