“Yes boys”, what a result! After a 13 – 2 loss last week, the lads needed this. 14 – 1 against a team that came over here with high hopes of taking away significant points was as good as it gets.
While my recent reports may have kept team members a little tight-lipped about the goings on out on the course, the best summary of events I can muster follows.
The team were excited to welcome debutants Cliff Cleary and Jock Cameron to the fore. The pair led the team out and there was no doubt that both were going to do everything they could to bring points home for the team. Jock’s tee shot on the first was testament to that. I doubt there was a better one played for the rest of the day!
Cliff and Jock combined well to secure a half in the fourball and, despite a bit of a hiccup on the 18th, Jock was also able to secure a half in his singles match on debut. Awesome effort Jock and big ups to Phil Tuoro for coming out as support and caddying for Jock. True club spirit on display there!
Cliff played well throughout his round and went one better with a 2/1 win in his match. What an impressive start! Two from three possible points from the first group out is always a great way to get things started. This pairing really set the tone for the rest of the day. Bloody good effort fellas!
Conrad Shanly and Geoff Masters worked well together and outclassed their opponents, finishing all three matches in our favour on the 15th green. This experienced pairing were always in control of their matches and gave very little to their opponents in terms of offering any sniff of a comeback. Great result and a well-deserved early lunch!
John Ryan and Nathan Frew paired up for the first time and with both being “faders” of the ball, there was a sense they may work well together. When, on the tenth tee, JR’s opponent made a comment about how his “fade” may not suit a tree-lined Royal Wellington course, JR’s competitive focus went up a notch. This combined with the fact that Club Captain, Sam Forrester, turned up to push his bag on the back nine, meant a victory was as good as banked. A 2/1 win was the final result for JR as he calmly rolled his birdie putt to dead on the 17th to not only secure his singles match but the four ball as well! Nice work!
Nathan didn’t have the same success on the17th with a disappointing bogey, meaning he would take the long walk to the 18th tee with a one up lead and a serious dose of the “putting yips”. An audible chuckle from Club Captain, Sam Forrester, when Nathan missed a very short putt to win the 15th hole didn’t help matters! However, Nathan played the 18th very well to secure a birdie and a 2 up win under the watchful eye of experienced club man, Kevin MacKay and his granddaughter. With Kevin’s granddaughter present, Nathan did have to moderate his language as he approached his final few “tense” shots but it was great to have the support.
Simon Buckley returned to the fray after missing last week and made it very clear that he was happy to be teaming up with long-time club mate Gavin Harris. Being the group ahead of this pair, I was privileged to witness an outstanding first hole from both. Gav stuck his second to around 6 feet and Buckles rolled in a down-hill slider for birdie before Gav rolled in his eagle putt to win the hole in all three of their matches. Outstanding and inspiring! Nathan and JR would go on to win the hole in all three of their matches on the second after witnessing that!
The first hole set the tone for Buckles and Gav. They both went on to dominate their opponents with Gav securing a 6/5 win, Buckles 5/3 and a 5/3 win in their fourball. Nice work guys and what a pairing to have in the Division 2 ‘top order’.
Jason Paku was elevated up the order to team up with team captain, Brent Mackenzie. Paku would utilise his course knowledge to work his way to a 5/4 win before going on to support Brent in the four ball format. Nice work Jason! Brent was in a tighter tussle but his talent and experience allowed him to take a one up lead to the 18th with the four ball match sitting at the same margin. When Brent’s second left him on the mound short and right of the green, both the four ball and his singles match hung in the balance. It seemed that onlooking team mate Nathan Frew was more confident than Brent himself, that he would make up-and-down for birdie but the birdie was delivered. Clutch from the team captain to secure the final two points to finish off the 14 – 1 victory!
Well-earned refreshments followed on a beautiful day at the course. While our Division 7 and 9 teams didn’t quite have the same success, it was great to have all three teams hosting on the same day. Also great to see Premier players Sam Forrester, Phil Tuoro and Jamie Frew out caddying for players during the day. Much appreciated fellas and you are setting a great example of what club spirit really means!
While some club members were a little annoyed at the boisterous nature of our celebrations at the picnic tables, I think they were well-deserved!
Let’s use this result to kick-start our run home fellas! Looking forward to next Saturday when we host Otaki. Remembering what they did to us over there at the start of the season should be all the motivation we need to do everything we can to secure another good result!
Nathan Frew