Tudor Park Golf Course
With this year’s renewal now just days away, we at last have confirmed news of both the venue and the line-ups. After trialling a number of courses and venues in the Kentish region South Team captain, Simon Cole, settled on the parkland course at Tudor Park near Maidstone.
The 6085 yards, par 70 course is described as weaving its way through the rolling countryside of an ancient deer park and features narrow fairways, mature trees and a good variety of holes. It looks set up to provide a fair challenge, hopefully leading to a tight, competitive match. The hotel where the players will stay for the duration of the match is right on the course. Part of the Marriott chain, it looks to be more than comfortable, with all the right facilities (i.e. a bar).
Tudor Park Hotel
And so the team news. North, the holders, led by joint all-time leading points scorer Darren Mountain, show wholesale changes from 2009: out go Calla, Trevor Hooley, Sam Wilkinson and that year’s captain ‘Jack’ Horner, to be replaced by three debutants and one slightly more experienced campaigner. The latter is Jimmy Curley, who acquitted himself well enough on his only previous appearance in 2007 at the Suffolk. The three other newbies are Graham Copley, Ady Clough and Phil Cawtheray – a mixed bag generally but familiar faces to many from their Calco Cup performances over the years.
9th Green at Tudor Park
For the hosts, the South team, led this time by the ever-present, quiet but determined Cole, there are also some notable changes. Kevin Fernandez, drafted in from his nearby Yorkshire home as a late replacement in 2009 will not travel to Kent. Nor will Robert Avis, despite his strong golf last time out. Most surprising though is the absence of Simon Hodern, apparently due to prior football commitments (at his age?), who has played in every Ryder Cup match thus far – this is bound to hurt South’s mental edge a little (Hordern being a notoriously tough competitor) but as the stats show, his actual points contribution down the years has been less than stellar. Coming in for the South are the returning Dave Hubbard (2005 , 2007) and the rookies Kevin Ulla (transport problems allowing) and Ian Grundy, both thought to be handy golfers.
Regrettably neither captain was reachable for comment on their selections so we shall leave it at that and look forward to next weekend and what will hopefully be another gripping match.
Teams in full:-
South are Simon Cole*, David Bell, Ian Grundy, Dave Hubbard, Ben Moyle, Kevin Ulla, Mark Wallis and Gavin Whitworth.
North are Darren Mountain*, Phil Cawtheray, Ady Clough, Graham Copley, Jimmy Curley, Peter Forster, Steve Hardwick and Mark Wallis.
REVISION, ADDS CAPTAINS’ COMMENTS.
Darren “Ice Man” Mountain: “[T]he team is looking fit & strong. Everyone is raring to go and our rookies this year could tip the balance for a famous away victory!”
Simon Cole: “Me and the rest of the South team look forward to welcoming Darren and his guys down to the ‘garden of England’ next week. I think it’s going to be another close contest but I’m confident my combination of gnarled veterans and exciting rookies will just have enough to bring the Cup back south. Can’t wait to get started – may many putts and beers be sunk over the weekend !”
12th Green at Tudor Park