RND VETERANS v BUDE AND NORTH CORNWALL

Wednesday brought another glorious spring day as we welcomed Bude & North Cornwall for the return leg of our fixture. The course was beginning to firm up nicely, and a brisk three-club wind added an extra layer of challenge.

We had a couple of changes to our line-up: John Mounce came in for Tim Keehner, who had opted for the office over the fairways, and Andy Hood stepped in for Dave Smith—who enjoyed our visit to Bude so much that he’s now joined their ranks! Meanwhile, David Heyes—an RND member—turned out once again for Bude, earning himself a win away and a half at home.

Thanks must go to Tom Stirzaker for managing the start sheet and scorecards after I headed out to play. It’s a long-standing Burnham tradition that the Captain plays third or fourth to oversee proceedings—I believe I’ll be adopting this approach for future matches.

My own match alongside Alan Coles was closely contested, but we ultimately lost 2&1. Bude’s Mark was in exceptional form—making pars on 14 and 15 while receiving 18 shots. Even Bude’s Captain Geoff noted he’s likely to come down by six or seven shots, and I couldn’t agree more.

Andrew Sutherland and Wayne Gaish delivered a solid performance and secured a well-earned half. Having already won away, they are shaping up to be a strong partnership for our Emerton-Court campaign.

John Mounce and Mike Saunders were the standout performers of the day, winning 4&3 with 35 points and three holes still to play. John was just one over par when the match concluded on the 15th—a tremendous effort and great to see another Emerton-Court pairing in fine form.

Andy Hood, partnered with Pat McGuckin, also earned a valuable half. This was a step up from Pat’s previous outing away at Bude, and a well-deserved result.

Our fifth pairing of Dale Hurrell and George Fenton faced a particularly strong Bude replacement. Dale’s post-round comment of “never again” referred to their opponent—who produced a net birdie on 12 and a net eagle on 13 to close the match.

Neil Crossman and Tom Stirzaker had a commanding win away, but narrowly lost their home match on the final hole, putting Bude one ahead overall.

Chris Taylor and Rick Jones were involved in a closely contested game that came down to the final green. Both sides had 20-foot putts and agreed on a gentleman’s half. The Bude player then holed his putt. A good decision by RND.

Our final pair, Steve Pryor and Martin Roche, had rescued a half on the 18th at Bude—and this time, they went one better. A dominant 6&5 win brought some much-needed cheer and ensured a positive finish to the day.

It was an excellent and very evenly-matched contest, full of competitive spirit, good humour, and sportsmanship. Credit must go to their captain Geoff, who I’ve known for many years, and his team. Special mentions to their new member Mark and RND’s own David Heyes, who both secured 1.5 points over the two matches, and to late replacement Clive Sombrero, who contributed a point at RND.

The atmosphere in the bar afterwards was full of the usual camaraderie and laughter. The food was excellent, as always, and the bar takings were clearly boosted by some well-earned refreshments.

Nearest the pin honours went to John Mounce for RND (just ahead of yours truly), while Allan Marsh—second out for Bude—hit a superb shot to ten feet to claim the prize for the visitors.

Gary Fisher

Veterans Captain

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