WGC v Somerset

at

Tall Pines GC , Bristol

18th July 2013

Well we started on the hottest day of the year at 30deg. 8 of the original team had dropped out so the first Job was for Ian wood to fill the team.

Some of the 10 reserves were not available so this left poor Ian Wood to make over 80 phone calls.

Our Captain Tony came to the fore as well and between them they managed to muster a team. They managed 15 so Tony asked one of his Seniors captains to fill in. This must be a first.

As Ian was convalescing over his resent knee operation I was asked to step in as Match Sec. A simple task of collecting money and sorting out the team sheet.

So it of on the first tee as I was match sec. I could pull rank and play with the captain! I’m not going to bore you with a blow by blow account but a few occasions are worthy of note.

We teed up on the 3rd and unfortunately our Captain lost his ball but the Somerset captain being the gentleman he was also lost his ball but me not being a gentleman won the hole.

Then came the 6th, Tony teed off (yes we are still first on the tee and 3 up!) hit a shot slightly left and hit a tree, but having gone to church on Sunday the good lord bounced his ball back on the fairway. Iain, the Somerset Captain teed off, hit his shot slightly to the right and hit the other tree on the fairway but he obviously went to church as well because the ball shot left leaving him plumb middle of the fairway.

We had a great game always in front came 1 up to the 18th Iain put his ball on the green and sank a 15ft put to halve the match, a great finish to what was a great sporting game.

Our other gallant team members played well giving us 4 halves and two wins making the whole match a draw.

Ian Armstrong and Gerry Stack made a great comeback; Ian had plaid level gross after 9 holes and still found themselves 3 Down! but a fantastic comeback on the last 4 holes being 3 down pulled it back for a half. So it was all down to the last paring of Neil Young and Bob Rolfe, the score was 4 - 3 to Somerset and the gallant pair came gave us the win we needed to square the match.

Well done to all the players who came in at the last minute to help us out, our gratefull thanks from the Captain Tony and Ian Wood the organiser for your support and from me for a  great result.

As Historian I can put a foot note to this report to tell you that this was in fact the 50th Anniversary of our connection with Somerset, Somerset was the first county with whom the Wiltshire Captains had a match fixture. The first match was played on 9 July 1963 at Kingsdown Golf Club.

Alan Kerr