Devon’s Senior team produced a fine bounce back from the disappointment of an opening defeat in the Senior Channel League by overcoming defending champions Glamorgan in a very tight match at Royal North Devon

It was a win built on a strong performance in the morning Greensomes session where the home team built up a 2-point lunchtime lead. Off top Chris Audin (Warren) and Mark Snape (Saunton) fought a hard battle with Welsh Internationals Gwyn Jones (Radyr) and Nigel Evans (Merthyr Tydfil) before finishing with a very honourable half before Devon took the next three matches.

Dave Holyoak (Saunton) and Rick Osborne (Churston) dominated their match with another international in the shape of Leigh Ivory, now playing for Glamorgan after moving to St Athan Golf Club from Dyfed, and the highly experienced Brian Rigby, winning 3/2. Tim Aggett (Warren) and Paul Newcombe (East Devon) played a game which swung this way and that before winning on the final hole against the Radyr duo of Alistair Mason and Adrian Bragg, very much the same as the RND pair of Mark Evans and Simon Waddington in their win over Ian Booth of Pyle and Kenfig and Dean Morris of Swansea Bay which also finished at the final hole after Booth stepped into the burn Van De Velde style but with greater success though not enough to rescue a tying par.

The Glamorgan lads came back to take the final match as the vastly experienced Jeff Thomas from Royal Porthcawl and Steve Williams from Neath produced a resounding 3/2 defeat of Tony Allsopp (Tiverton) and Tim Jones (Warren). Devon led 3 ½ to 1 ½ at lunch.

A Welsh comeback was expected, and it wasn’t long in coming. Anticipating a strong lead off from Glamorgan skipper Aggett moved the Devon order around but was himself defeated 3/2 by Ivory, giving up too many easy holes to his opponent. Osborne looked to have got the better of Gwyn Jones in the very top match only to lose at the very final hole; team scores very quickly level.

Next three up had been the strength of the Devon singles order the previous week and so it proved again, Snape defeating Mason 2/1 and Audin surviving a magnificent eagle 3 at 17 from Bragg to hang on and win at the last. It’s becoming almost a running joke that wherever we put Dave Holyoak in the order he gets an international, but for the second week running he showed himself a serious battler again getting a half, this time with long term international Nigel Evans.

The two RND men came next, but Mark Evans endured a torrid time on the back 9 before losing at 17 to Morris. Waddington was on song and too good for the experienced Rigby. At this stage Devon led 7-5 but the news from the back was not good. Both Tim Jones and Allsopp lost at the 14^th, to Williams and Thomas respectively. 7 apiece.

All came down to the Newcombe/Booth game, two guys who have played each other a lot over many years in 1^st team golf. All level after 15 Newcombe’s 3 won the 16^th as Booth dropped a shot. At the par 5 17^th Booth’s third shot ended up in a wicked spot, close to the pin but on the back edge of a bunker with little room to take a stance. He couldn’t make the up and down allowing Paul to win 2/1 and Devon to triumph by the odd point.

Next up for the Devonians a trip across the western border to play English County Champions Cornwall at Launceston in June. One of two undefeated teams in the League so far that promises to be another major battle. It’s not getting any easier.

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