MATCH REPORT GLOUCESTERSHIRES V DEVON
Sunday 18TH SAUNTON
The first channel league match of the season for Gloucestershire was against Devon at Saunton golf club. with near perfect sunny conditions throughout the weekend and a stunning condition golf course this was going to be a great match! and so it proved. In the morning foursomes the 1st pairing of Ollie glaze & Nick Day were in control after being 4 up through 5 holes against local favourites, John White & Anthony Bradley. but a great fight back from the Devon pair and a few loose shots from the Gloucester pair saw Devon win the match 2 & 1. Match 2 saw the Devon pair always slightly up on Andy hale & Chris Evans and ran out winners 3 & 2. In match 3 the experienced pair of Mat Stanford & Andy Rudge were up against Max Burrows & Sam Edwards, but it was the Devon pair who played the good golf to win 4 & 3 and put Devon 3-0 up.
It was not looking good at this point with the new pairing of Shane Winstone & Laurie Potter (who was making his debut at Saunton) playing against Adam Bridgwater & Lloyd Gardner but with near faultless golf the Gloucestershire pair ran out the winners 4 & 3.
With this much needed point it was down to the experience of Dave wood & Rich Carter to give us a final point of the morning foursomes, they did with a 2 & 1 win over James Diamond & Harrison Greenberry to leave Gloucestershire 3-2 down going into the singles.
The afternoon saw both sides fielding their stronger players out first. Match 1 was going to be a cracker! Andy Rudge was up against England player John White and it was John who took the early lead. but on the back nine Andy played perfect golf and with birdies on the 15th & 16th to finish with 4 & 2 victory. A great start, soon after Nick Day in match 2 held on to win on the last against James Diamond. it should have finished on the 17th but Nick missed a very short putt but made it up by holing a 12 footer on the last to give point number 2 to Gloucestershire.
Shane Winstone in match 3 played superb golf, he was 4 under par when he defeated the experienced Damien Gee. A perfect start but Devon fought back winning match 4 with Sam Edwards defeating Andy Hale. In match 5 soon Ollie Glaze produced a great comeback after being 4 down through 5 against Harrison Greenberry Ollie produced some fine golf at the right time to go on to win 2 & 1.
With 4 wins in the bag and with 2 more needed for victory Devon battled back in match 6 with Chris Evans losing out to some good scoring by David Blick. At this stage it was going to be close! The tail of the Gloucestershire side all played a big part in what was truly a great result! match 7 saw Rich Carter go up the last 1up but a fantastic birdie by Anthony Bradley resulted in a half point.
Dave Wood in match 8 was playing against Adam Bridgwater and in a close battle from two very good experienced players it was Dave wood who came out on top with a 2 & 1 win.
With just a half a point needed it was fitting that Laurie Potter, playing at Saunton for the first time, produced brilliant golf and won his match 3 & 2 over Lloyd Gardner to give Gloucestershire victory! But it was not quite over. Former Walker Cup player Mat Stanford was Gloucestershire's rear gunner! He produced a fantastic birdie on the 17th to win his match 2 & 1 against Max Burrow and give Gloucestershire a 7.5 -2.5 victory in the singles and overall success with a 9.5 -5.5 win.
County Captain Nigel Thompson was over the moon with this result saying “After the 1st 3 matches in the morning I was a very worried man! But once again as they nearly always do, the team produced the goods when it was needed! I am so proud of every player! They are so committed to their county and also their team mates! I believe I have one of the best squads I have ever been involved with and I am so proud to be their Captain. This result gives us great belief and great confidence for the season ahead. I feel that this year we can win everything we play in! I must also mention Laurie Potter who had a fantastic weekend with a 100% win record. He is in this team on merit and hard work and has played very well over the winter months. His selection to the 1st team was justified and he has a great future ahead of him.”
The next match will be at South West week in June at Trevose and Devon will be seeking revenge as will all the other counties when we attempt to retain the Match Play Shield. We will also try our hardest to qualify for the English finals which will be very tough.
Finally I must thank Saunton golf club for their hospitality and a perfect conditioned golf course for all the players to enjoy!
Nigel Thompson
County Captain 0779 3125528
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