Halford Hewitt Report 2010                    Report from Richard Stocks

Thursday duly turned out to be a lovely day and quite warm, and we had a gentlemanly start at 1205. Although there was a slightly chilly North East wind early on, it soon warmed up, and golfers were in shirtsleeves and spectators only needed one sweater – one of the nicest Halford Hewitt days for some time, as so often happens when it is after Easter.

I went out to the hut at Deal on the way to the clubhouse at Royal St George’s to see something of Malvern v Whitgift. Malvern were in terrible trouble but eventually escaped Houdini-like, with one of the Whitgift pairs losing from 2 up and 3 to play, finishing 7, 4, lost ball. Blanchet, Malvern’s French import was one down and 3 to play and lost a ball at 16, got a three with the second ball for a half and then won 17 an18.

Turning to our match, Clay and Taggart got off to a dreadful start, losing the first three holes in the second match, after Clay missed from 2½ feet and kicked his ball away in disgust. However, early on the other four matches are all one or two up. There follows a spell of lost holes everywhere. The third pair lose the fifth after 3 bad shots by Saggers to be only one up. Then the fourth pair lose the 5^th to a four. Meanwhile the top match is now one down after 8 holes and that is the fifth loss in a row that I have witnessed.

Better news is on the horizon. Hubbard and Spurling get an eagle 2 at the 6^th to go 2 up and are probably going to win the 8^th. The top match gets a good four at the 10^th to go one up, and the last pair are well ahead, so the score at the hut is +1, -3, +1, +2, +4. From there we play steadily on the way in for a comfortable win thanks to the bottom three matches, allowing the top match to be called in from the 20th. Michael Power, the Wellington non-playing captain, was drafted in to play against Spurling & Hubbard, and play his first Hewitt at the age of 71, when one of the Wellington players put their back out on the practice ground.

After the match, we were all able to sit outside in the garden at Sandwich in the sun – unheard of at the Hewitt. There followed a convivial evening at Knowlton with pheasant with mango and cream, followed by treacle tart, with the fussier eaters complaining as usual. Bryn Hodder, who was close to getting in the side, turned up to watch, and joined us for dinner. After most people had fallen asleep watching the Masters he was last seen on his way to bed clutching a bottle of Rioja.

We had plenty of supporters today. Among those who made the journey were Monty, our Hon Sec, John Gibbs, David Walsh, Peter Morris, Bryn Sayers, Richard Lea, Peter Heming Johnson, Caroline Kemp, Francis Sumner, our Captain, Charles Tilling, David Kemp, Richard Proctor, Richard & Heather Clay, David Evans, Edward Brice, Ian Mackintosh, and Martin Ellis

BSE Ingleby & CWM Jones ½ CB Manson & FJ Edmunds ½

AG Clay & GEG Taggart 0 JJ Douglas & RW Eggleshaw 4/3 1

PD Saggers & LR Sturdy 4/3 1 AJ Gowar & HJ De Pree 0

JC Hubbard & JC Spurling 4/2 1 JI Harper & MJ Power 0

CRE Lloyd & RJ Partridge 4/3 1 CE Richardson & CRA Rowse 0

Won 3½-1½

Having beaten Wellington, who have been having a revival, the way looked clear for another good run in the tournament, with Dulwich to play at the same time (1205) on Friday, to be followed possibly by the winners of Mill Hill, Liverpool, Downside or Aldenham, all rabbits; and not a really tough match until the semi-final, with all the good schools being in the top half of the draw.

It was another beautiful Spring day. I started by going to the hut at Deal to watch some of the Malvern v Oundle match, which the former were winning comfortably. It was then time to go over to Royal St George’s and have lunch in the clubhouse with Johnny Hubbard (who had been rested to let Jason Foster have a game – we had a team of 11). We were joined by Jo Gunnell and an Alleynian friend of his, and enjoyed a bottle of delicious Chateau Beaumont on Jo’s recommendation.

I had been posted on the slow play buggy so I didn’t see too much of the match, but what I did see I didn’t like the look of. The first pair were four up after 7 and the next two matches all square after six, but the last two matches were unknown at this stage. By the hut we were only marginally ahead at +4, -1, +2, -1, A/S. From there, it went rapidly downhill, despite the top pair having a comfortable win 5/4, despite Ingleby having injured his hand. It looked as though Clay and Taggart would win, but the other three matches were all down and looking increasingly ragged. When Saggers and Sturdy got back from 3 down to all square, thanks to two long putts from Sturdy, it looked better momentarily, but they lost the 16^th when Sturdy went into the right hand bunker off the tee and missed from 10 feet. Worse was to come as we were now down in all four remaining matches as Clay & Taggart contrived to lose 13, 14, and 15 and at the 17^th, one down, we were just off the green in two, while Dulwich had driven into thick rough. What happened? They holed a good put for their four, and we took three from the edge to go down 2/1. We have been more accustomed to seeing our opponents do that than doing it ourselves over the last few years – shades of the distant past! Hopes were raised briefly when we heard that we might be up in the fourth match. Lloyd & Partridge seemed to be out of sorts and losing.

So, it might all depend on the Saggers and Sturdy match and they squared it after 17 with a good four. The 18^th was a sad affair. First, Sturdy took out a three wood and drove into the thick right hand rough, while Dulwich drove into the newly positioned left hand bunker. Saggers, with a medium iron, elected to try to carry the cross bunkers, came out heavy and into them. Dulwich played the hole sensibly; Sturdy extracted from the bunker only for Saggers to dunch his pitch, leaving a subdued Tonbridge side to shake hands and depart the tournament.

It was a subdued session at the Griffin’s Head that night analysing what had gone wrong. It almost felt like the end of an era, and perhaps the end of our supremacy for a time. Our average age is far too high and the younger players have not yet forced their way into the side, although that day cannot be far away.

Maybe, also, we were a little under-prepared this year – a little complacent perhaps. For whatever reason, one or two of our best players were well below their best. We have in fact lost in the second round more than any other round, and a number of those have been at Sandwich.

My notes tell me not to forget Geoff Clay’s comment to Nick Owen behind the second green, but I have now no idea what that was – it must have been funny at the time!

Plenty of support today. Amongst those attending were Ian Jackson, Francis Sumner and wife, Martin Ellis, the full Kemp clan, Tony Monteuuis, Edward Brice, Jo Gunnell and many more.

BSE Ingleby & CWM Jones 5/4 1 AS Patel & AWH Charawani 0

PD Saggers & LR Sturdy 0 M Aldous & R Nanayakkara 1 up 1

AG Clay & Dr GEG Taggart 0 DF Somerville & C Cowen 2/1 1

JC Spurling & J Foster 1 up 1 CD Brock & G Watkins 0

CRE Lloyd & RJ Partridge 0 P Kimber & ML Kirby 3/2 1

Lost 2-3

FWRS