Gloucestershire Golf Union
The First team and U18's warmed up for the season at the weekend
On a surprisingly sunny, dry day at Minchinhampton Golf Club the County men’s 1st team took on the County U18s in their annual match for the Ralph Crisp Trophy.
The Cherington course was in fine condition and, to be honest, extremely dry. Despite the fine weather, the wind and the chill factor should have made for some challenging scoring. However, these players certainly made it look pretty easy with fine scoring as all pairings were under par. The combined total was 84 under par, equating to an average of 6 under par for each game. The top scoring came from juniors Edison Butler and Oscar Linton, with 10 under par, winning their game 2 & 1. This was a low scoring and extremely tight match. However, not to be outdone the men’s pairings of Mitch Waite and Sam Sullivan, Ash Millington and Louis Ross and Jake Phillips and Charlie McLean were all 9 under par for their respective games, taking the first 3 games. The men’s team seemed to be on a roll, but the juniors had other ideas, taking games 4 and 5. This was now becoming a real battle for both sides. In game 6 where Tom Workman and Stuart Hardy were playing Tom Chapman and James Sayce, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the juniors as Tom Workman started birdie, birdie, birdie, so eventually ran out 6 & 5 winners with his partner Stuart Hardy. The final match on the course was very ‘nip and tuck’ through the front 9 with the men’s pairing of Mike Day and Lee Hanson being 1 down at that point. The battle continued but the men’s pairing came out 3 & 2 winners with a fine 4 under par back 9.
The overall final score was 5 – 2 to the 1st team.
As always, a huge thank you to Minchinhampton and its members for their continuing support for the GGU and giving up their fine course. All credit to the greenkeeping team for presenting their course in such great condition for the time of year and to the bar and catering staff for the wonderful steak dinner which absolutely topped off a fantastic day for all.
Thank you to County President, Richard Salter for his support in this first match of 2026, bringing his Presidency almost to a close. A massive thank you to Richard for his commitment and support during his year and we wish him every success in his new role as Under16 Team Manager.
Gary Ward
Director of Men’s Golf
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