Warwickshire Golf
EG Senior Mens County Finals
EG Senior Mens County Finals
Venue: Grange Park GC Date : 5th to 7th October 2021
Warwickshire Team:
Warren Bladon - Kenilworth
Tim Cooley – Ladbrook Park
Tony Allen - Maxstoke Park
Ken Spencer – Stratford Oaks
Steve Creed – Stratford on Avon
Dave Mason – Moor Hall
Martin Fell – Ladbrook Park
Nev Gardner – Stoneleigh Deer Park
Having qualified for The Finals with such a strong performance at Peterborough Milton Golf Club, we went into the week with confidence, but knowing only our very best would suffice. Our preparation was thorough, with practice rounds and expert guidance from Tom Whitehouse.
Following our final practice round on Monday, England Golf made The Captains of the four Counties competing (Dorset, Sussex, Yorkshire and Warwickshire) aware of a weather system moving in over the North of England for Tuesday, the first days play of The Tournament. Reluctantly, the decision was made to change the event to a two day singles matches only format. All the pre planning for potential foursomes pairings went out of the window and Captains were asked to present their playing order for their first match, in our case this was Dorset. All eight team members would be required to play.
Day 1 … Match 1 Warwickshire v Dorset CLICK HERE FOR SCORES
Before the commencement of play, Dorset advised us that one of their team had incurred an injury which would preclude him from being able to play. In these circumstances a halved match was declared, and unfortunately Nev Gardner had to sit out the first match.
As you can see from the scores on the link above, our team delivered a resounding win by 5.5 points to 2.5. Wins from Warren, Tony, Steve, Tim and Ken, together with the halved result was a very satisfying start to the week. As winners, we got to play Sussex that same afternoon in our Match 2.
Day 1 … Match 2 Warwickshire v Sussex CLICK HERE FOR SCORES
Our opponents for match 2, Sussex had halved their morning session with Yorkshire, so Warwickshire were early leaders in the competition. Warwickshire put up a hard fight in the match but narrowly fell short, losing 5 points to 3 points. Fantastic wins for Tony, Warren and Steve, but unfortunately, we could not squeeze one more win from this match which would have ultimately made a significant difference to the overall end result. Even so, day one ended with three teams, Sussex, Warwickshire and Dorset all able to take the trophy on the final day of play. Yorkshire, could not do so after only gaining one halved match, as they lost to Dorset in their afternoon encounter. The match sheet shows the scores for each of the matches.
Day 2 … Match 3 Warwickshire v Yorkshire CLICK HERE FOR SCORES
The day started with The Yorkshire Captain advising that one of their team had to leave immediately to deal with a medical emergency at home. In these circumstances, Yorkshire were able to field a replacement player, thus maintaining an eight match fixture. With exceptional strength in depth within The Yorkshire Team, there were always going to be some interesting match ups. Outstanding wins for Ken, Tim, David and Steve gave us a thoroughly deserved halved match 4 points each. The match sheet shows the scores for each of the matches.
The final results meant that Sussex won the tournament in securing a victory over Dorset that afternoon. Warwickshire were runners up, and Yorkshire pipped Dorset into third place.
On reflection, Warwickshire once again came very close to winning The County Finals, with the margin of difference between the teams being very small, the trophy could have been taken home by anyone of three teams on the final day. We will gain valuable experience from competing in this final, and the players now have a keen appetite to repeat this achievement and get to the final again next year. I cannot praise my players enough, their energy, commitment and focus was exemplary, and a credit to Warwickshire County. The ‘Team Room’ spirit and togetherness was both productive and infectious, with caddies and supporters all joining as a harmonious unit.
Our caddies; Mark Williams, Angie Allen, Zara Mason, Matt Nixon, Laurence Greatley, Deb Reynolds, Pete Clarke and Alf Kelle, you really made an incredible difference to The Team both on and off the course. To The Board for all their support in providing kit, great accommodation and backing of the Team in general, which was greatly appreciated by everyone.
To Bob and Bridget Harrison, Mark and Deb Reynolds, Graham and Lyn Barton and John Jewsbury, thank you for your on course encouragement and support of Team Warwickshire.
The planning for next years season begins immediately, and I can assure The Board that as a Team we are super focused on delivering even greater success for Team Warwickshire in 2022.
For the Final League Table: Click HERE
For more photos CLICK HERE
Rob Soen
Warwickshire Seniors Captain
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