Cambridgeshire Golf Union
Debutants fire County to win
After a two out of two start to the season for the County men’s A team the air was full of anticipation as the team set off for a difficult challenge away to Suffolk at Hintlesham GC in The Anglia league.
Out first our two past England boys players Oliver Toyer and Jake Plumb dominated the Suffolk pairing with birdies on the 4th,5th and 6th holes and never looked back and ran out winners by 4&3. Captain James McLaughlin and Teddy Hall made five birdies and an eagle to win 4&3. Debutant 15year old Ellis Kerr and Paul Hodgkin dovetailed well . Hodgkins’ experience helped Kerr as they were two down after two holes. They won the 8th and 10th holes with birdies and were 2up going down the 15th hole. A birdie and a halve followed and they ran out 3&2 winners. In the last pairing Matt Pearce and Rohan Neat came up against an in form Suffolk pairing and lost 5&4.
After the foursomes Cambridgeshire led 3-1
Toyer went out number 1in the singles and birdies on the 1st,2nd and 9th saw him run out winner by 5&4. Plumb was the second galactico out . He lost the first but birdied the four of the next five holes to win 5&4.Hall and Pearce lost their matches before Mclaughlin delivered the key moment. In a ding dong battle a mistake by the Suffolk player taking a driver on the 17th into the water moved Mclaughlin back to level and a halve on the 18th hole meant an all square match. Kerr in an impressive debut showed the team how to recover from being 3 down after 9 holes.He nearly had a hole in one on the 10th hole to win the hole. The fight back continued as he won the 11th and 15th holes to go all square . This continued to the end as his match finished all square. What an achievement for a 15 year old making his A team debut. Hodgkin was put out at the end as experience was needed . Through the first 12 holes they were all square.On the 12th hole Hodgkin hit a wedge to 10ft and had two puts to win the hole. He then won the 14th to go two up.A birdie by Suffolk narrowed the gap to 1 up.A bridie on the 16th followed for Hodgkin and this was enough to win 3&1. Another debutant consolidated the win with Rohan Neat being 2 down and turning the match around to a valuable all square at the end.
The afternoon singles went Cambridgeshire way with a 4.5 to 3.5 win. So Cambridgeshire won 7.5 to 4.5. This result meant they are joint leaders of the Anglia league with Leicestershire on 6pts. The next match in August is against Leicestershire.
Graham Goodman Director of county teams said whilst in a state of excitement after the match. “To come to Hintlesham GC and win showed the team bonding we have in the side. The development of juniors into the A team has worked extremely well these past number of years and it is showing again with the introduction of Kerr and Neat against Suffolk. We now have to prepare for the vital match against Leicestershire in August.
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