The OBGS golfing year commenced in the usual fashion on the 23rd March at Royal Worlington Golf Club for the first match in the Calendar, the Old Oundelians. After a swift cup of coffee, two scratch matches and four handicap matches took to the course. As with last year it was honours even in the scratch matches; Ian Pratt (83-93) and Tim Henderson (64-71) falling 3&2 but Tom Langley-Poole and Simon Blundell (84-89) levelling things out by winning the last four holes for 1 up.
Chris Johnson (66-75) and Simon Kimber (58-65) in match three came up against some very good golf and went down 6 and 4, but good wins for Andrew Rudkin (64-69) and Roger Dalzell (48-57) (1 up), and Jeremy Woodrow (83-93) and James Lawson (61-66) (4&3) left the match on a knife edge with only John Cartwright (59-65) and Richard Mitchell (77-87) on the course. At one point 4 down, they rallied superbly to earn a half and record a 3.5 – 2.5 victory for the OB’s, the first time we have won back to back fixtures in the last 15 years.
The clubhouse was undergoing some further renovations to the men’s changing rooms leaving players to run the gauntlet – with the permission of the Club Secretary of course – of using the ladies facilities. Upon reflection, perhaps this was not the year to change the usual roast lunch for a nonetheless delicious curry, but we look forward to returning next year to a fully refurbished clubhouse.
Topped up on wine and kummel, most pairs returned to the course and breezed round in record time. The afternoon result, not that it counts, remains a mystery.
Tom Langley-Poole (96-06)
OBGS Secretary