Devon Captain's Report on South West Week

The week started in dramatic fashion against a strong Gloucestershire side. Devon took a one point lead into the afternoon foursomes, but the opposition rallied and by nicking two matches on the last hole pinched the match as well. So close to a perfect start, but a loss is a loss in this game.

Day 2 saw Devon pitted against English County Champions, Cornwall, who showed their class in the singles, racing into a 6-2 lead at lunch. This was always going to be a tough score to overturn, but Devon had done it before, and the Captain was confident we could do it again. However, he was wrong, and we succumbed to a 10.5 to 3.5 defeat. Tee to green we were matching our opposition over the first two days, but on the slick, sloping greens of Bristol & Clifton, we were definitely coming out second best.

Tuesday brought the Strokeplay Championship, and the SW qualifier for the English Men's County Finals. After the morning rounds, Somerset were just 3 shots ahead of both Gloucs and Devon, and we all knew it was going to be a close finish. And this is exactly how it turned out. With the final member of Devon’s ‘6’ on the final green, a 75 would have seen us through to the finals. However, a 76 saw Devon finish 2nd, one shot behind Somerset. To show how close it was, Gloucs were just one shot behind Devon. It was a great effort from all the Devon players, but in the end, it wasn’t meant to be.

On Wednesday we played Wiltshire, which was a crucial match to win, with the wooden spoon now appearing on the horizon for both teams. The Devon team picked themselves up from the disappointment of the strokeplay event the previous day by taking a one point lead after the singles. There was much relief as Jack Philpotts and Matt Wells secured the win on the 16th hole that clinched the match.

With Wiltshire stuck on half a point, and Devon, Dorset and Cornwall tied on 1 point, a win on Thursday was essential against Dorset. Devon came flying out of the blocks, with wins for Bridgewater, Dunn, Konig, Rosevear and Wells, and a very creditable half for Pope against the new SW strokeplay champion, Thomas Robson. The form continued into the afternoon, with 2 wins and a half in the 4 foursomes matches. A sound win for Devon, and with the wooden spoon now far away from our grasp, we turned our attention to Somerset, who had comfortably taken the Matchplay Shield out of everyone else’s hands.

Trailing by one point at lunch, Devon were outclassed in the afternoon, with Somerset showing why they had dominated the week. 

Many thanks to all the Devon squad, who performed admirably all week, but on the whole we were beaten by better putting performances. Thank you also to all who caddied during the week - your help and support was invaluable. And finally, a big thank you to Bristol & Clifton Golf Club for providing a superb venue, both on and off the golf course. Congratulations to a very strong Somerset team, and I’m sure we all wish them well in the County Finals in late September at Wychwood Park GC in Cheshire.

Jason Hampton

Return to News Page

Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.