Gloucestershire Ladies' County Golf Association
COUNTY FINALS
Day 5 Review
Morning foursomes:
Leading the team were the formidable pairing known as Alex Squared (Alex Saunders and Alex Giles) who faced the strong pairing of International players, Olivia Winning and Megan Locket, who represent England and Wales respectively. They got off to a steady start and found themselves 1 up through 4 playing some solid par golf with few mistakes. A couple of birdies towards the end of the front 9 resulted in a 3 up lead heading into the back 9. Continuing their form, the girls found themselves dormie-4 up, finishing the match off with a solid par and a halved hole for a 4&3 victory.
In the middle were the Knowle pairing of Ebz and Caley who faced Nicola Slater and Mia Eales-Smith. They got off to slow start, 1 down through 2 holes, but a quick bounce back, saw them A/S through 3. They remained A/S through 9 and a solid par on 11 got them to 1 up. The 12th hole was a long par 3 situated in front of the clubhouse, everyday surrounded by a gallery of spectators. Caley was taking the even holes and stepped up to the tee first with a 5 iron in hand, beautifully striking the ball. The rapturous applause and cheers that could be heard at the other end of the course gave away the result of the shot. A hole-in-one, the first for the 16 year old, wasn’t matched by their opponents and meant the girls were 2up through 12. More good golf from the pair over the following holes resulted in another 4&3 win for Team Glos.
The final foursomes pairing of Sam Round and Ffion Tynan faced the in form duo of Hannah Holden and Charlotte Heath. The pair put up a good fight but were unfortunately overcome by some excellent golf losing 7&6 to a pair that were 5 under par up until that point.
Afternoon singles:
Out first was Ebz who was up against England International Olivia Winning. She got off to a solid start and was 2up through 5, however Olivia put her foot on the gas after the 7th and started holing long putts pegging Ebz back to A/S through ten. The putts kept rolling in for the Yorkshire player and the match finished with a Gloucestershire loss of 4&3.
Second out was Ffion Tynan, playing the in form Hannah Holden. Hannah played some impeccable golf, which included 7 birdies. The ever-determined Ffion never gave up and kept fighting but with so few opportunities to win holes back she lost 6&5.
Out third was Alex Giles, who was drawn against Charlotte Heath. A strong start from the Junior County Captain resulted in her being 2up through 9. A mistake on fifteen put her back to 1up but a quick bounce back win on sixteen saw her dormie 2 up, eventually winning the match 2&1.
Fourth to play was the rookie Grace who played Welsh International Megan Lockett. Grace was up against it from the start and found herself 1 down early on, however she fought hard and got back to A/S through 6 and managed to get to 1up through ten. Unfortunately the Welsh International was not deterred and stepped up her game, Grace going 1 down through thirteen. Megan eventually got the better of Grace and she lost on the 17th 2&1.
Out fifth was Caley playing Mia Eales-Smith, who had a combined age of thirty. Caley got off to a very quick start and was 2up through 2. Mia started to come back, winning the fifth and seventh resulting in the match A/S. A refocus from Caley and a birdie on 9 saw Caley back to 2up which she remained for the rest of the match until seventeen. A loss on seventeen meant a trip up 18 dormie 1up. With her opponent going long off the green, the match result was sealed with a win by 2 holes.
Finally, bringing up the rear was Alex ‘Granny’ Saunders playing Nicola Slater. Granny Saunders got off to a very slow start (due to old age!) and was 3 down after 5. A quick pep talk by coach Kirsty was enough to settle her nerves and some good golf followed. An up and down for par at 6 and birdies at ten and eleven were enough to get the match back to A/S. A mistake from Nicola on thirteen led to a win of the hole for Granny, going 1up. With many of the matches finished and it looking increasingly like the championship deciding point would come from this match the crowds started to gather and both players and their caddies were joined by the respective county coaches. A mistake by Granny going long of the 14th green opened the hole up to Nicola who proceeded to make birdie and bring the match back to A/S. Both players were on the green for 2 on the par 4 fifteenth, Granny forty feet away and Nicola 25 feet away from the hole. Granny stepped up to the put and rolled it in to cheers and clapping from the spectators. With the pressure now on Nicola, she kept a cool head and followed Granny into the hole, halving in birdies, much to the delight of the Yorkshire fans. Both players came up short of the long par 3 sixteenth that was playing into wind. Nicola played a very delicate chip to 5 feet, Granny following her with a chip that ran over the edge of the hole and rolled to 8 feet. A lipped out putt from Granny left the door open for Nicola who holed her 5 footer to win the hole and go 1 up playing 17. Both players were on the par 5 green for 3 and with Granny slightly further away, at about 14 feet, it was an opportunity to put the pressure on Nicola again. Granny succeeded in rolling the putt in with a fist pump and more cheers from the crowd. Absolute silence fell across the 17th green as Nicola lined up her ten foot putt, which she once again holed to screams of delight from her team mates. Granny walked up to the 18th tee in the knowledge that only a win on the last hole was good enough for Team Glos to retain the title. Both players hit their drives just right of the fairway, Nicola having a slight edge on Granny in terms of distance. Granny hit into the green first and, with adrenaline flowing, finished long off the green. Nicola followed and ended up on the apron at the back of the green. Granny Saunders walked up to her ball lying on a bare downslope 5 yards from the putting surface, knowing that a chip-in was required, pushing the nerves aside she produced an outstanding chip that finished 6 inches from the hole. This was it, all down to this putt from Nicola from the fringe. Leaving the flag stick in the young Yorkshire girl stepped up to the putt, many Glos supporters were unable to watch as she hit her putt. She played a very classy shot that also finished 6 inches from the hole leaving Granny no choice but to give her the putt resulting in a loss of 1 hole for the experienced Gloucestershire player.
The final day of such an exciting County Finals week brought some real highs and some lows - but at the end of the day, even though Gloucestershire lost, the whole team fought to the end - 2017 was not our year, but we have learned a lot - about golf and about friendships and we will be stronger for this experience - Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club, England Golf and all the people behind the scenes we are truly grateful to you but most importantly thank you to all the Gloucestershire supporters who came to the back of beyond to cheer us on and to all those people who followed us on social media - THANK YOU.
England Golf press release here
Final scoreboard
Hole in One! Caley picking her ball from the hole.
TeamGlos hugging it out on the 18th after the last match
And here they are for a more formal picture!
Day 4 Review
The yellow orb was in the sky this morning when we arrived at Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club and we were hoping it would be shining throughout the day and it did! There was a strong southwesterly wind blowing from start to finish which the girls had to contend with and it meant for some interesting viewing, watching balls start in the right direction, but not always ending up where they were meant to be!
In the foursomes, Alex2 (Alex S and Gilo) found themselves 2 down through 5 and it wasn’t until the 12th that the match started to turn in their favour with Alex S holing a 20 footer on the par 3 for birdie and then holing a bunker shot for birdie on the 13th to go 1 up. They found themselves dormy 2 going up the 17th, but the Nottinghamshire pair won this hole, so it was on to the 18th where Alex2 secured the win.
In the two other pairings, Claude and Grace worked well together and plotted their way around the course. With two such long hitters, they had to adapt their game a bit when the wind was behind to minimise the risk of losing their balls in the deep rough. They secured their win on the 17th.
In the last group, Ebz and Caley were resilient and just maximised on their opponents errors and ground out a 3&2 win.
Having rested Sam and Ffion in the morning, it was their turn to do battle against Nottinghamshire and the wind, which seemed to be getting stronger hour by hour.
Ebonie went out first and went four down pretty quickly and even though she tried to grind out a win, she was confronted by a very steady player who just didn’t allow her to build any momentum. Ebonie did come back but just ran out of holes eventually losing on the 17th.
Following Ebonie was Ffion who also found herself 4 down through 11, but went on to birdie the par 3 12th to stop the rot. She then won the 13th and the 16th to go dormie 1 and secured a half on the 18th – what a phenomenal turnaround and half a point nearer our goal of securing at least 2 points from the afternoon session.
In the meantime, Claude and Grace were playing solidly, and maintained their advantage with Claude winning 2&1 and Grace 3&2.
The final two players Sam Round and Alex S both lost their matches but with an overall match score of 5½ to 3½ the team had done what they needed to do to win the match.
The day was challenging with a Nottinghamshire team who really pushed our girls all the way. In the other matches on the course, there were some other interesting results with Buckinghamshire securing a halved match against Yorkshire and host county Suffolk beating Hampshire.
With these results, we find ourselves at the top of the points table and look forward to an exciting final day. Having been with Team Glos all week, they have demonstrated incredible resilience – they have gone out each day and played with passion and commitment and tomorrow will be no different. Good Luck Girls – play your best and enjoy the experience – as a County we are very proud of you all.
For England Golf's press release of Day 4 click here
Day 3 Review
Arriving at Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club on Day 3 was a completely different experience from the previous two days – it was completely tranquil and Dave and Trev on car parking duties confirmed that it was unusually uncharacteristic of the weather for this time of year, but also said we were in for a fantastic sunny and wind-free day …… oh how wrong they were!
Knowle’s Ebonie and Caley went out first and whilst playing the 2nd we watched an old Thames Barge sail along the coast with burgundy sails – could this be a lucky omen for the day? Ebz and Caley’s opposition put up a strong fight, but were eventually defeated on the 17th.
Resting Gilo, there was a new pairing in the middle. Claude and Grace soon found their rhythm and even though they hadn’t played as a foursomes pairing before secured their win on the 16th hole.
The final pairing of Alex S and Ffion did what they have been doing all week and were soon 3 up through 6 holes. Their opponents then decided to push them a bit and it wasn’t until the 10th hole before they secured another winning hole. By the time they got round to the 13th they were 5 up and they secured their win on the 14th.
Gloucestershire had worked hard to secure the win and they went into lunch 3:0 up.
Ebz & Caley won 2&1
Claude & Grace won 3&2
Alex S & Ffion won 6&4
The morning success enabled Gloucestershire to give Claude and Ebz a much deserved rest. With an overcast sky, the afternoon session looked as though it could have been adversely affected by some stormy weather conditions, but it was just a very brisk south westerly wind that was difficult to judge both down wind and against – so much for Dave and Trev’s weather forecast!!!
Gilo led the way and with Jamie-Lee Casling on the bag was able to get some expert advice and plotted her way around the course, but with a strong opponent there was never more than one hole in it and it took all 18 holes to finally come out on top with a birdie, birdie finish.
Ffion went ahead early and kept that momentum going to eventually win 5&3 with some very impressive golf in an increasingly tricky wind.
Alex S stepped up to the first tee and promptly put her drive OOB, nearly hitting a van driving along the road that intersects the golf club! Her second drive was straight down the middle and more typical of her usual drives, but she lost the first hole and then proceeded to go 4 down after 4 but this didn’t get her down, just made her more determined and once she shifted up a gear she started to peg back, winning the 6th hole and this was the turning point of her match. Taking that steely determination forward she closed out the match on the 17th winning 2&1.
Sam, who arrived last night and only had the chance to have a quick look around the course this morning, went out at number four and started steady as did her opponent. Sam gradually started to manage the adverse conditions better than her opponent and started to pull away, eventually winning 5&3.
Ali Kelly was our fifth player and was supported by her great friend Karen Rix on the bag. Ali started well staying A/S through 2 but lost two holes back to back to go 2 down after 4 but although she managed to pull one of these back, she could never quite reduce the deficit completely, eventually succumbing to a 4&3 defeat.
Caley stamped her mark on her game early on, always being up on her opponent and she quickly established a 5 up lead through 6. Her opponent won one hole but Caley quickly recovered her lead back to 5 by the 9th and closed out her match on the 13th with a 6&5 win.
Final result – Gloucestershire 8: Buckinghamshire 1
Gilo won 1up
Ffion won 5&3
Alex S won 2&1
Sam won 5&3
Ali lost 4&3
Caley won 6&5
Today was another good day for the Team and with the arrival of more of the Burgundy Brigade, team spirits were definitely lifted to see so many friendly Gloucestershire supporters, some of whom took up the mantle of caddying for the girls which they are extremely grateful for. Team Glos are looking forward to their match against Nottinghamshire and let’s hope Dave and Trev’s weather predictions are better tomorrow!
For England Golf press release click here
Thames Barge with burgundy sails - a very good omen!
Resting players ..... literally!!! Claude and Ebz
Ali with Karen lining up her putt
Day 2 Review
Brrrrr ....it was pretty cold this morning with the girls all wrapped up with bobble hats, snoods, mittens and wet weather jackets and trousers, but we were assured by the locals that it was going to warm up during the late morning and was going to be a glorious afternoon.
The first task of the morning was the ‘Master Pig’ handing over ceremony (best shot of the day award) and Alex S had great pleasure in presenting her University mate Claudia the prestigious ‘Master Pig’ head cover for her approach shot onto the first green yesterday which she put to within a foot of the pin.
And then it was onto the tee for the three foursome pairings. First out was Alex S and ‘pocket rocket’ Ffion, who quickly asserted themselves, dovetailing beautifully to win their match 6&5. The shot of the match came at the par 4, 6th when Alex put the second shot into the greenside bunker. Ffion in her characteristic bubbly way, just said ‘don’t worry, I’ll just have to hole it and then I can win Master Pig’. So in front of about a dozen Hampshire supporters, she lined herself up and swung her club and the ball popped out of the bunker and rolled down the green and straight into the hole! A birdie and the best shot of the match and definitely a contender for Day 2’s Master Pig award!
Behind the first pairing, Gilo and Claude were having a real tussle with the opposition who included an ex-Curtis Cup player and one of Gilo’s old college friends. They kept swapping the lead, but Gilo and Claude eventually lost on the 18th, 1 down.
The final pairing of Ebz and rookie Grace also struggled a bit, but they found themselves 1 up going up the 18th, where they halved the hole, meaning another great point for Team Gloucestershire.
Gloucestershire went into lunch 2:1 up on Hampshire.
Alex S & Ffion won 6&5
Gilo & Claude lost 1down
Ebz & Grace won 1 up
After a very quick lunch – Ebz literally had 20 minutes for lunch before she had to be on the tee – the team were ready to go out and do everything they could to secure the win. Ebz was matched with Kerry Smith, the ex-Curtis Cup player who performed how you would expect an ex-Curtis Cup player to play – however Ebz rose to the challenge and doggedly took the match to the 18th where her miraculous chip shot from behind the green failed to achieve the half she deserved losing 1 down.
Elsewhere on the course, some fantastic scores were being achieved. Gilo who had her gameface on (you can never read how she’s doing from her body language!), had secured a fantastic win on the 13th beating her opponent 7&5. Quickly following her, Caley also won 7&5, another great point and Team Glos only needed 1 more point to secure the match win. Ffion was the player who secured that point and she beat her opponent on the 14th to win 5&4. Whilst Ffion was getting her point Alex S who had been doing so well on the front 9 had come up against a Hampshire player who all of a sudden found her putting and chipping hat and was putting and holing out numerous holes on the back nine, pegging back Alex to A/S. Alex eventually lost on the 17th, 2&1 and then there was one player left on the course.
Claude, who had braved the morning wearing a skort (albeit for the first couple of holes they were hidden under her wet trousers!) decided it was time to top up her tan and wanted to stay out on the course for as long as she could in the sun – she was 1 up through 16 and then lost the 17th and found herself A/S going up 18 – what an incredible tee shot and 2nd shot into the green from Claude, but her opponent was matching her shot for shot and after their initial putts, they both had putts within 2 feet of the pin and in keeping with the spirit of the game of golf they agreed on a very deserving half.
Final result was a 5½:3½ win to Gloucestershire
Ebz lost 1 down
Alex lost 2&1
Ffion won 5&4
Gilo won 7&5
Caley won 7&5
Claude Halved
Team Glos have used all their available players, giving everyone a chance to understand the course and its challenges which can only be a benefit going forward. The squad will be strengthened with the addition of Sam Round (Cotswold Hills GC) tomorrow and all the girls are up for the challenge that the next three days will bring. C’mon Team Glos – keep it going!
A blustery cold morning on Day 2
Alex S awarding "Master Pig' to Claude
Day 2 - Final Scoreboard - another satisfying day's work!!
Follow Live Scoring on the England Golf website clickhere
Overall Table at end of Day 2:
Day 1 Review
The morning started dry but with a keen north westerly breeze which saw many of the golfers with bobble hats and lots of layers on, but the sun kept coming out from behind the clouds and the layers started to come off. Gilo (Alex Giles) and Claude (Claudia Ovens) led the way and were 3 up through 3 and buzzin….. and soon found themselves 5 up through 11. Packing the middle, Alex (Saunders) and Ffion were also playing solidly and were 2 up through 8, moving to 3 up by the time they got to the 11th. Knowle partners, Ebz and Caley plotted their way around the course and found themselves 6 up through 12 so they only needed to halve the 13th and they’d won. Not satisfied with a half they won the 13th and won their match 7&5 – first point in the bag! The first match had dropped a couple of holes but Gilo sank an eagle putt on the 16th to close out their match. Not to be outdone by Gilo and Claude, Alex and Ffion also closed out their match on the 16th with Alex sinking a 40 foot right to left putt for another eagle finish. Three points secured from the morning session and all before the rain started whilst the team were lunching!
Gilo & Claude won 3&1
Alex & Ffion won 3&1
Ebz & Caley won 7&5
Captain Andra made a few changes for the afternoon, resting Alex (S) and Ffion and bringing in Ali Kelly (Cirencester) and rookie Grace Connolly (Knowle). By the time the team had gathered on the first tee, the Felixstowe wind had picked up and with some intermittent driving rain, the conditions were very different from the morning. Gilo led the field and fired a drive straight down the middle of the first fairway. Gilo was 1 up through 6 and gradually secured another couple of holes putting her 3 up through 12. Ebz who went out 2nd wasted no time bringing her game to a close, winning 7&6 playing 2 under for the 12 holes which her opponent just couldn’t compete with. 1 more point to Gloucestershire. Claudia quickly secured the winning match point with an impressive 5&4 win, followed by Grace who won 4&2. That meant that there were three of our team still battling out on the links with Gilo being pegged back by her steely opponent to find herself 1 up going down the 18th. Gilo hit her shot into the green to within 3 feet and sank the putt – another win and 4 points from the singles matches so far. Ali Kelly was having a real battle and had pulled her match back to 1 down going up the 18th. Never giving up, Ali’s shot into the green went into the greenside bunker and although she got it out, her opponent won the hole, so Ali unfortunately lost 2 down. Caley was also coming down the 18th, but she was 1 up, so she couldn’t lose her match, but determined as ever, Caley nailed it and won the 18th to win her match 2 up.
Final result was an 8:1 win to Gloucestershire
Gilo won 2 up
Ebz won 7&6
Claude won 5&4
Grace won 4&2
Ali lost 2 down
Caley won 2 up
Day 1 produced a fantastic result and the team played some great golf on a course which set some challenges. Suffolk, the host county with a couple of their players very au fait with the course pushed them to dig deep and dig deep they did – it was a solid performance and the team is really looking forward to Day 2 when they face Hampshire, who were County Champions in 2014 at Belton Park – Hampshire beat us on that occasion, so let’s see if we can have a different result this year! Good Luck Team Glos!
England Golf are posting live scores and these can be found here:http://bit.ly/2f69fw
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Day 1 at Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club - stunning views across the links.
Andra and her team going banana's!!! Clive Mackenzie, Club Captain at Bristol & Clifton GC donated banana's from his Captain's Day which was abandoned on Saturday due to rain!!! Thanks Clive!
L-R: Claude, Caley, Gilo, Alex S, Ffion and Captain Andra
Day 1 Final Scoreboard - great viewing!
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