Warwickshire Golf
Boys Under 18s v Worcestershire - Match Report
WARWICKSHIRE BOYS (U18's) - Sunday 19th May 2024 - DUDLEY GC
BOYS Team Player
SPENCER TANNER (COVENTRY)
LENNON O'NEILL-KNIBBS (COVENTRY HEARSALL)
CALLUM LEE (MOOR HALL)
FREDDY MONTGOMERY (MOOR HALL)
CHARLIE ROWLEDGE (SHIRLEY)
JOEY WILLIAMS (MOOR HALL)
OLLIE CAMARGO-JONES (COVENTRY)
EDWARD HAYLE (RUGBY)
After a resounding win in their first league fixture at home to Derbyshire, Team Warwickshire's Boys (u18) got on the road to the heady heights of Dudley Golf Club to face Worcestershire in this first away tie of the season. We were greeted by wall-to-wall sunshine, with the promise of short-sleeved golf and some stunning views across the Black Country and beyond.
With many players having to prioritise exam revision, both teams were testing the strength in depth of their squads. Team Warwickshire handed u18 debuts to CHARLIE, OLLIE, and EDWARD but believe me when I say that they did not let us down!
Dudley can be fairly described as a “quirky†track, with a number of blind shots, elevation changes, narrow landing areas and no-go zones; and whilst the u18's do love to bomb their drivers, this was a test which called for patience and restraint.
It was a lesson hard learnt in the morning foursomes, with numerous lost balls and misjudged shots. Only our first pairing of SPENCER and CHARLIE came away with a win, prevailing 2&1 to secure a solitary point. The other pairings struggled on an unfamiliar course, going down to defeats (Lennon and Ed 3&2, Callum and Ollie 3&2, Freddy and Joey 4&3) to hand our hosts a 3-1 lead going into lunch.
So, with some well-earned course knowledge and a deficit to overturn, the afternoon singles would require laser focus and a strong will to win. The team was front-loaded with experience and the early signs were, quite frankly, unbelievable. An hour into the singles, Team Warwickshire was up in all 8 matches and threatening to sweep the board. However, our opponents were not going to roll over and provided some fight to turn a number of their games around.
FREDDY simply does not do close matches, and once again came away with an emphatic win by 6&5, closely followed by LENNON winning 4&3. OLLIE and CHARLIE soon capped fantastic debuts with 5&4 wins, taking our points tally to 5. With four matches still on the course, we would need a further 1½ points to take the win.
SPENCER had led for much of his match, but a misjudged wedge into 17 had airmailed the green and ended up in the thicket. The ball was found, but 2 hefty swipes were required to extricate it, and the matched headed to the 18th tee all square. Both players hit the green in regulation, with Spencer 2-putting for par. His opponent raced his first putt past and faced a tricky 3-footer back. The putt was missed, and another point was gained by a 1 up scoreline. Just another halved match required for Team Warwickshire.
Unfortunately, JOEY's match had turned against him, resulting in a 2&1 defeat, and CALLUM had suffered the same fate, also going down 2&1.
Young ED HAYLE had never played a county match before. Nevertheless, he had led for almost his entire singles match, chipping in on the par-5 13th to maintain a 3-up lead with 5 holes to play. Things were looking good here, but this was to be a baptism of fire.
With his opponent making winning birdies on 2 of the next 4 holes, this was another match which went to the 18th tee all square. After both players pushed their tee shots to the right, the Worcestershire player had found the green, leaving himself a 20-foot putt for birdie. ED faced a 50-yard pitch over an inviting bunker, with the entire county squads and the clubhouse balcony watching. His nerve held, hitting it to 30 feet. A solid first putt left a tap-in for an excellent par under pressure. His opponent's birdie putt narrowly missed, and our third debutant had secured the vital half point for the county win, maintaining Team Warwickshire's 100% start to the season.
A massive well-done to the players for this superb comeback win, and especially our three debutants who acquitted themselves brilliantly.
Huge thanks go to our host club DUDLEY GC, with club President and Captain both in attendance throughout the day, assisting out on the course, in the clubhouse with the catering, and ensuring that the club was presented at its best. Thanks to our county president Stuart Bloxham for his support during the day, and as always to our excellent set of parents.
See match results sheet for the full score breakdown.
After we take a team of 6 to the England Golf County Championships at Overstone Park on 29th May, our next league fixture is a home match against Staffordshire, to be played at Atherstone GC on Sunday 21st July.
Simon Taylor
Warwickshire Boys Team Manager
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