Players watch the conclusion at 18th
The away team took a 6-2 lead into today’s singles contests, the same advantage that they held at home two years ago when only a half won by Callaghan on the 18th saved them from an embarrassing 8-8 tie. South have made a tradition now of performing strongly in the singles but the familiarity of the feeling that they had a mountain to climb did not imply they had much hope of doing so – they needed to restrict North to 1½ of the 8 points here to win the contest: a nameless home team member was heard to suggest it was a 66-1 shot! This said, the draw had its merits for South: both captains looked to have spread their stronger players fairly evenly but taking each match-up on its own merits there were only perhaps a couple where South wouldn’t have at least fancied their chances.
Bravely leading from the front, Simon Cole was first out against 2009 top player Mark Wallis (N) but he failed to make a captain’s start losing the first and second holes to decent scores from Wallis. The match playing alongside was Grundy vs Forster where the North low-handicapper was naturally well-fancied, even if he hadn’t been quite at the top of his game Friday. Mark Wallis (S) faced old-timer Hardwick in match three – without a point to his name so far the mercurial, competitive southerner clearly wanted to make his contribution for the team but knew an in-form Hardwick might be a tough nut to crack – no shots given or received in this one. This group was completed by Moyle vs Cawtheray, a difficult one to call with the northerner having played well enough to take two points yesterday, but Moyle, playing just a few miles from his home, also showing signs of life – in fact there were early fireworks with Cawtheray winning the first two holes in good scores and then losing the short par 4 3rd to an outrageous chip-in from well left of the green.
North debutant Copley, showing signs of nerves before his Saturday singles match
The weather here was cloudy and cool at the start, with just a little intermittent wind, which will have suited the players some of whom were showing the effects of yesterday’s sunshine. One of the latter indeed was David Bell who was fifth up for his team facing Adie Clough for the North, Clough favourite in that one, though it would develop into an excellent match as the two of them were past the turn before they halved a hole. Keeping them company in this group was Whitworth against northern captain Darren Mountain, another match-up of 18-handicappers which could easily swing either way. Match seven pitted the steady but point-less Ulla for South against Jimmy Curley, Ulla expected to do enough to take it, whilst bringing up the rear were two high-handicappers in Hubbard and Copley where, based on yesterday’s play, North would expect a point.
The fine Tudor Park course was quite busy today and unfortunately there was severe congestion for the players as they reached the 4th tee. More unfortunate still for South (as the wait meant the teams were able to communicate at this point) was the discovery that they were behind in all eight matches – and two holes behind in many of these! South hopes were left forlorn and there was a distinct sense at this point that they were left playing only for pride. But as the play stretched out towards the turn a number of matches began to turn: Cole, Wallis (S) and Bell had all reversed deficits in their matches by the 9th, whilst Moyle, Ulla and Grundy had fought back to all-square. The contest between Whitworth and Mountain stood at plus two to North but only due to some stunning scrambled saves from the northern captain, so that the only match which really looked like a definite North point was the final one where Copley, playing tremendously, led by five holes against Hubbard. Against expectations the Cup was suddenly right back in play!
Ian Grundy went on to play a tremendous round on singles debut and his match became the first point on the board for the home side when he took it 3 up after 16 holes, having taken great advantage of the shots he received through those last few holes. And whilst the Cole vs Wallis match-up remained close through the back 9 and was not won until the last, the home captain did his job taking it 1 up.
Finished players watch the nail-biting conclusion at 18th green
In the group behind both matches were proving quite a tussle, and momentum within the four-ball must have been a factor as both swung back and forth in a similar manner on the home stretch. Wallis, having had his nose in front at the turn, lost three holes in a row to Hardwick’s par golf but then fought back again winning the next four holes so that when the two of them tied the 17th in threes, the win fell to the South 2&1. Match score 5-6. Alongside them Moyle vs Cawtheray, having turned all square, likewise went intially in North’s favour as the latter joined his teammate in taking holes 10, 11 and 12, to lead by three. But Moyle hung in there for a couple of holes and then suddenly turned up the heat, pulling pars out of the bag at 15, 16 & 17 to get the match all square on the eighteenth tee, which must have left Cawtheray on the brink mentally. Terrible bad luck saw Moyle’s superior drive bounce sideways off a fairway marker and up against the trunk of one of the huge, spreading oak trees that border the corner of the par four dog-leg here; his recovery shot from there was a good effort, but left him in even worse position in a ditch, under a handsome weeping willow tree still some way from the green. With North’s ball on the green in three, this game looked for all the world like North’s first point of the day but Moyle, totally unsighted but with little other option than to go for it, fired his ball through the willow branches and, to the utter astonishment of the watching northerners who thought him dead and buried, ended up 6 foot from the pin! Hearts racing no doubt, neither player made a great job of their first putt but when Cawtheray missed his second from just a couple of feet Moyle made no mistake and took the win.
With the match score then standing at 6-6 and teams probably expecting a point each from the final group, attention now turned to matches 5 and 6. Bell had played strongly around the middle section of the course and leading his opponent by two after thirteen and although Clough fought back strongly the southerner remained one up as this group teed off on the par 3 17th. Meanwhile Mountain’s erratic play from tee to green had caught up with him on the home stretch and Whitworth was also one hole to the good. If these two could close out their leads, South would need just a half point from Ulla or Hubbard behind to take back the Cup. Whether the players knew this or not they certainly realised it might be close, and perhaps it was this pressure that caused Bell to hook his tee shot badly, and then, playing via the greenside bunker, lose the hole to a five from Clough. Whitworth was much steadier and fancied he would have his eight-footer for the match until Mountain’s sensational hole-out from near twenty feet turned that same putt into a real tester for a half, which test he failed. Both matches went to 18 all square!
Close on their heels, despite a remarkable fightback from Hubbard who won four of five holes from the 10th, Copley would close out his match when he halved the second last, capping an excellent debut showing. And incredibly a fifth match of the day was was going to be decided on the 18th, with nothing able to separate Ulla and Curley, both playing excellent golf.
The deciding contests on the 18th green
Bell and Clough both pulled final their drives to the left but the lies were such that it took the southerner one extra shot to get back in play, so that when Clough’s excellent approach shot ran right up the apron onto the front of the eighteenth green Bell’s only hope was to fire straight in over the bunkers at the back left flag – from around 110 yards a shot well beyond his normal capabilities, to the amazement of the watching players however he pulled it off leaving himself a makeable putt which could win him the hole if the pressure got to Clough. Whitworth’s drive had been top notch, one of the best we’ve seen at 18 all weekend, but his approach and chip onto the green were less good so that with Mountain again scrambling, out of the bunker to about 15 feet, they would both likely have a putt for their match.
Mountain has an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time: it was his recovery play on the final hole in 2007 that had beaten Moyle and secured the retention of the Cup for North. As chance would have it he was again to strike the fatal blow, brilliantly rolling in his putt and, with Whitworth unable to match him, taking the point that meant North had 8 in the bag and would at least retain. Clough made no mistake with his first putt so that when Bell failed to sink his six-footer the debutant was able to finish off his match and give North the outright win. Of course the teams stayed surrounding the eighteenth green to watch the gallant pair of Ulla and Curley take a half point each before celebrations and commiserations began in earnest.