Despite a 12 – 3 loss away to Otaki, it was an enjoyable start to the season for the Division 2 squad. The day started predictably with the team waiting for Simon Buckley to arrive (only a few minutes late) but the van was soon loaded (poorly) and we were on our way.
Our lead-out pairing of Sean Rudman and John Ryan were stoked to have 30 minutes to warm up, something that often alluded the first groups out in their Division 10 squad last year and it was certainly better than the 4 minutes on offer to our first pairing in the Division 7 squad at Judgeford!
When his opponent birdied the first two holes to go 2 up, John was questioning whether his promotion to Division 2 had come a little early but he was able to pull those early losses back and grind out an impressive 2/1 victory to score our first point of the season (and double the half a point team score we managed in the same fixture last year). Sean also had a solid first outing but lost his match 2 down. The four ball match was all square going down the last. Unfortunately, an unmentionable shot with his approach to the last green left Sean a bit frustrated with himself after previously “flushing his irons all day”. So a 1 down result in the four ball but a commendable debut for this squad from both players. Their exceptional van-stacking skills, in preparation for traveling home, were also noted and much appreciated!
After being 4 down at the turn, Conrad Shanly went on a birdie run to turn things around and earn a hard-fought half in his singles match. He also combined well with Oliver Vincent in the four ball where the pairing earned an impressive 3/2 victory. Oliver took his singles match to the last hole but was unable to get up and down on a tricky 18th green, resulting in a 1 down loss. We thank Oliver for making himself available for this match and wish him well as he soon travels down south for his university studies.
Mike Fallon and Geoff Mckay struggled to get much going in their matches, resulting in 6/5 losses in both singles and the four ball. On a more positive note, Geoff was pleased to get a good look at the entire length of Transmission Gully, something he had been looking forward to for a while.
Simon Buckley produced some consistent golf throughout his round, taking a 1 up lead into the final hole. An unfortunate mistake on the last allowed his opponent to sneak a half but any away half is still a great result. Well done Simon! Jason Paku lost his match 4/3 and the four ball was a 2 up win to Otaki.
A first hole birdie from Nathan Frew to take a 1 up lead in his singles match and the four ball was about as good as it got for him. 4 down at the turn then losing a ball and his match 7/5 on the 13th. Brent Mackenzie played some good golf for large parts of his round but a few small mistakes is all it takes to lose to an opponent who goes bogey-free and adds three birdies in the 15 holes played. A 4/3 loss in his match and the four ball meant an early finish for the final pair. On a positive note though, they were finished in time to get back to the 18th green and support all the other groups coming in!
A big thanks to team captain Brent for driving the van and thanks to the team for embracing the idea and traveling together. As I said at the start, a positive day out despite the final result.
Nathan Frew