DEVON GOLF
DEVON SO CLOSE IN THE SENIORS' SOUTHERN COUNTIES QUALIFIER
So near but yet so far!
That was the sum of it for the DevonGolf Men's Seniors' Team in their attempt to make the final of the Southern Counties' Foursomes.
Playing at the pretty hilly Lilley Brook Golf Club outside Cheltenham against Gloucestershire and Somerset the morning set things up superbly. Leading the field was the newly returned-from-injury Mark Evans (Royal North Devon) and Dave Eva (Thurlestone) producing a dominant win over Somerset's Jez Clift and Adam Stephenson, halving with Gloucester's Steve Yorke and Nick Barwood. New duo Andy Procter and Mark Taylor couldn't hold on to early leads in their matches but still halved with Andy Fisher and Alan Todd of Somerset, whilst losing just 1-down to home clubbers Tim Clink and Nigel Gravelle from Gloucester.
The old firm of Tim Aggett and Colin Papworth were back together again and won both their morning games 3-2, against Rob Chandler and Dave Hill from Somerset and over Mike Jarvis and Brian Mitten from Gloucestershire. The Churston duo of Rick Osborne and Simon Knapman endured a torrid morning, losing 1-down to Jon Cowgill and Kevin Taylor of Somerset, 2-down to Andy Wright and Mike Burris of Gloucestershire as the Devon tee shot at the final, severely downhill hole drifted out of bounds.
At the back Tony Allsopp (Tiverton) and Tim Jones (Warren) defeated Nick Morris and Vern Chappell from Gloucestershire but lost to James Ward and Simon Rudd of Somerset.
It could not have been closer - Gloucestershire 5½, Devon 5, Somerset 4½, the Gloucestershire lead based on taking half a point more from Somerset than Devon managed. A crucial difference, as it turned out.
The groupings were mixed up in the afternoon, though Devon started with the same two pairs in the order. Evans and Eva did their thing, racking up 2 wins over Jarvis and substitute Ken Madden and Todd and Fisher. Playing second, Procter and Taylor couldn't find a winning formula but came mighty close, halving with Chandler and Hill, going down by just 1-hole to the Gloucestershire duo of Yorke and Barwood.
Devon's Allsopp and Jones had moved in the order to play at 3 and found themselves up against Gravelle and Clink for Gloucestershire and Cowgill and Taylor for Somerset. The Somerset pair were outstanding, winning 2 of their county's 3 points in the afternoon with two huge victories, but the Gloucestershire pair prevailed over the Devonians at the 17th.
In the fourth group, match 9, Osborne and Knapman turned everything around with two superb wins, both finishing on the 14th green, 5-4 over Stephenson and Clift then 6-4 over Morris and Chappell. Which left Papworth and Team Manager Aggett in the final games. Somerset's final pairing of Rudd and Ward had a bit of an afternoon nightmare and both the Devon duo and Gloucestershire's Wright and Burris beat them on the 14th green.
That last Devon/ Gloucestershire match had gone all square on 13; Gloucestershire 2-down after 9. Wright had holed a swinging downhill 40-footer on 10 for birdie then the Devon boys 3-putted 11 before 12 and 13 were exchanged but neither team could win a hole after that. Burris hit an incredible 225-yard second shot into the 14th green from blind behind the hill to force the half, then Gloucestershire had a ball stop on a big downslope heading into a bunker on 15. At 16 Aggett left an 8-footer for birdie hanging on the front lip. Both pairs missed the big par 3 17th, both chipped well, both had putts shave the hole. At 18 Wright had a 6-footer to win outright which missed before Papworth holed a sneaky 3-footer for the half after the birdie putt had run past. That half was enough for Gloucestershire.
Somerset endured a tough afternoon, taking only 3 points from their matches with Chandler and Hill's two halves the only other cheer for them besides the Cowgill/Taylor combo, Devon and Gloucester scoring 6 apiece in the second session, meaning that half a point lead from the morning gave them the victory.
It was an event well-run by Gloucester's County Secretary Dean Newbold and our thanks go to Lilley Brook for everything they did - a well-presented golf course and great hospitality from staff and members alike. And, of course, our congratulations go to Gloucestershire and we wish them all the very best in the final at Weston-Super-Mare Golf Club in September.
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