South West Inter Counties Championships 2024 - The Full Report

Day 1 - Monday 1st July

Gloucestershire vs Devon

The initial match for the 2024 SWICC for Gloucestershire was against Devon and the team were led out by the foursomes pairing of Jo Hodge and Meg Bartlett. After going 2 up through 2, their opponents fought back and after a couple of tough breaks they unfortunately lost on the 16th.

The second foursomes pairing of big-hitting Claudia Ovens and Molly Stewart came up against a pair who couldn’t miss a putt, however they were never more than 2 down. Claudia and Molly looked set to go 1 up on 16, but another monster par-saving putt saved their opponents and who went on to birdie the 18th for the win.

Alex Saunders quickly found herself 3 down but made it back to all square through 7. Some excellent golf from both players in the top singles match with Alex just losing out.

Rookie Mariella Buchanan described her golf as ‘icky’ but quickly settled down to bring home a fantastic win in her first official win for Gloucestershire Ladies, 3/2.

Playing anchor in the first match was Elin Tynan who was in a fluctuating match with never more than one hole in it. Unfortunately, a short missed putt on the last meant Elin lost her match leaving the final score as 4-1 to Devon, a score that did not reflect the standard of play from the team.

Gloucestershire vs Somerset

Shaking up the foursomes pairings in the afternoon, Alex Saunders and Taylor Hodgson led the way, flying to 3 up through 11. From then they continued to play solid golf but their experienced opponents managed to claw it back, eventually beating them on the 18th.

Making her debut for Gloucestershire Ladies, Neve Jeffrey joined club mate, Meg Bartlett in the second foursomes match of the afternoon. Again facing a seasoned Somerset pairing, there was never more than 2 holes in it.  Having either been down or level the entire match, the pair went up for the first time on the 18th tee and narrowly missed a 12 foot putt on 18 to take the win but they secured a half.

All 3 singles matches of Jo Hodge, Millie Gait and Elin Tynan battled to the very end. Jo unfortunately missed out to a birdie on 18 and both Millie and Elin losing on 17 following very competitive matches in extremely difficult conditions.

Not to have their spirits dampened, the team picked each other up with a Mexican Wave on the 18th green and there was some crafty mascot making at dinner time and they were ready to go again against Wiltshire on Tuesday morning.

Final score: 4.5 : 0.5 to Somerset

We were pleased to get all of our players on the course on day 1 including 3 rookies who performed exceptionally.

Day 2 - Tuesday 2nd July

Gloucestershire vs Wiltshire

And after a relaxing evening of crafting our mascots, the team was refreshed and ready to go again against Wiltshire.

You could feel the enthusiasm from everyone to improve on the disappointment of day one, knowing we just needed to keep playing our game and that the breaks would eventually go our way.

The foursome pairings of Elin and Taylor and Megan and Molly got off to a flying start each going three up in the first seven holes.

The first pairing bounced round the golf course in the better weather to a 4&3 victory. The second pair's opponent’s staged a bit of a comeback on the back nine, but Megan and Molly held strong and they came through for the win, 2&1.

Claudia Ovens was first out in the singles, her first singles match since her return to the squad, and she played her usual calm and solid golf. With mum Clare on the bag, she gave her opponent no opportunity to make an impact and closed out the match 4&3.

Mariella Buchanan repeated her position in the second singles match from the first day and repeated her success too. In her first week for the team, she plotted her way round the golf course and raced to a 5&3 victory.

Finally, Millie Gait played the anchor match and, although she was well down early on, staged an impressive comeback to take her match down the 18th, unfortunately just losing out on the last. An impressive display of resilience from the junior.

Final result against Wiltshire in the sunshine: 4-1 to Gloucestershire.

Gloucestershire vs Dorset

After a quick turnaround we were ready to go again in the afternoon against defending champions, Dorset. It was always going to be a tough match, but spirits were high after the successful morning.

Trying something new, the foursomes pairings of Claudia and Taylor went out first, closely followed by Monday's new pairing of Megan and Neve. Things got off to a very positive start with both pairs going 4 and 2up through 7 holes. Dorset were never going to go away without a fight - Claudia and Taylor played spectacular golf to hold on to their victory 2&1. Unfortunately, the second foursomes pairing came up against some very strong opponents and just missed out on their win, losing on the 16th.

Elin, Mariella and Jo followed the foursomes as our singles players. All matches were so close and there never seemed to be more than 1 hole in any of them the whole way. It made nail biting watching as matches swung from 1up to 1down.

The wind had picked up considerably in the afternoon, which made the undulating golf course even more challenging. Despite this, the team put up a valiant effort against the defending champions trading pars and birdies to the end. Jo and Elin both finally lost their matches on the 16th and 17th.

With everyone now finished, it was just down to Mariella to complete her match. Having been up, she found herself 1 down stood on the 18th tee. Both teams and all of their supporters had gathered to see the conclusion and Mariella held her nerve fantastically. Her birdie putt grazed the hole and luckily this was enough to win the hole and halve her match, much to the delight of the team and supporters.

Final result: 3.5 - 1.5 to Dorset. A fantastic effort by the Gloucestershire team.

Day 3 - Wednesday 3rd July

Gloucestershire vs Cornwall

The final day and we found ourselves up against Cornwall, our hosts for the week. With several of their players being members at Perranporth, they didn't look too disappointed that the weather had taken a turn for the worse and that a sea 'fret' was rolling in.

The Gloucestershire team were determined to finish the week on a high and those not playing used the last of their energy to caddy for their teammates - it is so lovely to see that even when the overall win isn't possible - this team remain committed to supporting each other and fighting for the best result possible.

Claudia and Taylor headed out first again, closely followed by the new pairing of Molly and Neve. Both pairs got off to a flying start, but Cornwall had some very experienced pairings, so these were never going to be easy matches. As their leads were slowly clawed back the pairs remained positive and managed to close out their matches on the 17th and 18th respectively.

A last minute stand-in due to illness, Alex lead out the singles players. Not feeling 100% herself, she fought valiantly and produced some beautiful golf to win 2&1 and break her tradition of taking matches down the 18th (much to the delight of the captain)!

In the middle match, Millie, once again, seemed to come up against the in form player who raced to a 7up lead by firing in several shots to within 8ft of the flag. Millie showed incredible resilience in her first match week and refused to go down without a fight. She fought back to 5 down but eventually lost out to ANOTHER birdie 5&3.

In her last match for Gloucestershire before heading to college in the States, Elin was determined to reverse her fortunes of the week. Playing one of the Perranporth members she went 1up early on but it was an up and down match throughout. Eventually, her hard work and determination paid off as the putts started rolling in and she closed out the match on the 17th.

A fantastic day for Gloucestershire, beating the home county 4-1 in some very cold, blowy and wet conditions.

Overall, Gloucestershire came 4th in what we consider was a great SWICC. With so many of our matches just going the wrong way in the dying stages, it could have been a very different result. Our rookie players have got some great experience and we're excited to see what we can do next year at East Devon Golf Club, 30th June - 2nd July 2025.

Thank you to the Burgundy Brigade who supported from both near and far!

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