Swashies Vs Originals 2015 – Honours Even

Dawn… its quiet…. too quiet.

No wait….hang about, Barry’s turned up!

A second glorious day of the weekend and the game was most definitely on.

Coffee’s and tea’s were drunk, clubs cleaned (except Brian’s of course), balls marked and the banter commenced.

Blimey, even Stevie-boy was sober(ish)… what’s wrong with this picture.  Must only mean the annual Originals Vs Swashbucklers Ryder Cup game.

Match Report: The Swashbucklers Captain Lee Feasey

Well from one point of view the result suited both teams in finishing 8-8, which means that if both the Swashbucklers & Originals win their last matches they will both be through.

How did the day go……… well kick starting the doubles matches was Sean Savedra and Chris “The Grubbstar” Grubb vs Rob “I love talking” Hance & Jerry Assig. This match seemed to be very close all the way round with the mighty Swashbucklers winning 2&1.

The second double match was The Feasey brothers vs Back Door “I don’t miss fairways” Johnny and Peter “I’m only 14 and forget things very easily” Stevens and all that needs to be known is that The Feasey boys got spanked 3&2 enough said.

The next match I feel was only going to go one way as The Originals Captain Mr Yeti took one for the team and partnered Colin Town against Hew “ Barney, Steady Eddy” Whitefoord & Phil “ Kill, Destroy slaughter” Macve, a very comfortable 5&4 win for the Swashbucklers.

The last of the double matches was between Waynus Noway & Steve McNally vs Mushi & mAssive – this match seemed to be very close all the way round with the mighty Swashbucklers winning 2&1.

After the doubles, the mighty Swashbucklers had a 6-2 lead……… but how this all changed……..

First up in the singles was Jimmy Savill who as always left it until the very last moment to turn up (Bad Preparation) vs The very all round golfer Graham Adams. From seeing Mr Adams with a rather large grin on his face and full of his very very not funny jokes we knew he was victorious.

Match 2 was one of my late changes Scotty “no way man” Yule vs Graham Loveass.  I am pretty sure even the originals wanted Scotty to win and he did this very easily from what I gathered.

So after 6 matches the swashbucklers were 8-4 up, after a very long wait, the last 2 singles matches appeared walking down the 18^th fairway.  I had high expectations of Mr CPFC (Lee Snashfold) as he is a giant killer, but seeing him chunk a wedge into the water on the last we knew this was the end of this match losing to Barry “I don’t play in any club matches etc…” Bone.

The last match was between Tony Betteridge and Mr Hogben, , this match seemed to be very close all the way round with Mr Hogben pipping tony on the 17th. So after all the matches a well-deserved draw 8-8.

Match Report: The Originals Captain Brian Chamberlain

The Originals and the Swashbucklers battled to a 8-8 draw in a classic game of two halves.

In the first doubles match Jerry and Rob were up against Chris and Sean, and with the Grubbster combining the usual enormous driving with some fine bunker play, had to succumb 2 and 1 in a tight match.

Next up John and Peter played Lee and Dean, and delivered a magnificent win 3 and 2 (They were dormy 5). Both played well throughout, but the killer blows seem to be Peter’s chip in and 25 foot putt which would have scored him 23 Stableford points for the front nine.

Then Brian and Colin were smashed 5 and 4 by a rampant Hew and Phil.  Phil’s chip in for birdie from below the bunker on the first was a warning that it was going to be tough, and before we had found our rhythm were soon 4 down after 5. Then when we finally got started, another 25 foot birdie putt by Phil on the 8^th and a great par putt on the 9^th by Hew put us 5 down at the turn. Despite a solid fightback on the back nine we could make no inroads with Hew driving long and straight and after his bunker par save on 13 and an approach to about 10 feet on 14 it was all over.

The final doubles paired Mushtaq and Asif up against Steve and Wayne, and in a closely fought match bowed out 2 and 1 to a birdie on the 17th, with everybody playing well.

So in the clubhouse at half time we were losing 6-2 and waiting for the four singles to appear down the 18^th fairway. Instead the next four came down the steps with both matches finishing on the 16^th.

Graham Adams playing some superb golf beating Alan Savill 4 and 3, but with Scotty beating the previously undefeated Graham Loveless by the same score, we were staring down the barrel of a gun 8-4 down.

Then the long wait, before the last four appeared in the distance with both matches seeming to be live. In fact Bryan had beaten Tony 2 and 1 with some great golf, in a match that he was always ahead in (His reward for this fine win – an errant golf ball to the windscreen of his car!).   But the last match was the battle of Crystal Palace, with Barry against Lee Snashfold, and in a rollercoaster of a back nine which saw no halved holes, Barry battled back from 2 down to go one up on 17, and with a shot at the last, and a sensible layup and chip to the back of the green Lee decided to concede after washing his ball.

So an honourable 8-8 draw which keeps it all interesting for our last group matches in two weeks time.