Warwickshire Golf
COUNTY FINALS REVIEW
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Final day today and Warwickshire were drawn against Kent - both teams searching for their first win of the week, so today should be a real show stopper for these two teams. At the other end of the scale, first placed team at the end of day 4, Yorkshire were playing Lincolnshire, who could still win the title if they won today. What excitement was in store?
Once again we were the last team out this morning, with pairings of Melissa NICOL & Rachel RUSTED, Hannah COLES & Yen PHAM and lastly Lisa BARTON & Charlotte PRIDDLE.
Melissa and Rachel came up against a very in form pairing and by the 9th they were 3 down. This amount down was very difficult to win back and they eventually lost 6 and 5.
Hannah and Yen played some excellent Foursomes golf, steadying each other and by the turn were 5 up. On the back 9 their high standard continued and they won 7 and 5 which was an excellent result, and one that we needed.
An up and down match followed with Lisa and Charlotte 2 up after 9, and by the 13th were All Square. On the difficult, short 14th hole, Lisa holed a super putt for birdie to go one up, only to lose out on the 16th. The final 2 holes were halved, thus leaving the match All square, 1 1/2 to 1 1/2.
This afternoon was vital if we were going to get that much needed win and to do that we needed 4 of the Singles matches to be won.
Captain Bobbi WAUGH, selected a very strong line up in a determined effort to gain that win with the singles players going out in the following order: Abbey GITTINGS, Charlotte DALTON, Claire HOWELLS, Katrina GANI, Hannah COLES and Melissa NICOL.
By the 9th, Abbey, Katrina and Hannah were All Square in their matches, with Melissa 4 up and the other 2 being 4 down. Much as they all fought back they were just not quite able to pull it off, with only Melissa continuing with her good form and finishing with a win 5 and 4. Abbey kept pace with her opponent throughout the match, with nothing in it to the end, and she ended All Square, as did Katrina who also kept up with her opponent all the way. Regrettably Charlotte and Claire both lost their matches, having given themselves too much to pull back after the front 9. At this stage it was 4 1/2 to Kent and 3 1/2 to Warwickshire and the best we could hope for was to halve the match, if Hannah won her game. She kept it going right to the last putt, but regrettably did not manage to pull it off and lost on the 18th.
What can you say - the Team, Bobbi the Captain and all the supporters were deeply disappointed with the final result, however everyone had played really well during the week and there were many times when the rub of the green just did not go Warwickshire's way. This course was in superb condition, and though not an easy one to negotiate, especially in such changeable weather, the girls all enjoyed the experience of qualifying and playing in County Finals.
To sum up the week, County Captain Bobbi Waugh said " I am so proud of all the girls, we came so close at times only to be beaten by a chip in, a putt that dropped or an opposition player who was just too good on the day - what the final result showed was not indicitive of the matches played. It has been my pleasure to Captain such a dedicated, enthusiastic, upbeat Team who never gave up all week. I must thank also the Warwickshire Clubs for the words of support received and the Ladies who gave of their time to spectate or caddy each day and I can assure you all that the team really appreciated your efforts." She went on "I am very proud to have been their Captain"
Yorkshire won the title of County Champions, having beaten Lincolnshire today and we congratulate them and wish them well.
THURSDAY 19th September - Day 4
Once again all the players at Wilmslow had to face some very challenging weather conditions on Day 4 of the Finals. Heavy rain during the morning followed by a cold blustery wind during the afternoon session, made playing very difficult for everyone.
Today we were playing Lincolnshire, again a very strong team who had done very well so far during the week, so we would need to be at our best.
Lisa BARTON & Abbey GITTINGS, Katrina GANI & Rachel RUSTED and Charlotte DALTON & Claire HOWELLS were the players chosen by Captain Bobbi Waugh to start the day off in the Foursomes. By the halfway stage, they had a mixed bag of results, with Abbey & Lisa 1 up, Katrina & Rachel 2 down and the final pair halving their match after 9.
By the end of their rounds, the results were the same but in a different order - first pairing ending All Square, after they just lost the 18th after being 1 up. Caddies were requested part way through the round by Abbey & Lisa just to try and keep the clubs and themselves dry. The final pairing of Claire & Charlotte managed without caddies and having an extremely tight match were 1 up on 18th tee. Once again this difficult Par 5 finishing hole caught them out and they halved the match. Katrina & Rachel also asked for caddies to assist and then promptly lost four holes in a row, but fought back gallently losing on the 17th, 3 and 1. Generally a good result from the girls in these testing conditions.
In the afternoon Singles matches, they commenced with Abbey GITTINGS leading the field, followed by Charlotte DALTON and then stalwart Claire HOWELLS. These 3 were all up by 1 hole after 9 holes and things were looking good. Abbey had produced a very exciting front 9 as, after losing the 1st she chipped in on the 2nd to get back to All square. She lost the 3rd and then sank a 30ft putt to draw level again. 5th was halved with birdies and she chipped in again on 6th to take the lead.The next 4 holes were halved and after losing the 11th, again took the lead on 12. She lost 12th and 15th and eventually lost the 18th to finish 2 down
Charlotte, sporting a knee injury, battled on sinking a 25ft putt for birdie on 1st hole. After also winning 2nd, she was never down in her match. Although she lost the advantage a few times, she went on to clinch the match 2 up, after the caddy of her opponent accidentally stepped on her ball in the rough.
Claire had a row of 4 birdies in 5 holes from 7th to 11th hole with immaculate approach shots to the greens, thus setting her up well for the impressive win of 4 and 3
Katrina GANI was out number 4, and she kept it alive during the front 9 and after a tight 9 holes was level. Things just got better and better and there was never more than 1 hole in her match until she took charge with excellent driving and approach shots to the green, finishing her match on Hole 16, winning 3 and 2.
Hannah COLES and Lisa BARTON were the final two singles players and both players were 3 down after 9 holes. Hannah started well halving the first 5 holes with the 5th being halved with birdies with Hannah holeing her bunker shot. She lost 3 out of the next 4 holes to some stunning play from her opponent and then halved the next 4. An unfortunate lip out on 15th resulted in her losing the match 4 and 3.
Lisa had more of a struggle with her opponent driving superbly and she lost her match 5 and 4.
Once again, today's rounds were quite tight and Warwickshire lost the overall match by 5 games to 4.
Tomorrows' matches will prove very interesting as Top Team Yorkshire take on 2nd placed Lincolnshire in a real needle match which will give us the eventual winner. Warwickshire take on Kent, both teams desperate to gain their first win of the week, so some really positive golf should be the order of the day. Good luck to Warwickshire!
WEDNESDAY 18th September - Day 3
Day 3 at Wilmslow, and Warwickshire were first off in both morning and afternoon matches. Their opponents today were Hertfordshire and a few changes were made to the Warwickshire Team. Morning Foursomes were represented by Melissa NICOL & Lisa BARTON, Sue JONES & Yen PHAM and Claire HOWELLS & Charlotte PRIDDLE.
The day had started non too well when the hotel fire alarm went off at 6 a.m.! - fortunately a false alarm.
Melissa and Lisa had a very good morning and were 3 up by 14th hole, although this lead had been reduced to 2 by the time they arrived the 17th tee. Melissa hit a wonderful shot which landed on the green, but leaving Lisa a tricky putt. Their opponent's tee shot landed off the green to the right, but a fantastic chip to 3 inches, guaranteed them a three. Lisa left her putt quite close to the hole and the hole was halved, thus giving the first win of the day to Warwickshire, 2 and 1.
The other two matches however did not go to plan and were both losses for Warwickshire. Yen and Sue were 5 down with 5 to play when Yen hit a super tee shot on the Par 3, 14th, with Sue holeing the putt - 4 down. They eventually lost on the 16th, 3 and 2. Claire and Charlotte came up against a birdie barrage in their match with their opponents posting 5 birdies in the first 7 holes, from which they never recovered, losing 6 and 5
In the first singles match, Melissa opened with 3 pars, to half the holes, lost the 4th and drew back level again on 5. By the end of the 9th hole however, she had gone 3 down. Holes 10 to 13 were halved with a par 3 on 14th to win one back. She lost the match on 17 after her opponent holed her putt for a birdie - 3 and 1, but a very good effort from Melissa.
Next out was Abbey Gittings who started with 5 pars and 1 birdie on first 6 holes, only to be 1 down. However she soon went ahead with wins on the next 3 holes and at the turn was 2 up having gained a birdie on the fantastic 9th short hole. After losing holes 10 and 11 she was all square but she wasn't finished yet! With wins on holes 12 and 17, where she had a great up and down, she won her match 2 and 1.
Katrina, on the other hand did not fare too well on the front 9 after scoring 4 pars and 5 bogies , she found herself 3 down at the turn. On 10th, she sank a very long putt for a birdie but only halved the hole!! She won the 11th, then lost the 13th and eventually lost the match 3 and 2.
Battling Claire HOWELLS came out all guns blazing after her morning loss and after losing 1st hole then won the next 3, to go 2 up. By the turn this had reduced to just 1 but then she went into overdrive, winning 10th, 13th and 14th. A blip on 15th which she lost, but immediately pulled back to win her match 4 and 2. Well done Claire.
Hannah had a real battle on her hands but she came out on top eventually, by winning the long par 5 18th, with a par to her opponent's bogie 6. 2 down after 9, whe won 10th and 12th to be all square. Strong wins on 16th and then on 18th gave her the win of 1 up, a valient effort.
All eyes were now on Lisa and her front 9 saw her coming out ahead winning 4 holes to 3, thus she was 1 up. The back 9 was a real ding dong battle, with the lead changing at almost every hole. She lost the short, difficult par 3, 17th to go all square with one to play, eventually losing out on the 18th.
Final result for the day was a very close 4 games to Warwickshire against 5 to Hertfordshire.
Captain, Bobbi WAUGH although being disappointed that the team did not score their first win today, was also delighted with their effort and especially their team spirit.
Weather behaved itself today, with even parts of the day in sunshine, although there was a very cold wind blowing. Perhaps tomorrow will bring more success, when we take on Lincolnshire.
TUESDAY 17th September - Day 2
A dreadful weather forecast at Wilmslow prompted a change in the order of play today, with the six singles matches taking place in the morning. Although the predicted downpour did not materialise during the morning, the players faced another day of intermittent rain but they put that to one side and got on with their matches today, this time against a very hot Yorkshire team.
Claire HOWELLS was rested in the morning singles, with Lisa BARTON stepping in, with the other 5 players being the same as Day 1. First out was Abbey GITTINGS who was drawn against the experienced England International player, Emma BROWN. The Front 9 provided 7 birdies between them with Abbey being 4 down after 10 holes. However, she pulled back to be one down as she teed off on the 18th and just failed to half the match - a very good battle.
Melissa NICOL had a super tight match and managed to pull ahead on the Par 4, 15th, eventually finishing her match on the 18th, 2 up. Charlotte DALTON was also hit by a barrage of birdies after leading by 2 after just 5 holes, but then went 3 down after 10. Another fightback saw Charlotte 1 down, playing the 18th, only to lose the hole and match, 2 down.
Katrina GANI had a much better day today and finished with a flourish by birdieing the 15, to win her first match of the week, 4 and 3. Rachel RUSTED's match was really tight, with never more thane one hole between them until the 16th, when she went 2 down, losing 2 and 1. Lisa BARTON, in her first match of the week struggled today and lost her match 6 and 4.
Thus the morning Singles matches were a winning score of 4 games to 2 to Yorkshire, but Warwickshire were determined to fight back in the Foursomes, which were now possible to play as the expected storms had not arrived.
We were in for a great afternoon's play. Abbey and Melissa were first out and what a match it was. Being 2 up after 9 holes, the opposition fought back to level by the 12th. They were eventually 1 up playing the difficult final hole, a par 5 and must have felt frustrated by their opponents sinking a very speedy 20ft putt, that could well have ended in the water, had it not dropped in the hole! Abbey's putt lipped out, so the match was halved and a very good result to start the procedings.
The second Foursomes match saw Katrina and Rachel together once again and this match produced a very tight game, again ending on the 18th with a half.
Lisa was paired with Claire HOWELLS for the last match today. Another tough tussle ensued with there never being more than 2 holes in it. With the Warwickshire pair taking advantage of going 1 up on the 18th when the Yorkshire pairing were unable to half the match, when they missed a 5ft putt.
This good comeback this afternoon meant that although the overall match with Yorkshire was lost 5 games to 4, the Warwickshire team had done us proud by taking so matches to the 18th, playing against the very experienced Yorkshire team.
MONDAY 16th September 2013
Today, Monday 16th September 2013, the Warwickshire County Team started their quest to beat the other 5 Counties (Kent, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire and Hertfordshire) in this, the County Finals. Weather conditions for the start of these matches was quite horrible, with heavy showers, strong winds and even hailstones making playing conditions quite difficult.
Second teams out this morning were Goucestershire playing Warwickshire and our pairings were: Melissa NICOL & Abbey GITTINGS, Claire HOWELLS & Charlotte DALTON and Katrina GANI & Rachel RUSTED. By the end of the morning, Warwickshire had recorded just one win with Claire and Charlotte posting an excellent score of 5 and 4 in which they had scored 3 birdies. The top pair lost 3 and 2 having played extremely well from tee to green however the putting got the better of them. Katrina & Rachel having also carded 3 birdies in their round but lost out by 2 and 1.
The afternoon 6 singles matches saw the same players once again going out and they eventually lost the singles games 4 to 2. Abbey played really well but could not find her rythm on the greens, losing out 4 and 3. Melissa, on the other hand did find the putting somewhat easier in the afternoon, having 3 birdies in her round, coming in as a winner 2 and 1. Charlotte, having been five down after 12 holes, made an impressive comback on the next 3 holes and fought back to eventually lose 3 and 2.
Claire Howells had just one of those days, firstly chipping in from off the green for a birdie early on in the round, then unfortunately required emergency treatment for a cut on her hand. She carried on and with 2 more birdies, won her match 1 up. Rachel came up against a very steady player and after having a nip and tuck match, lost 3 and 2. In the last singles game Katrina met her match against a player whose putts just dropped and she eventually lost 5 and 3.
A difficult days play for the ladies on Day 1 but let's hope the weather at least eases for tomorrow's match against Yorkshire.
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