The Senior Darwin at Woking GC 2010                        Report from Martin Yates

This year saw Geoff Clay and David Evans playing top, followed by Miles Connell and Martin Yates, with Neil Williamson and Richard Gracey bringing up the rear. Unfortunately this last pair never really got going, losing 5/4 and 8/7. No pressure then on the first two pairs, who in Round 1 against The Leys played solidly, registering wins by 4/3 and 5/4 respectively.

Against the auld enemy Charterhouse in the afternoon Connell/Yates had another 5/4 at the expense of David Comer and Michael Langford. The deciding match had Clay/Evans all square with three to go, the sort of situation which our evergreen President relishes. A fine tee shot from him at the difficult 16th was offset by a Carthusian four at the 17th. A half in four followed at the 18th, albeit with Martin Christmas (Walker Cup 1961-63) holing from 10ft! He promptly hit a beauty at the 19th, so good in fact that it went through the green and down the bank at the back, where Tonbridge soon joined them in two - the second shot downwind being virtually impossible - advantage Charterhouse. However, David Evans then laid his chip dead for another half in four. Two excellent tee shots at the 20th produced a half in three, but at the 21st Tonbridge's second caught the bunker in front of the green which eventually resulted in a six losing to a steady five, rather an anticlimax and, according to Geoff, the first time he had ever lost to Father Christmas.