Cambridgeshire Golf Union
51 year wait is over for March as they win the Jock Stewart Trophy
The 66th running of the Jock Stewart Memorial Trophy took place over the Links, Newmarket golf course last Saturday. The finalists were March GC and Saffron Walden GC.
On the way to the final March had defeated Thorpe Wood, Heydon Grange, Meridian and Ely City. Saffron Walden had progressed after wins against Cambridge Country Club, Girton and Ramsey.
It was a 36 hole final played with 3 foursomes pairs in different handicap categories and all played off scratch.
At lunchtime after the morning foursomes, March held the advantage by 2 matches to 1. It was close though with March 2 up in matches 1 and 2 and Saffron Walden just 1 up in the 3rd match.
Unfortunately the Saffron Walden pair of Tom Price and Chris Reynolds were up against a big hitting youngster in Fabian Durdant-Hollamby and his steady partner Lewis Hearn who ran away in the match winning by 6 & 5.
At this point in the afternoon the other two matches were much closer with Saffron Walden 1 up after 31 holes and the 3rd match all square so it was all to play.
Sadly for the Saffron Walden 2nd pair of Simon Hawkins and Ian Watson they were not able to hang on to their slender lead and ended up losing to Chris Hadlow and Mark Crawley on the last green.
The final match also went the way of March when Paul Corney and James Shepherd won a tightly contested match by 2 & 1 against the Walden pair of John Ridout and David Monk.
The iconic trophy was presented to the March team captain for the day Chris Hadlow who was standing in for Steve Durdant- Hollamby.
Amazingly it is the first time March GC have won the Jock Stewart since 1974 a mere 51 years ago.
Many thanks must go to the CAGU Treasurer Alan Todd who was referee for the day and to the support of the final by Michael Smith, acting President of CAGU, the Links captain James Greenall and the Links President Andy Wylie.
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