The OB Golf Society enjoyed success at the recent Halford Hewitt golf tournament. The event is one of Britain’s most competitive golf tournaments, contested between teams of ten former pupils from the sixty-four schools which make up the membership of the Public Schools Golfing Society. There is a degree of debate surrounding how the event came to be started but, according to the great golf writer and TV commentator, Henry Longhurst, it was dreamt up during a lunch which John Beck had with G.L. “Susie” Mellin at The Addington Club in Surrey sometime during the summer of 1923. Certainly, later that year, representatives from six schools, namely Eton, Charterhouse, Highgate, The Leys, Malvern and Winchester met up to finalise the first tournament and they were joined in the inaugural draw by four others, Mill Hill, Rugby, Beaumont and Radley although, ultimately, during that first year, Beaumont scratched, and Radley failed to raise a team.
Colin Beesley receiving the silverware
According to Longhurst, Mellin and Beck had decided on the tournament details and were wondering which “bloody fool” they could inveigle into putting up a trophy when, quite by chance, Halford Hewitt walked into the room and was promptly pounced on.
This year Bedford drew Merchant Taylors in the first round eventually losing three matches to two. This meant the club then played in the Plate Competition made up of thirty-two teams with six competitors each, as opposed to the ten in the main event. After five rounds over three days, Bedford triumphed beating Forest School (2-1) in the final. This is the first time the Club have won a Trophy at the Halford Hewitt since our first involvement with the competition in 1930.
OB Golf Society President, Anthony Ormerod (47-57) commented “The organisers set up a course WhatsApp enabling me to follow the progress of the team. I was delighted when we secured a well-earned victory in what I gather was very testing conditions”.
Tom Langley-Poole (96-06), Society Secretary commented “The Club continues to thrive, with a membership of over 100 OBs and victory at the Halford Hewitt shows the depth of talent we have in the Club.”
Anyone interested in joining the Club, should in the first instance contact Tom at tom.langley-poole@allianz-trade.com.
The next event is the annual OB v School match at Woburn Golf Club on the 25th June. For more details contact Jeremy Woodrow (83-93) at jdwoodrow1975@gmail.com.