Warwickshire Golf
The Postman delivers again at Moseley
The third League match of the season saw the Men's team take on Worcestershire at Moseley GC. Our opponents currently occupy top spot in the League after winning their opening two games.
The players representing Warwickshire were:
Luke Allen – Olton GC
John Paul Banbury – Moor Hall GC
Rob Bardsley – Moor Hall GC
Warren Bladon – Kenilworth GC
Seb Cave – The Belfry GC
Tom Cleaton – Rugby GC
Steve Creed – Stratford-on-Avon GC
Sam Easterbrook – Wishaw GC
Tom Ibbertson – Coventry Hearsall GC
Louis Sanders – Copt Heath GC
Warwickshire's first pairing in the morning foursomes of Seb Cave and Louis Sanders began solidy to be all square after 6 holes. Birdies on the 7th & 8th gave Warwickshire a lead after nine holes. Further birdies on 11 & 12 provided a 4up lead and the match closed on the Par 3 14th following a chip and putt par. Impressive from Seb & Louis !!
Match 2 saw Warwickshire matchplay finalists Luke Allen & John Paul (JP) Banbury play together rather than against each other. 1Up after 5 holes was reversed after 9 holes with Worcestershire taking a lead into the back nine. A win on 10 leveled matters but Worcestershire edged ahead again after 15 and almost went two up on 16 if Luke Allen had not chipped in to get an unlikely half. A birdie on the driveable par 4 17th by Worcestershire closed the match 2&1.
Our third pairing was Tom Cleaton and Tom Ibbertson playing Moseley member Adam Norman & Ruud Hercik. A very tight match only ever had one hole in it and a halved match was probably a fair result. Warren Bladon and Rob Bardsley were up after 4 holes but a Worcestershire birdie on 5 levelled the match. Birdies on 8 & 9 following close approaches and another win on the 11th gave Warwickshire a 3up lead. A tidy 12th & 13th followed up and downs on 14 and 15 for birdie closed the match by 4&3 to Warwickshire.
The experienced Steve Creed partnered new man Sam Easterbrook freshly back from qualifying for the Matchplay stages of the English Amateur where Sam took out the leading strokeplay qualifier in the first matchplay round. The following day Sam went on to win his next round 2&1, but unfortunately Sam didn't manage to proceed into the quarter finals, but an excellent performance on the National stage. In this match, birdies shared the first hole against the tough Worcestershire pairing of Richard Sadler & Steven Lane. Warwickshire got in front after the fifth and kept a one up lead through twelve holes but losses on 13 and 14 reversed the score. Birdie on 15 for Steve & Sam kept the match square but a mistake on 17 and half on the last gave Worcestershire a narrow 1up victory.
Morning Foursomes Score
Worcestershire 2 ½ Warwickshire 2 ½
Following the lasagne lunch Louis Sanders led out the Warwickshire singles. His opponent Hugh Adams started well to be 2up after the 6th but Louis birdied the par 5 7th to halve the deficit. A further loss on the front nine left Louis back at 2 down. A couple more Worcestershire wins and holes had ran out for Louis and an unfortunate 4&3 loss. Rob Bardsley started like a train to provide a 4 up lead after 6, he would maintain that advantage through the turn and run out a comfortable winner by 5&4, well played Rob !!
Seb Cave occupied slot 3 and came up against a birdie machine in Adam Norman who holed long putts to find himself 4 down through 6 holes. Seb made a solid birdie on the 7th but could make no more progress against the home club member and shook hands on the 15th green. Warren Bladon was overdue for a singles victory and 2up after 7 holes gave a good foundation. He would double that advantage after the 10th and although pegged back a little on the back nine would take a valuable point with a 3&1 victory. John Banbury was back in a Warwickshire shirt after many years and looked as comfortable as ever. All square, then one down, all square, then one down, it was a very tight match. Worcestershire's Steven Lane just edged this one by 2&1. More to come from JP l am sure.
Luke Allen took on Moseley's Richard Sadler in Match 6 and suffered early on to be 4 down after 7 holes. Luke is a battler and was trying everything to get back in the match, something worked and the next time we saw Luke was on the 15th tee and he was all square, wow !!! Both birdied 15 but unfortunately Luke 3 putted 16 and an excellent Sadler birdie on 17 gave Worcestershire the point. Great try Luke.
Match Score
Worcestershire 6 ½ Warwickshire 4 ½
Warwickshire needed a late order surge to get something from this match. Tom Cleaton began the surge being 2up after seven holes and 3up after 14. A late wobble would mean Tom taking a 1up lead up the par 5 18th. A scenic three shots to 12ft at the last gave Tom the opportunity for victory, he duly obliged and l thank Tom for all his efforts and points for the County during 2021 as he returns to USA in late August. Good luck Tom and see you in 2022. Tom Ibbertson played excellent Matchplay golf to be 4up after 7 holes, he would maintain that advantage throughout his match to win 4&2.
Sam Easterbrook had already had a very busy week but really wanted to contribute on his Men's first team debut. A couple of losses meant 2 down after 7 holes and three down after 10 gave Sam a big mountain to climb. His Worcestershire opponent gave away nothing and ended Sam's day with a 5&3 win. More in the future from Sam l am sure.
Match Score
Worcestershire 7 ½ Warwickshire 6 ½
There is a reason we place certain players at the end of the singles order, they are supposed to deliver a point !!! Steve Creed regularly finds himself in that position and understands what is expected. A slim 1up advantage after the 7th was reduced to all square after 14. Steve won 15 but then 3-putted 16 and then won 17 to stand one up on the last tee. A fairway splitting long drive was followed by a near perfect second to the heart of the par 5 18th green. His Worcestershire opponent Jack Severn was greenside on 18 for two and almost chipped in for eagle to record an easy 4. Creedy has two putts for a 1up win and to halve the overall match 7 ½ each. First putt left a 3 footer for birdie and the win................ The postman delivered and the match was halved. Well Done Creedy !!!!!!
Final Match Score
Worcestershire 7 ½ Warwickshire 7 ½
My thanks to Moseley GC for hosting this fixture and providing a course in very good condition. Congratulations to Anthony Hill and his Worcestershire team for an excellent match. Personal appreciation to Pete Clarke, Warwickshire President Mark Reynolds, Matt Nixon, Stuart Bloxham, Tom Whitehouse, John Jewsbury and John Stubbings for their attendance and support during the day.
Our next match is at my home club of Handsworth Golf Club against Shropshire & Herefordshire on Sunday 5th September. The League is still up for grabs and we need two good home wins in September and October to have a chance.
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Karl Smith
County Captain
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