Cornwall Are English Seniors County Champions!

Cornwall won the Senior Men’s County Finals for the first time ever, as they pipped Lincolnshire in a tense final day at Torquay Golf Club to become the first SW Region winners of the competition. Well Done Team Cornwall - a massive achievement!

Cornwall County Seniors Captain Warwick Holland was a proud man as he was presented with the trophy by England Golf President Ian Watkins in a packed Torquay Golf Clubhouse. Holland spoke about how much the win means for the South West and even more to Cornwall, a small county when compared with some of the previous winners in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Sussex, Surrey and BB&O. He paid tribute to his team whom he described as a fantastic group who had bonded so very well and worked tirelessly for the past two years to achieve this win.

He and others paid tribute to the first class hospitality provide by Torquay Golf Club. Everyone acknowledged the first class condition the course was presented in, the large number of club volunteers who provided parking assistance, spotters, flag wavers and bunker rakers for every game. The club caterers too were thanked for their excellent offerings to all the teams and supporters. Torquay Golf Club did everyone proud!

For many of the team this was an emotional win as they remembered Andrew Ring, former County Captain and great supporter of Seniors Golf, who sadly passed away earlier this year, 'Ringo' was looking down yesterday and would have been so proud of the victory in which he played a part.

Despite having lost their morning foursomes to Durham, Cornwall bounced back on the final day to win their afternoon singles and 5-4 overall, meaning that if BB&O (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire) could draw or only narrowly beat Lincolnshire, Cornwall would lift the trophy.

Lincolnshire were searching for their first-ever title too, and led 2-1 after the morning foursomes. But in a dramatic finish, BB&O’s Gary Mumford held on against Paul Wharton to win the final singles match on the final hole, which finished the overall match 4.5-4.5, and handed Cornwall the title.

Lincolnshire had picked up the most game points overall with 14, more than Cornwall’s 12.5, but Cornwall's two victories overall meant they took the trophy.

Lincolnshire’s Colin Trestrail was the player of the tournament, winning all five of his matches played. 

Day 3

Morning Foursomes: Durham 2-1 Cornwall

John Kennedy and Nicholas Mansell (Durham) were never behind in their contest with Mike Reynard and Ian Ashenden and made a couple of key pars on 1 and 11 with 70-foot putts to tap-in distance. Both sides halved the 10th and 13th in good birdies but it was Cornwall mistakes that gave Durham the 4&3 win.  

Ian Veale and Simon Knowles (Cornwall) enjoyed a tussle with Anthony Black and Ian Hendry, with the Cornwall duo one-putting the first five greens, making over 70 feet of putts, including a 25-footer from Knowles on the 4th. Veale hit a tee shot to five feet for birdie on 14 before Knowles chipped stone-dead for a crucial half on the 15th, which allowed them to go on and win 3&1.

George Wraith and Bryan Ross (Durham) raced into a 6-up lead through 8 against Mark Blaber and Mark Johnson, with the Durham duo only missing one green on the front nine. Ross hit to five feet on the 1st for a birdie putt to win the hole and his team holed out well to get into an unassailable lead, including a great two-putt on the 6th with a huge breaking first putt from over 25 feet. An interesting moment came on the 7th for the Cornwall pairing, as their tee shot slipped into the trunk of a tree six feet off the ground, forcing them to take a penalty stroke. However, despite making a brilliantly recovered 5, Durham knocked in their par putt to win the hole. Having won seven of the first eight holes, Durham didn’t win another hole, coasting to a 4&3 win.

Morning Foursomes: BB&O 1-2 Lincolnshire

All three matches went right to the 18th hole and yielded 1-up winners.

Richard Lee and Gary Mumford (BB&O) took on Paul Wharton and Adrian Allen, with Allen sticking it to six feet to win the 1st before Wharton rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 7th. Lee drove the 10th to set up birdie to win the hole and then knocked in a 15-foot putt from off the green to win the 11th with par. Wharton responded by draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th but the BB&O pairing went 2-up after mistakes from their opponents on 15 and 16. Allen’s approach to eight feet set up birdie on 17 to take it down the last, and despite the pressure on, Lee landed a 10-foot par putt which sealed a tense victory, 1-up to BB&O.

Darren Fuller and Kevin Blow (Lincolnshire) took on John Kennedy and Chris Harrison and hit to 15 feet on 4 to be given the birdie putt in what went on to be a topsy-turvy encounter. Fuller drove through the green on 10 with Blow’s brilliant chip to tap-in distance winning the hole, before then getting out the sand on 13 for a good up-and-down to win 12. Harrison hammered his 3-wood to the green to set up birdie for BB&O on 14 but they conceded an eight-foot birdie putt on 16 as Lincoln led going down the last. Kennedy shaved the hole with his birdie putt to halve the match on 18, before Fuller slotted his short putt to seal another 1-up victory, this time to Lincolnshire.

Richard Latham and Colin Trestrail (Lincolnshire, pictured below) played out another thriller with Martyn Metcalfe and Stewart Dalgarno. Latham made crucial putts on 7 and 8, with the 12-foot birdie putt halving the hole on 8, after Dalgarno had hit his chip stone-dead. Metcalfe then knocked in a 25-foot birdie putt downhill to win 9 before Trestrail stiffed his approach to earn Lincoln the win on 11. Latham made a pivotal 30-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 13th before a calm tee shot on 18 set up a comfortable par to see out the win 1-up for Lincolnshire.

Morning Foursomes: Durham 2-1 Cornwall

John Kennedy and Nicholas Mansell (Durham) were never behind in their contest with Mike Reynard and Ian Ashenden and made a couple of key pars on 1 and 11 with 70-foot putts to tap-in distance. Both sides halved the 10th and 13th in good birdies but it was Cornwall mistakes that gave Durham the 4&3 win.  

Ian Veale and Simon Knowles (Cornwall) enjoyed a tussle with Anthony Black and Ian Hendry, with the Cornwall duo one-putting the first five greens, making over 70 feet of putts, including a 25-footer from Knowles on the 4th. Veale hit a tee shot to five feet for birdie on 14 before Knowles chipped stone-dead for a crucial half on the 15th, which allowed them to go on and win 3&1.

George Wraith and Bryan Ross (Durham) raced into a 6-up lead through 8 against Mark Blaber and Mark Johnson, with the Durham duo only missing one green on the front nine. Ross hit to five feet on the 1st for a birdie putt to win the hole and his team holed out well to get into an unassailable lead, including a great two-putt on the 6th with a huge breaking first putt from over 25 feet. An interesting moment came on the 7th for the Cornwall pairing, as their tee shot slipped into the trunk of a tree six feet off the ground, forcing them to take a penalty stroke. However, despite making a brilliantly recovered 5, Durham knocked in their par putt to win the hole. Having won seven of the first eight holes, Durham didn’t win another hole, coasting to a 4&3 win.

Morning Foursomes: BB&O 1-2 Lincolnshire

All three matches went right to the 18th hole and yielded 1-up winners.

Richard Lee and Gary Mumford (BB&O) took on Paul Wharton and Adrian Allen, with Allen sticking it to six feet to win the 1st before Wharton rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 7th. Lee drove the 10th to set up birdie to win the hole and then knocked in a 15-foot putt from off the green to win the 11th with par. Wharton responded by draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th but the BB&O pairing went 2-up after mistakes from their opponents on 15 and 16. Allen’s approach to eight feet set up birdie on 17 to take it down the last, and despite the pressure on, Lee landed a 10-foot par putt which sealed a tense victory, 1-up to BB&O.

Darren Fuller and Kevin Blow (Lincolnshire) took on John Kennedy and Chris Harrison and hit to 15 feet on 4 to be given the birdie putt in what went on to be a topsy-turvy encounter. Fuller drove through the green on 10 with Blow’s brilliant chip to tap-in distance winning the hole, before then getting out the sand on 13 for a good up-and-down to win 12. Harrison hammered his 3-wood to the green to set up birdie for BB&O on 14 but they conceded an eight-foot birdie putt on 16 as Lincoln led going down the last. Kennedy shaved the hole with his birdie putt to halve the match on 18, before Fuller slotted his short putt to seal another 1-up victory, this time to Lincolnshire.

Richard Latham and Colin Trestrail (Lincolnshire, pictured below) played out another thriller with Martyn Metcalfe and Stewart Dalgarno. Latham made crucial putts on 7 and 8, with the 12-foot birdie putt halving the hole on 8, after Dalgarno had hit his chip stone-dead. Metcalfe then knocked in a 25-foot birdie putt downhill to win 9 before Trestrail stiffed his approach to earn Lincoln the win on 11. Latham made a pivotal 30-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 13th before a calm tee shot on 18 set up a comfortable par to see out the win 1-up for Lincolnshire.

Afternoon Singles: Durham 2-4 Cornwall

John Kennedy (Durham) was 3-down after 9 as Mike Reynard enjoyed four birdies, courtesy of good putts on 1, 3 and 5, and hitting to a foot on the 9th. But Kennedy drove the 10th green and was given his eagle putt before winning the 11th to reduce the deficit. 13 saw Reynard almost hole his chip for eagle to win the hole but Kennedy rallied to win four of the next five holes, holing a 15-foot birdie putt on 16 and hitting a tee shot to two feet on the 18th to win the match 2-up.

Ian Ashenden (Cornwall) was 2-down early on to Anthony Black but hit the 8th green with his drive and made a brilliant two-putt from 50 feet to help him get back to all-square. He then drove pin-high to get up-and-down on 10 before holing a curling 40-foot birdie putt on 12. Black clawed back a couple of holes but on 17, Ashenden’s approach remarkably hit a squirrel running in front of the green, before he got up-and-down from the fringe to win 3&1.

Mark Blaber (Cornwall) set the tone on the 1st as he landed his wedge to four feet for an opening birdie, before driving the 10th for a two-putt to go 2-up against Nicholas Mansell. Mansell was 4-down through 11 but edged his way back into the game, before eventually succumbing to a Blaber birdie on 17 as he rolled in a 12-foot putt to win 2&1.

Guy Norris (Cornwall) won seven of the first nine holes against Brian Nelson, with some exceptional approaches into 2, 5 and 9 for birdies, before romping to a 6&4 win.

Nigel King (Durham) took on Simon Knowles with Knowles’ magnificent approach into 8 yielding birdie before King chipped in on the 9th to win the hole. King’s eagle putt on 13 stopped just shy of the hole as he won another and after stiffing one to three feet on 16, he coolly rolled in a six-foot putt on 17 for par to complete a 2&1 win.

Ian Veale (Cornwall) took on Bryan Ross with the duo halving the 1st in birdies thanks to Ross landing one close from 140 yards and Veale chipping in. They were at it again with birdies apiece on 5 as Veale hit another chip stone-dead and Ross rolled in a 30-foot putt. Ross hit an approach to four feet to win the 8th but some mistakes then let Veale run into a 3-up lead. Veale should’ve sealed it with a short putt on 15 before Ross stiffed it round a tree to birdie 16, and Ross’ par on 17 took it down the last before both hit good tee shots to halve in pars, giving Cornwall a narrow win 1-up.

Afternoon Singles: BB&O 3.5-2.5 Lincolnshire

Richard Lee was 4-up against Darren Fuller through 9 but a turning point came on 10 where Fuller chipped to five feet to win with birdie. He then dug away at Lee, holing a key 15-foot birdie putt on 16 but then proceeded to three-putt the 17th as Lee had his lead back going down the last. However, there was one last twist, with Fuller producing an exquisite tee shot to two feet for birdie to halve a good match.

Adrian Allen (Lincolnshire) took on Mike Sanders with Sanders sending a beauty just short of the 7th before stiffing it close for birdie to win the hole. Allen then knocked in a 15-foot birdie putt on 8 before Sanders got up-and-down from by the 10th green and stuck an approach to five feet on 12 to level the match. But Allen edged ahead on 16 before tremendous birdies halved the 17th as Allen hit to 18 inches and Sanders nearly holed out for eagle. But on 18, Allen hit the green to seal the match 2-up.

George Wilson was BBO’s only unbeaten player as he won all three of his matches at the tournament. A good putt on 5 and a chip close on 10 earned birdies before a superb long shot into 15 saw Kevin Blow concede the game 5&3.

John Kennedy (BB&O) was 2-down to Richard Latham after Latham showed his putting prowess with a 30-footer at the 1st and 20-footers for birdies on 2 and 4. But Kennedy knocked one to three feet on 9 and the turning point came on 13 as he hit his approach to eight feet for an eagle, setting up a 3&2 win.

Colin Trestrail (Lincolnshire) ended his week in scintillating style as he won 3&2 against Stewart Dalgarno. Mistakes gifted one another holes throughout but a Trestrail birdie at 9 where he hit to eight feet, started a streak of three winning holes. Despite Dalgarno’s 30-foot beauty on 12, the Lincoln man made it five wins from five matches played.

That left Gary Mumford (BB&O) and Paul Wharton’s match deciding whether it would be Cornwall or Lincolnshire lifting the trophy. Mumford had a narrow lead thanks to a great downhill birdie putt on 9, and despite driving the 10th, he three-putted whereas Wharton got up-and-down from the bunker to win the hole. Wharton rattled in a 20-footer uphill on 12 before Mumford stuck one to five feet to win the 14th. Mumford hit a miracle chip from the trees to three feet to halve the 15th but the big turning point came on 17. With Wharton looking set to birdie and level the match, he missed his short putt, when a half would’ve been good enough to see Lincolnshire lift the title. But sadly for him, pars down the last gave BB&O the win 1-up, and a 4.5-4.5 tie in the overall match, sending Cornwall into celebrations as they claimed their first ever title.

Looking at what happened on the previous days

Day 2

Lincolnshire turned adversity into strength as they produced a mesmerising 7-2 victory over Durham on day two of the Senior Men’s County Finals at Torquay Golf Club.

Overnight, Lincolnshire’s Mark Cooke was taken ill and forced to withdraw from Wednesday’s matches, but his teammates were spurred into action as they won the morning foursomes 2-1 before a stunning singles showing in the afternoon, as they beat Durham 5-1.

Earlier in the day, BB&O (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire) stormed to a 3-0 win in the morning foursomes against Cornwall, but despite Cornwall coming back to win the singles 4-2, they were pipped 5-4 overall.

The results mean each team has won one match apiece, with Lincolnshire leading the way on game points after their huge victory.

Morning Foursomes: Lincolnshire 2-1 Durham

John Kennedy and Nicholas Mansell (Durham) went 2-up after 5 against Kevin Blow and Darren Fuller (pictured above) thanks to Mansell rolling in a 15-footer on the 5th. Kennedy then drove pin-high by the 10th but the pair weren’t able to capitalise with a birdie, as the teams halved seven holes on the trot until Mansell rolled a tricky putt stone dead on 14 to take Durham 2-up, and they then cruised to a 3&2 win.

Richard Latham and Colin Trestrail (Lincolnshire) galloped into a 5-up lead through 10, which could have been more had it not have been for two three-putts. Their Durham opponents Brian Nelson and Nigel King then won 11 and Nelson knocked in an 18-foot birdie putt to win 12. However, the Durham pairing missed a short putt to win 13 and Latham rolled in a clutch 12-footer up the hill to par the 14th to stay 3-up, before he and Trestrail sealed a 4&3 win.

Paul Wharton and Adrian Allen (Lincolnshire) halved the 6th with George Wraith and Bryan Ross in birdies, after Allen hit the flag with his tee shot. On the par-3 12th, Allen’s shot hit the path and bounced all the way to the 13th tee, but Wharton’s chip and Allen’s putt helped them to recover a remarkable par to halve the hole. Ross rolled in a 20-footer as a great up-and-down halved the 13th, but Lincolnshire soon sailed to a 3&2 win.

Morning Foursomes: BB&O 3-0 Cornwall

Richard Lee and Gary Mumford (BB&O) romped to a 7&5 win over Mike Reynard (pictured above) and Guy Norris in a birdie fest, including four on the spin from holes 8-11. The BB&O duo made seven birdies overall and were -5 for their round to the point at which they won, with the key moment coming on the 3rd as Lee’s rescue club to four feet set up a birdie and at 3-up through 3, they never looked back, never losing a hole.

George Wilson and Stewart Dalgarno (BB&O) started strongly against Simon Knowles and Ian Veale with Dalgarno landing a 25-foot birdie putt on the 3rd and the pair getting up and down to win the 4th. After Cornwall won holes 7 and 8, Knowles then slotted a 30-foot putt for a crucial half on 9 but Dalgarno chipped to five feet for birdie on 10 to swing his side back ahead. Wilson rattled in a 30-foot birdie putt on 13 to extend the lead before they clinched the match 3&2.

John Kennedy and Chris Harrison (BB&O) made it a clean sweep in the morning foursomes for their side as they saw off Ian Ashenden and Mark Blaber 5&4. The turning point came on the 10th after Harrison drove the green and a two-putt birdie put them 4-up, and Harrison hit to eight feet on the 14th for Kennedy to birdie and end the match.

Afternoon Singles: Lincolnshire 5-1 Durham

Despite Richard Latham (Lincolnshire, pictured below) and Brian Nelson halving the first four holes, Latham barely made a mistake for the rest of the round, as he stuck his approach to three feet on the 8th for birdie and sank a 20-foot putt to win the 14th on route to a 5&4 win.

Darren Fuller (Lincolnshire) took on John Kennedy with Fuller birdieing 7 and 8 to take the lead. Kennedy drove the 10th and was given his six-foot eagle putt before Fuller responded on the par-5 13th to be given his eagle putt after sticking his approach to six feet. The pair enjoyed several birdies apiece in their match, but Fuller did superbly to keep his ball on the 15th green and won the hole with par before he tapped in his close par putt on 18 to hold on for a 1-up victory.

Anthony Black (Durham) challenged England Seniors star Paul Wharton in a tight contest. Wharton drove the 8th but three-putted to miss an opportunity to go 2-up and Black battled back to win holes 11-15, including a good birdie putt on the par-5 13th. Wharton got unlucky on the 14th as his tee shot got stuck in the bunker face where he was unable to get out with his second shot, and despite Black being in the trees off the tee on 15, he produced a world-class recovery shot from 180 yards, cutting his 3-wood to the green to set up par for the win, as Wharton’s approach hit the top tier and spun back off the front of the green! The Lincoln man did nail a 15-foot birdie putt to win 16 and despite taking the match down the last, his 20-foot putt looked set to drop before evading the hole and Black’s tap-in sealed a 1-up win.

Adrian Allen (Lincolnshire) took on Nicholas Mansell with there never being more than one hole in the contest. Mansell’s tee shot on 5 took a fortunate bounce off the tree when it looked set to go out of bounds, but he made it count as he hit a good approach and holed a 15-footer to win the hole. Mansell then stuck a 7-iron to four feet on the 12th for birdie and hit a chip stone-dead to win the 15th. Despite leading with two holes to play, Mansell ended up on the wrong end of a 1-up scoreline as Allen knocked his approach to five feet for birdie on 17 and a three-putt at the last from the Durham man handed Lincoln’s Allen the win.

Colin Trestrail (Lincolnshire) was never behind in his match with Nigel King and was 3-up through 7 with some steady golf. A 15-foot par putt to win the 11th proved pivotal after King had won back two holes, and Trestrail went on to seal a 5&3 win thanks to two fine approach shots to set up birdie putts on 12 and 15.

Kevin Blow (Lincolnshire) was never behind in his contest with Ian Hendry. Blow scrambled well to win the 8th with par to go 3-up before Hendry made several key up-and-downs, particularly on 11 and 12, but Blow kept his composure to win 2&1.  

Afternoon Singles: BB&O 2-4 Cornwall

Mike Reynard (Cornwall) took on Mike Sanders and managed to hit to six inches for birdie on 8, and despite driving through the green on 10, he lost the hole as Sanders made a great sand-save from the greenside bunker. On 11 though, Reynard holed out for a fabulous eagle from 168 yards, and backed that up with a shot to 10 feet to win the 11th with birdie. Sanders stiffed one to two feet from the 14th tee but a brilliant up-and-down for Reynard on 15 paved the way for a 3&2 win.

Mark Blaber (Cornwall) stormed into a 4-up lead through 9, including a sublime wedge to four feet on the 8th for birdie. Opponent Chris Harrison won 14 and 15 with a tidy up-and-down on the latter, but Blaber bounced back to hole a 15-footer for par to halve 16. The Cornwall man then sealed the tie with a near-perfect approach from 62 yards to a couple of inches on 17 to win 3&1.

England Seniors star Ian Ashenden (Cornwall) raced into a 3-up lead through 4 thanks to a 40-foot birdie putt on the 1st and a 5-iron to six feet on the par-4 3rd. Despite missing six-footers on 7 and 8 to get out of sight, Ashenden was punished as Gary Mumford won 9, 11 and 12 with some great up-and-downs to make the match all-square. However, Ashenden won 14 and 16 and then chipped to a couple of feet to win the match 3&1 on the 17th.

Simon Knowles (Cornwall) put on a masterclass short-game display, with only 12 putts in the opening nine holes. He made three 10-foot clutch par putts before driving the 10th for a two-putt to win with birdie. Opponent Richard Lee stuck his tee shot to eight feet for birdie on 12 but Knowles knocked a 4-wood just shy of the green on the par-5 13th and chipped close from 50 yards to birdie on the way to a 2&1 victory.

Stewart Dalgarno (BB&O) was behind after four holes but rallied to win five of the next seven to storm into a 4-up lead. His standout moment came when he holed out for an eagle from 78 yards on the 8th before sticking a 6-iron to eight feet on the 11th. Ian Veale birdied 13 and 14 thanks to a 30-foot putt and tee shot to eight feet respectively, but pars there forward for Dalgarno eased him to a 4&2 win.

George Wilson (BB&O) came from behind against Guy Norris to seal a brilliant 3&2 win, with his highlight coming on the 15th as he stuck a super approach to three feet for birdie, as part of a five-hole stretch where he won four holes.

Day 1

Durham and Cornwall lead the way in the Senior Men’s County Finals after a rain-affected first day of action at Torquay Golf Club.

With heavy rain forecast, tournament organisers decided to start with the singles rather than the foursomes, to try and get as much golf in as possible before the storms. But by 11am the rain flooded the course, making it unplayable, and so play was suspended.

With more heavy rain forecast, Tuesday’s foursomes matches were cancelled, with the hope of getting the singles matches completed to get a result for day one.

Thanks to the dedication of the Torquay greenkeeping staff, they managed to get the course playable to allow enough time to complete the singles from 2pm.

At the end of the six singles matches, Durham edged BB&O (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire) 3.5-2.5 despite the final match going to the wire and Stewart Dalgarno’s birdie putt on the 18th narrowly missing, in what would have seen the teams finish all-square.

Cornwall also defeated Lincolnshire by the same scoreline.

BB&O 2.5-3.5 Durham

BB&O’s John Kennedy romped to a 6&4 win over Anthony Black with the big shift coming on the 10th as he stuck a wedge to six feet to set up birdie, and his solid round saw him edge his opponent, who missed some crucial putts to stay in the match.

Durham’s John Kennedy took on Gary Mumford with an interesting 11th hole. Both were in the greenside bunker in two, and despite Kennedy being in the water in the bunker, he opted to take his shoes and socks off to play the ball, rather than take relief in a trickier position in the bunker. Remarkably, he got up-and-down from the water for par to halve the hole, after Mumford was also able to get up and down from the same bunker, although not from ankle-deep water! Despite Kennedy being 1-down through 14, he battled back to win the 15th and 16th, the latter courtesy of a big drive and chipping to a foot. He finished with 3, 3, 3 on the scorecard, as he birdied 17 after chipping close, paving the way for a 1-up win.

Brian Nelson (Durham) almost slam-dunked the 6th with his second shot to set up a kick-in birdie while opponent Chris Harrison rolled in a 25-footer to win the par-3 9th. On 10, both drove close to the green and although Nelson knocked his chip 20-foot past the hole, he made the putt for birdie to win the hole before going on to complete a 4&3 win.

Nicholas Mansell (Durham) made a 30-foot birdie putt on 5 against Mike Sanders before making great birdie putts on 7, 8 and 10 including an 18-footer to win the 8th. Sanders chipped and putted well but from being 4-down through 8, he was unable to stop Mansell sailing to a 3&2 win.

Richard Lee (BB&O) found himself 3-down to Ian Hendry after 3 with Hendry landing a 30-foot birdie putt on the 2nd and then a 20-footer on the 4th for a half. However, the momentum shift came on the 7th where Lee holed a chip from 20 yards for birdie and despite another great putt from Hendry on 13 for a half, Lee’s short game proved the difference as he got up-and-down on holes 14-16, paving the way for a 2-up victory.

Stewart Dalgarno (BB&O) was another who found himself 3-down early on against Nigel King, but he rallied to birdie 5 and 6 thanks to stiffing his approach from 150 yards to a foot on 5 and holing a 25-footer uphill on 6. He turned the match on its head to be 1-up after 9 but following the rain delay, putting became a challenge for both in the afternoon. Dalgarno came agonisingly close to birdieing the 18th which would’ve halved the overall match between the teams, but pars apiece saw the game halved and Durham winning 3.5-2.5 overall.  

Cornwall 3.5-2.5 Lincolnshire

Mike Reynard (Cornwall) took on Darren Fuller in the first match with Reynard leading 2-up at the rain break after 10 holes. The key moment came just after the interval as Reynard hit a driver and two-iron into the tricky 11th to win the hole with par, while he stiffed it on the 12th to go 4-up. He eventually sealed a 4&3 win after a 20-foot birdie putt on the 14th.

England Seniors’ star Paul Wharton (Lincolnshire) battled Guy Norris with Wharton’s driving proving the difference. A crucial up-and-down on hole 13, from the 14th tee, saved an important par before he secured a 3&2 victory.

Wharton’s recent England Seniors’ foursomes partner, Ian Ashenden (pictured above), was on the opposing team on Tuesday, taking on Lincolnshire’s Kevin Blow. Blow’s brilliant short game saw him get up and down on a number of occasions, with there never being more than one hole in the contest. Ashenden sent a beauty to 12 feet on the 18th and looked set to win but his putt horsehoed out to finish the match all-square.

Mark Blaber (Cornwall) was neck-and-neck with Adrian Allen in another match where there was never more than a hole in it. In a thrilling finale, Allen holed out from 118 yards for an eagle on the 16th to level the match before Blaber stuck his sand wedge to three feet to birdie the 17th. A fine up-and-down on the last earned him a tense 1-up win.

Colin Trestrail (Lincolnshire) was 1-down to Simon Knowles after 8 thanks to some marvellous up-and-downs from Knowles to mere inches on holes 5 and 6. Both hit tee shots to four feet for birdie on the par-3 9th but Trestrail won holes 10-12 to stretch ahead before seeing out a 3&2 win.

Ian Veale (Cornwall) was 3-down through 6 as Richard Latham was below-par and in fine form. However, the rain halted proceedings and after play resumed, Veale won four of the next five holes to go ahead, including a 40-foot birdie putt on 9 and a chip stone-dead for birdie on 10. Latham responded with a 40-foot birdie putt on 13 before Veale made a key eight-foot par putt on 16. The 17th provided drama with both teams watching on, as Latham looked to fight back and level things for his team. Sadly, his drive found one of the small bushes up towards the green, and a penalty drop saw him finish with bogey as Veale’s 10-foot par putt sealed a 2&1 win, and a 3.5-2.5 win for Cornwall.  

You can see all the scores from the three days here and the final league table here.

You can access an interview with Warwick Holland and Ian Veale here

And to close ......... apart from the ducks a squirrel played a part at Torquay too. Ian Ashenden's slightly thin approach to the 17th hole on Day 3 struck a spectating squirrel in the derriere just over the back of the green. This brought the ball to a halt quicker than otherwise may have been the case and from its resultant position Ashenden was able to get up and down and close out his match. I am happy to report the squirrel appeared none the worse for wear and was last seen scuttling up an adjacent tree muttering something derogatory about Titleist ProVs.

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