Page 194 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

The Ri es Golf Society (TRGS) 2017
The Ri es Golf Society (TRGS) season is still ensure a two-putt and the round was halved. Sadly
THE GOLF WAS ONE ELEMENT
BUT HAVING TO FOREGO THE BERKSHIRE’S ELEGANT TEAS WAS A HARSH PRICE TO PAY!
in full ow; 6 matches of a potential 12 played. The Slashers GS and Farmers’ Boys GS have contested the Burma Cup as well as pursuing their own attractive xtures.
The Ri es v Eton Boys GS – 23rd February / 4th May
Having attracted a strong team, it was disappointing for Julian Byng, TRGS Match Manager, that gales and driving rain forced the postponement of this season’s opener against the Eton Boys GS. Equally frustrating, therefore, when the rearranged xture in May was also called off on a glorious summers day because the Eton master was ill. The golf was one element but having to forego The Berkshire’s elegant teas was a harsh price to pay!
The Ri es v OWGS, Berkshire GC – 15th May
The OEGS match on the preceding day made team selection challenging and TRGS was only able to muster four players (2x pairs): Simon Booth-Mason, Simon Hazlitt, Cameron Reeves and Simon Toynbee – players do NOT need to be christened ‘Simon’ to make selection; other names WILL do! Even then, availability in the afternoon pushed the match into a morning round only. Nevertheless, the warm spring weather had allowed the greens to be beautifully manicured and all was well in the world until -
Hazlitt and Toynbee found the Winchester pair of Hudson and Brownrigg too good and went down 4 and 3. Reeves and Booth-Mason, stubbornly countered another strong Winchester pair and were only one down on the 18th tee. A nal push, a ne tee shot from Booth-Mason was close enough to
this was the sole score for TRGS who lost the match by 1⁄2 - 11⁄2: a fair result. Nevertheless, a tremendous lunch among excellent company made the occasion highly enjoyable.
The Ri es v OEGS, Swinley Forest GC – 20th May
Nine golfers arrived to play against the Old Etonians GS at Swinley Forest GC, a spurt of enthusiasm for which the Match Manager, Alistair Maxwell, fell on his sword. He was reprieved when Tom Copinger- Symes and Al Field announced that they could only play in the morning and with Simon Booth-Mason available in the afternoon, Alistair was able to lead his team on course after lunch. There the good news ended. Campbell Paget and Stuart Quick were the only pair to score a point in the morning rounds and, in spite of the Managers enthusiasm, all ve pairs were to lose in the afternoon. A nal score line of 1and 6 was a humbling result.
AOGS Summer Meet – Inter Regimental Championship – 15th & 16th June
The Argyll and Sutherland Bowl
The 2017 Meet was played at Royal St Georges GC , Sandwich Kent – a ‘Links’ course and one of the Open Championship courses; the Open Amateur Championship was scheduled for the following week and as a result the course was fast. Swept by sea breezes the conditions were challenging even though the weather was fair.
The Argyll & Sutherland Bowl is a ‘Match Play’ tournament where teams of 4 players seek to achieve a better score than opponents at each hole and, therefore, the round is contested through all 18 holes with the number of ‘Holes won’ deciding the match result with the ‘winner’ proceeding to the subsequent round.
The number of Regimental teams this year was disappointing: TRGS could only enter the one team but in all there were only three teams and with a modi cation of the ‘knockout’ element, TRGS team of Cameron Reeves (Captain), Alistair Field (Chair TRGS), Sam Cates and Henry Hughes were Runners Up to the Guards GS ‘A’ team.
The Ri es V the Wine Trade, Swinley Forest GC – 17th June
The TRGS team of Simon Booth-Mason, Julian Byng, James Cunliffe, Hugh Dumas, Al Field, Toby Harris, Colin Kaye, Tom Knight, Campbell Paget, Stuart Quick, Cameron Reeves and Nicholas Taylor turned out for this competitive yet social xture and, surviving the highly enjoyable lunch, maintained a grip on the match holding on to Win 6 and 4.
The lunch was excellent as usual with the Wine Trade Captain kindly providing some excellent White and Red (Burgundy) wine from his own Vineyard. Not to be undone, the Ri es Captain matched this generosity with a bottle of vintage Port (Warre’s 1983) for the Port Game (Guess both the Vintage and Shipper) which has become traditional in this match. As nobody guessed the Vintage nor shipper all present agreed that the Proceeds (£110) would be Gifted to Ri eman’s Aid.
The Ri es v The Guards GS, The Berkshire – 9th July
The TRGS team of Henry Hughes (Manager), Ben Baldwin, Julian Byng, Hugh Dumas, Nick Hyslop, Cameron Reeves, David Taylor and Martin Lee Warner enjoyed their day at The Berkshire GC playing against the Guards GS in glorious weather. Player availability over the whole day required a reduced format with a single round 4-ball in the morning.
The match was nely poised at the outset but today the Guards brought their A game. Henry Hughes and David Taylor squandered a lead on the back nine: the former distracted by thoughts of his new son teething at home, the latter by a new love interest which seemed to cause a persistent and far reaching hook. A three putt from Taylor on the 16th ruined the Ri es’ chances.
In other matches Hugh Dumas and Julian Byng gallantly earned a half making full use of their local knowledge. But the Ri es were left wanting and responsibility must lie at the match manager’s feet for selection decisions and a failure to sharpen his short game this year.
The nal score line of 1⁄2 - 31⁄2 in the Guards’ GS favour suggests that the Manager’s optimism following the 2016 match that “victory was but a ngertip away” did not materialise but there is always next year!
The Berkshire GC
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