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Day 5 - Gloucestershire v Buckinghamshire
With the prospect of more bad weather, England Golf and the County Captains agreed on another format for the final ‘crunch’ day of play! It was decided to have three sessions of play so if there was a suspension of play, hopefully at least one session could be played and completed.
The order of play was:
Session 1: 12 singles matches
Session 2: 3 foursomes
Session 3: 3 foursomes
This meant that 8 players per County would be playing on the course at the same time as the foursomes matches followed immediately after the singles matches.
The selection for the final day needed to guarantee points as soon as possible, so Andra, Su and Andy decided to select the four lowest handicappers to play in the singles with Ffion, Alex, Ebonie and Caley going out in that order. Cotswold Hills foursomes partners Sam and Claude went out in the first foursomes match followed by lefties, Charlie and Grace in the final foursomes match.
Looking at the other Counties strategies for the final day, it was obvious that everybody had adopted the same approach – putting out their lowest handicapped players first to secure as many points as early as possible. Buckinghamshire had performed extremely well at this County Final, surprising many with their strong results - Team Glos were always going to be pushed to bring home the points but the girls were determined and with the level of support from Gloucestershire’s Burgundy Brigade as well as Cornwall’s Captain, Sue Rowarth and Devon’s Captain, Christine Longden the girls believed they could deliver the result we all wanted.
So, in 36 mph winds which at around 1pm gusted to 62 mph, the girls started their challenge to battle the elements, play phenomenal golf and bring the trophy back to Gloucestershire.
Ffion, our ‘pocket rocket’ was buzzing for her match having won all five of her previous matches. She soon found herself going down and by the 10th needed to really dig deep and find her form as she was 3dn. Whilst Ffion was battling, Alex controversially had chosen to play with a yellow ball and whilst she was plotting her way successfully around the golf course when she got to the 10th whilst she hit a good shot from the tee, a crow took a liking to her bright yellow ball and flew off with it! Luckily spectators saw the incident and were able to identify the spot where it had landed and she was able to replace it and hit a fantastic shot into the 10th green and found herself 2up on her opponent.
Ffion found her mojo and won the next 2 holes and arrived at the 13th tee just 1dn. Alex was also on a roll and won her match 5&4 on the 14th– 1 point in the bag!
Ebz was also doing well, calmly battling against the buffering winds and with her putter on fire, she soon found herself 3up through 13 and never looked as though she was going to lose. She finished her game on the 15th for a 4&3 win. Just behind Ebz, Caley was also up in her match and when she hit the ball from the 14th tee it was always looking like a dead cert – Caley definitely loves an audience, as there were around 30 burgundy supporters around the green – her ball circumnavigated the hole and just rolled 6 inches away from the hole – her opponent didn’t stand a chance as she was to the right of the green and although she attempted her putt conceded the hole, for Caley to go dormie 4up. Caley also closed out her match on the 15th hole. In the meantime, Ffion was dormie 2up through the 16th halving the 17th to win her match 2&1. Team Glos had won the match against Buckinghamshire but now the question was whether we could deliver a clean sweep of the points.
Charlie and Grace, our last foursomes were playing some awesome golf and were never down – they closed out their match 8&7 – a phenomenal score! Sam and Claude were having a great game, having been up through the early part of the course, but their opponents soon found some form and started to come back from the 12th and soon Sam and Claude found themselves pegged back to A/S by the time they reached the 14th. With Gloucestershire’s ball lost on the 15th they lost this hole to go into the 16th 1dn. Halving the 16th, they proceeded to the 17th dormie 2dn, but unfortunately lost this hole to lose their match 2&1.
To win our final match 5:1 was a great achievement – we needed to beat Buckinghamshire but we needed to beat them well as Surrey could have challenged us for the trophy as they were on the same points going into the final day. Surrey had a battle with Staffordshire, who had beaten us earlier in the week, and whilst our matches were on the course, we heard that Staffordshire were looking the favourites to win that match which meant that the pressure was off us – however, our intention was always to win our match and win it well enough not to worry about the Surrey result and that’s exactly what Team Glos did!
Team Glos did the County proud – they endured the most gruelling weather conditions, but they remained positive all week. They are a great bunch of girls who are exceptional ambassadors for Gloucestershire and wherever they play, we seem to pick up more supporters. Guided by Andra, Su and Andy they excelled this week and they thoroughly deserve to be National County Champions again.
Congratulations to you all Team Glos!
Day 4 – Gloucestershire v Norfolk
Wow we had an early start to beat the storms on Day 4 with most of the team and their caddies and supporters arriving in darkness but the dawn soon rose to bring a calmer day in respect of wind but brollies and wet gear were definitely needed!
Kicking off the show were Sam and Claude who soon found themselves 1up through 3 but dropped back to A/S on the par 3 5th where they stayed until they’d had their bacon baps which seemed to give them a bit of momentum and they were soon 2up through 9. However, it was obvious they needed another bap because by the 11th they were back to A/S – knowing that more bacon baps were waiting in the clubhouse they got their act together and promptly won the 12thand the 16th to go dormie 2up and took the win on the 17th.
Ffion leading the singles was 1dn through 3 but had a good win on the 4th to go A/S and then won the 5th as well. By the 8th she was 3up but not for long when she lost the 10th and from here she retained her 2up margin until the 16th. Going up the 17th she knew she needed to hold onto her lead as some of the other singles matches weren’t going Gloucestershire's way. She halved the 17th and proceeded to the 18th 1up. Both players played the 18th very similarly but Ffion won the match 1up.
Grace although winning the 1st struggled and in her own words “just couldn’t putt today”. Grace always battles hard and kept her match going to the 16th but eventually lost 3&2.
Behind Grace was Caley who went 1up after the 1st but in a very even match was pegged back and every time she thought she was going to win a hole, her opponent found something to hold her off. On the 7th Caley holed out from 130 yards and as she was walking up to the green, her opponent said “nice shot” - Caley was not aware that her ball was in the hole! It was a fantastic shot and Caley really thought the hole was hers, but her opponent was not going to give it up lightly and promptly rolled in her putt for a birdie – so the hole was halved with birdies! Caley had really come up against an in form player and even though she battled with the elements and her opponent’s awesome putting, she found herself dormie 3 dn. She won the 16th to pull back 1 hole but the match was closed out by her opponent on the 17th.
Alex our anchor player was always up in her match and said herself she found her putting head today – but the shot of her round came at the 10th when she chipped in from off the green, about 30 foot from the pin to go 5 up. She dropped a shot on the 12th but soon got one back to go dormy 5up and won her match on the 14th 5&4.
With 3 points from the 5 matches, we had secured the win and now we waited to see how the other Counties did. Buckinghamshire had another good win, beating Staffordshire 4:1 which meant that Staffordshire are out of the frame, and Surrey beat Yorkshire 4:1.
We are still top of the leaderboard on matches won and have a 1.5 match advantage over Surrey. Tomorrow we need to beat Buckinghamshire and maintain the ‘match wins’ advantage that we have over Surrey.
With the weather causing more havoc, the format for tomorrow has changed again! The format of play has been reduced to 4 singles and 2 foursomes and will be split into three sessions. The first session comprises of 4 single matches with Gloucestershire v Buckinghamshire’s first match starting at 0832 and then the next 3 going out at 0840, 0848 and 0856. Our match versus Buckinghamshire is the middle match in the order of play.
After all the singles matches have gone out, the first of the foursomes matches will all go out and then after those have gone out the second foursomes matches will all go out.
Obviously, the weather has heaped havoc on the play over the week, but the girls from all Counties have gone out and done their best in the circumstances. The weather hasn’t stopped the supporters going out on the course either and today the Burgundy Brigade were out in force – unfortunately the burgundy was well hidden under wet weather clothing, but was very visible in the club house after we had secured the win and were inside out of the rain enjoying a well-deserved sandwich and drink.
The Burgundy Brigade are the most passionate supporters of Team Glos and appear all over the course clapping the good shots and giving welcome praise when the girls go through to the next tee. They may not always acknowledge the Burgundy Brigade’s presence when they are on the course, but that’s not to say they don’t love having you there and they want to say a big ‘thank you’ to you all for coming out in all winds and weathers to support them.
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Dawn at Royal North Devon GC
The Burgundy Brigade!
The starting order for Day 3
Senor Pig taking a buffering in the wind!
The Simon Cowell Twins, Claudia and Sam showing how to wear their wet gear with (out) style!!!
Day 3 Leaderboard - Team Glos still at the top!
Day 2 - Gloucestershire v Surrey - and it was blowing a hoolie!
With the format changed due to the inclement weather our foursomes pairing of Alex and Claude got off to a very good start even though they were battling against the tail winds of Hurricane Helene and they were always up. The hole of the round came early at the 4th where Alex played the second shot blind to within 10 feet of the pin with Claude promptly sinking the putt for a birdie - even one of the locals said they had never seen golf like it in the 40 years he had been playing – however, it all went Pete Tong (wrong) on the next hole with a loss on the par 3, 5th which was straight into the wind and which caused problems to most players throughout the day. They bounced straight back to win the 6th and then got back to winning ways and soon closed out their match on the 13th with a 6&5 win.
Ebonie was faced with a tough battle and found herself 2dn after 3 but got one back by the 9th but soon lost the 10th. It was just one of those days which really pushed players to the limit and Ebz soon found herself dormie 4dn. Not to give up, she won the 15th and spectators thought there could be a turnaround on the cards. Unfortunately, even though she hit a great shot into the par 3 16th, the Surrey girl only needed a halve but she sunk the putt to win the match 4&2.
Ffion who bounced along in her usual manner was always up in her match and fuelled by Malteser tiffin from the buggy on the 10th tee she soon picked up her winning point on the 13th for another 6&5 win to match the foursomes pairing’s result.
At this point it wasn’t looking good because although we had won 2 out of 3 matches, the back two players of Grace and Caley were both down in their games. Grace went through the 10th 3dn and Caley was 1dn but then dropped another hole through 12. In the usual ‘never say die’ Gloucestershire approach to team golf, these two were not going to give up their points lightly and witnessing the golf over the back part of the course was always going to be an exciting time for everyone who was brave enough to stay out on the course!
Grace’s comeback from 3dn was superb and hole by hole she reduced her opponent’s margin and ended up going down the 18th A/S! With a slightly wayward shot, the gallery at the 18th green thought Grace had gone in the ditch on the right of the 18th fairway, but luckily she was wide and she laid up her second shot to chip her 3rd shot over the rhyne to within 4 feet for a birdie and yes she nailed it and got the essential win to ensure Team Glos had won the match! A truly gritty performance under extreme pressure!
Caley was following Grace and she was on the comeback trail as well. With Ebonie hopping on the bag after she had finished her match, Caley looked every inch the stronger player in her match on the final few holes. Reaching the 18th tee A/S like Grace, her drive sailed down the left hand side of the fairway with her opponent in the middle of the fairway. Her opponent laid up her second shot but Caley bravely took the green on and her ball flew through the wind dropping just left of the green. Her opponent then hit her 3rd shot short of the green giving Caley the advantage. Caley chipped her ball to within 6 feet and although her opponent had an excellent putt, Caley putted out for the birdie and the fantastic win – who would have thought Team Glos would be celebrating a 4:1 win over Surrey when it wasn’t looking so good at the turn?
There are loads of adjectives that you can use for Team Glos’s performance today, but none of them will be good enough and to witness the way in which they came back and supported one another made it a very special day – there were many supporters out in the blustery weather but the cold, drizzly conditions were soon forgotten when the girls brought home the win. Thank you Team Glos for giving us such a fantastic result even though some of us are probably a bit greyer from the experience!
Tomorrow we face Staffordshire in another shortened format with 2 foursomes and four singles – let’s keep the momentum going and see what we can achieve!
Just a tad windy on Day 2!
Team Glos getting ready for the off on the first tee.
Team HUG and lots of congratulatory comments from the supporters.
Day 2 Scoreboard
DAY 1 - Gloucestershire v Yorkshire
Monday morning was pretty bleak and the weather was changeable – jacket on, jackets off was the status for players and caddies alike.
The pairings for the morning foursomes were Ebonie and Charlie, Alex and Claudia, Ffion and Caley and it wasn’t long before the pairings were up in all matches – but then Yorkshire hit back and started to peg back the leads that the Glos pairings had although Ffion and Caley never gave up any of their lead and soon found themselves dormie 7up – they didn’t want to over play on Day 1 and finished their match on the 12th– which just happens to be a long way away from the club house!
Ebonie and Charlie were 4up through 10 but then lost two on the bounce and found themselves holding on to a much smaller margin but hold on they did and won 2 & 1 on the 17th to clinch another point for Team Glos.
In the middle match things were a bit tougher with Alex and Claude going from 1up through 5 to 1dn through 10 – Alex and Claude weren’t going to leave the course without the win and they battled hard to get it back to A/S after 13 with Alex getting a birdie on 15 to go 1up. Yorkshire came straight back on the 16th and Glos found themselves back at A/S – Saunders just loves a grandstand finish, so it was always looking like a walk up the 18th was on the cards – she just loves to be on camera and the Royal North Devon webcam was pointed on the 18th green. And performed they did, winning the 18th to bring home the 3rd point of the morning.
Going into lunch with 3 points in the bag, made the food even more tasty – a good morning’s work from Team Glos.
The singles were always going to be tough as Yorkshire were not going to give up their position as National Champions easily. With Ffion leading the way, she found herself 1dn through 1 and then before she got to 7 she had got it back to A/S but then went back to 1dn. After hole 7 she was always up and eventually finished off her match on the 17th with a 3&1 win.
Ebonie struggled for the first 9 holes at one point going 3dn, but she found her mojo by the 11th and was A/S going down the 12th. With great positivity, she plotted her way around the next couple of holes and won on the 16th 4&2. Great fightback Ebz!
Grace played steady golf and although quickly going 1up through 1 and holding onto this score for the next 6 holes, but the 8th she found herself A/S. Not happy with being pegged back she then won two holes on the bounce and by 15 was domie 3up. And then she pulled off a fantastic score on the 16th by having a hole in one to win her match – how good was that! Her first hole in one and at County Finals. Unfortunately as she’s underage, there were no drinks on Grace!
Charlie who followed Grace was also on a fightback – she found herself 3dn through 4 but she’s a fighter and wasn’t prepared to give up her match – after lots of to-ing and fro-ing she ended up 1dn going down the 18th but with the Yorkshire girl putting her ball in the ditch running alongside the fairway, Charlie knew that she was capable of getting a half from her game and that’s exactly what she did – well done Charlie for being so resilient and not letting the pressure get to you.
Rachael had a challenging match with her opponent determined to get a point having lost in the morning. Rachael kept the margin close up until the 8th, finding herself 1dn but soon lost the next two holes and eventually her opponent got the better of her and Rachael lost on the 14th 5&4.
In the final match it looked like Saunders would finish before the 18th and Sam Round who was meant to be working but obviously watching the WhatsApp messages and the webcam, was taking odds on whether she would get to the 18th– we know Saunders loves a grandstand finish! With Saunders being dormie 2 up, no-one took Sam’s bet – oh I bet they wished they had, as if you watched the webcam, you would have seen Saunders playing the 18th! Luckily she was 1up and couldn’t lose and with the Yorkshire girl hitting a long shot through the 18th green and with the distraction of a herd of horses grazing around the green, Alex had the advantage as her ball was about 15ft from the pin. The Yorkshire Coach had to move the horses on the back of the 18th green, so that her player could play her shot but she over hit it and conceded the hole, so Saunders won 2 up.
At the beginning of the day Team Glos were determined to seek revenge against Yorkshire for last year’s result and they did it with humility and grace – Yorkshire’s team were very different from last year with a lot of new faces but Team Glos played exceptionally well – all rooting for one another – they are a cohesive team of great friends and all of them support one another.
Let’s keep up the momentum and see what tomorrow brings. Go Team Glos!
Hole in One for Grace on the 16th Buggy decoration is an ART!
Alex and Claude before they go out
Who needs greenkeepers when a shetland pony will do!
Just loving this scoreboard!
COUNTY FINALS 2018
17th - 21st Sept at Royal North Devon Golf Club
Our Gloucestershire team is:
Caley McGinty, Ebonie Lewis, Ffion Tynan, Alex Saunders, Claudia Ovens, Sam Round, Grace Connelly, Charlie Hiatt and Rachael Archibald Non-travelling reserve: Jess Brown
The order of play for the week is
Mon 17th: Yorkshire
Tues 18th: Surrey
Wed 19th: Staffs
Thurs 20th: Norfolk
Friday 21st: Bucks
Click here for full details of draw including tee times
We would love to see lots of Gloucestershire supporters all week!