Warwickshire Golf
REVIEW of MIDLANDS SOUTH COUNTY MATCH WEEK
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Sunday 19th, Practice Day
Sunday 19th June 2016 saw the Warwickshire Ladies County Golf Team commence proceedings for Midlands South County Match Week. The venue for 2016 is Temple Golf Club near Maidenhead with Berkshire being the host County this year.
Practice day today for all the teams but from a Warwickshire point of view the excitement of the day came when Yen PHAM (Shirley) got her first Hole in One on the Par 3, 13th hole of 117 yards!! Well done her.
We wish our Team well for the week and don't forget, if you have a spare day and you can come to Temple, the Team, County Captain and President would be delighted to see you.
Monday 20th June - Day 1
Midlands South County Match Week commenced today at Temple Golf Club, near Maidenhead and runs each day this week until Friday evening.
The Warwickshire Team were first out today drawn against home County, Berkshire. None of the Teams were prepared though for the morning weather and with extremely heavy rain, the morning Foursomes matches for all Teams were called off, as the greens flooded, this occuring when the first players had reached the 4th green, soaking wet!!
The afternoon play consisted of 6 Singles matches and by the time they started, the rain had cleared and playing conditions, though not perfect were acceptable for golf.
Again our Team played Berkshire with Gemma BRADBURY (Coventry Hearsall GC) leading the pack against a very experience player, Laura WEBB. After the match, Gemma admitted that she had been out played this afternoon as Laura had played very well, eventually taking the match 7 and 5.
Yen PHAM (Shirley GC) was drawn against Lizzie SWALLOW and after both having birdies on the second hole, the Berkshire player went one up after another on the 6th. Many holes went to Par for both players and when Lizzie scored another Birdie on the 16th, this match also went the way of Berkshire 3 and 1.
The third match saw Coventry GC player, Adelle MIDDLETON against Djura MACRAE-STOELWINDER. Throughout this match it was very close and could have gone to either player but in a fight to the end Adelle lost her match 3 and 1.
Charlotte PRIDDLE (Moor Hall GC) played Becky WEBB in match 4 with Charlotte starting very well and going 2 up after 3 holes. Becky then had a run of single putts through holes 4 to 8, overtaking Charlotte to go 3 up after 8. With a run of very solid play, Charlotte won holes 10, 11 and 12 and then 14th and 15th holes to go 2 up. This was after a call to the referee for a decision on 15th green where Charlotte's ball was not only plugged but half on and half off the green. Charlotte lost her ball and thus the hole on 17 but went on to win her match 1 up.
Match 5 saw Kelly KNIGHT (Nuneaton GC) drawn against Linda HUNT. Kelly's play from Tee to Green was very sound but according to her you can't win matches by 3 putting 5 greens!! She found judging the pace very difficult today and went down to Linda 6 and 4.
In the final match for Warwickshire the very experienced Lisa BARTON (Coventry GC) played Tracy CREW. This match was nip and tuck all way round and according to Lisa, the match was decided on a few missed putts. Although the result was a win to Tracy 4 and 3, it was considered the the score did not really reflect the whole match.
Well after one day, Warwickshire had a poor start in losing the Singles 5 games to 1 but tomorrow is another day and they will come out fighting, this time against Buckinghamshire.
Tuesday 21st June - Day 2
What a difference a day makes, weather wise. Today, Tuesday the sun shone with blue skies and really quite warm and all the golfers welcomed this change.
On Day 2, Warwickshire was drawn to play against Buckinghamshire who were the overall winners in 2015 at Harborne GC. After some excellent play overall in the Foursomes from both sides, the morning result went the way of Bucks 2 1/2 to 1/2. At this level, there are only very small margins where errors or luck take place and although the scores do not always look as if the games have been competitive, believe me they have. Having lost the first two matches, Claire HOWELLS and Julia BURTON (both from Moor Hall GC) came in with a halved match. The Warwickshire girls all seemed to like the first hole though, a great opening hole, as all three pairs won this hole!!
For the afternoon Singles matches, the order of play was Adelle MIDDLETON (Coventry GC), Maria TOLEDO BAILEY (Walmley GC), Lisa BARTON (Coventry GC), Charlotte PRIDDLE (Moor Hall GC), Gemma BRADBURY (Coventry Hearsall GC) and Yen PHAM (Shirley GC).
The first two matches showed quite big losses for Warwickshire, but really from Tee to Green there was not much between Adelle and her opponent Shamiso HATCHARD. Whilst Adelle was never up in the match, on looking back at the individual holes that she lost, it was down to having more putts than her opponent. My, the greens looked difficult for all players throughout this afternoon!
In Maria's match against Alice KOZLOWSKI, this was the first occasion this 15 year old had been to County Match Week, let alone play a singles match! Although not going the distance, she by no means let the side down. For instance on the 5th short Par 3 hole, Maria completed the hole with an excellent Par and looking confident, only to have Alice sink a long putt for Birdie, with a similar situation occuring later in the match on the 10th. After the match, Maria commented that she had been quite nervous, but had really enjoyed the occasion and was very proud to wear the Warwickshire colours. What a pity that in this her first match. she was drawn against Alice, a young lady who had one of those days when nothing went wrong.
Lisa cheered up the watching crowd and gave the Warwickshire Team a great lift when she came in with a win this afternoon, 5 and 4, playing against Gillian KINNEAR. After making an excellent start, she managed to hold on very well, making Birdies on 2nd and 8th holes. On the 8th, a 198 yard Par 3, her drive finished just 12 inches from the pin - what a shot. Lisa, unlike many players, putted very well for her win on the 14th.
After her success in the singles on Monday, great expectations were hoped for from Charlotte, who today played against Chloe LI. The first 4 holes were halved but then she lost the 5th to a Birdie and then the 7th to Par which meant that after 9 holes she was 2 down. Charlotte did win the 10th but Chloe won 12, 13, 14 and 16th holes, having 2 further Birdies, eventually winning 3 and 2.
Then the Warwickshire Team was uplifted again when Gemma against Georgina BOWERS and Yen against Clara LEATHERS, won their matches. In Gemma's case the match was extremely close and proved to be an excellent match. Gemma was 2 down after 13 but with a Birdie 3 on the 14th and another win on 15th, the match went All Square. The first time Gemma was up was on the 16th and by now she was quite determined not to let her lead get away. True to her thoughts, they halved the 17th and 18th, with Gemma winning the match 1 up.
In Yen's match, she won the 1st to Par and 5th to Bogey, halving all other Front 9 holes. After the 13th though, having lost 12 and 13, she was now All Square but fighting on she then won 14 and 15 and then 17 winning her match 3 and 1.
As you can see from the above, not many Birdies were evident in these matches as the greens, quite small in many instances, seemed to be the winners today!
Wednesday 22nd June - Day 3
Boosted by the late wins in the Singles matches yesterday, the Warwickshire Ladies were determined to continue with their good play and winning ways on Day 3. Todays' opponents were Northamptonshire, who like Warwickshire had not posted a win yet this week, so both had alot to play for.
Morning Foursomes matches kicked off with Rachel RUSTED partnering Gemma BRADBURY, followed by new pairings of Helen DELLOW (Stoneleigh Deer Park) and Julia BURTON and Yen PHAM and Lisa BARTON, all good strong pairings on paper.
Rachel and Gemma had a nip and tuck match with very little between them and their opponents - All Square after 6 holes, again after 12 holes and finally ending the match All Square!
After 6 holes Helen and Julia had gone 1 down but had pulled it back by 12th and were 1 up - good move. The next holes were not so good for them though, as by the 17th, the match had swung the other way and they lost there, 2 and 1.
On the other hand Yen and Lisa were flying. After 6 holes they were 1 up which had increased to 3 up after 12. With only a further 2 holes played, they finished on the 14th, winning 5 and 4. What a great win for them, meaning that Warwickshire and Northamptonshire shared the spoils in the morning with 1 1/2 wins each. All to play for in the afternoon Singles.
Team selection for the Singles matches had Claire HOWELLS drawn against Mary MacLAREN, two very experienced players and old adverseries, Lisa BARTON against Charlotte TAYLOR and Julia BURTON against Rachel SMITH. In the following 3 matches, Charlotte PRIDDLE played Thalia MARTIN, Kelly KNIGHT played Becky MacLAREN with Yen PHAM again bringing up the rear against Rosie YOUNGMAN.
In Claire's match, having gone 2 down quite early, she had difficulty in making the score go her way as after 6 holes she was still 2 down and again after 12 holes. Having lost a further hole she stood on the 15th Tee 3 down. Losing the 15th also, this meant that on this occasion, Mary from Northants had come out the winner. With many more encounters expected in the future, I expect Claire will get her revenge!!
On the other hand Lisa's match with Charlotte went back and forth with some excellent play. At the 10th hole, Lisa went 4 up and seemed to have the match in hand when she chipped in from a tight lie at the back of the green. However, 11th and 12th were lost to a par by Charlotte who then went on to have an inspired spell with Birdies on 15th, 17th and 18th holes. Such a ding dong battle, it is a shame that someone had to win!
In match 3 Julia, who had played so well in the morning Foursomes, went out with great determination, eventually winning her match 2 up. On 198 yard, Par 3 8th, she hit a fantastic Tee shot and holed the putt for a Birdie, repeating this on the 196 yard Par 3 10th! Julia must like long Par 3's!! On the 14th she chipped to 6 inches to win the hole and then went on to win on 16th.
Charlotte played some very steady golf throughout but by 6th hole she was 1 down even though she had sunk a 25 ft putt on 5th to win the hole. However, she pulled back well and by 12th she was now 1 up. This match went all the way, eventually being halved.
In match 5, Kelly again played some very steady golf attaining lots of Pars. She too managed to go 1 up after 12, having been 1 down after 6th hole. She made a great recovery from under the trees on 14th, going on to win the hole and then on 16th, she pitched and putted to win the match with a Birdie, winning 3 and 2. Well done Kelly.
Bringing up the rear, once again was Yen, who played very steadily once again. Despite her opponent Rosie having Birdies on 1st, 12th and 14th holes (Yen also had a Birdie on 14th) she was up all the way building her advantage as the round progressed. 2 up after 6, moving to 3 up after 12 she then finished the match by winning the 16th to win 4 and 3. Yen has played some fantastic, steady golf over the three days and with an excellent win also this morning, she seems to be on a roll.
Well the first win of the week for the Warwickshire Team and the Team spirit is great - well done them.
Thursday 23rd June - Day 4
Yesterday was such a good result for Warwickshire that they were determined not to let it slip.
The Foursomes pairings for today were Gemma BRADBURY & Rachel RUSTED, Claire HOWELLS & Julia BURTON and Charlotte PRIDDLE & Kelly KNIGHT and the Warwickshire team were second off.
Gemma & Rachel were drawn against Alice BROOKS & Sarah CRANTON (Herefordshire & Worcestershire) and on paper this was due to be real battle. Shock horror, by the 6th the Worcestershire pair had gone 6 up! Our girls steadied the ship however but after 12th they were still 6 down. A late run by Gemma and Rachel pulled back 3 holes, eventually losing on the 15th, 4 and 3.
Second out, Claire and Julia played against Hayley NOEL & Karen GREENFIELD and by 6th hole were 3 up having had birdies on 1st and 6th holes and were still up after 12 holes. Hayley & Karen then took hold of the match winning the next few holes but our girls held on well winning the match 2 and 1 after Julia had made an excellent chip shot close to the pin on 17th.
In the final match of the morning, Charlotte and Kelly were paired against Anna ROCK & Sarah NICKLIN. This was the closest match of the morning but happily Charlotte and Kelly were 1 up after the 6th hole and then the 12th hole and with this match going the distance, they finished All Square.
Once again a good morning for Warwickshire ending 1 1/2 points to each Team - Lets hope that the afternoon Singles matches go our way.
Gemma BRADBURY, Yen PHAM, Claire HOWELLS, Adelle MIDDLETON, Kelly KNIGHT and Lisa BARTON were the team for the this afternoon - let battle commence.
Gemma, first out was playing against the very talented golfer Lucy WALTON and Gemma took first advantage by chipping in out of the long rough for a par on the 3rd hole, winning that hole. By the 6th she was 2 up having again saved her par by chipping out of long rough and through trees. Still 2 up after 12 holes, on 13th she had a great up and down from back of green, through a puddle to win the hole! Gemma went on to win her match and hopefully set the scene for the afternoon. Her Caddy commented "she played awesome!"
In match 2 Yen, who has played so well all week was pitched against Sarah CRANTON, a very experienced Worcestershire player. This match was extremely close all round with Yen up after 6 holes but then losing it after 12, going 1 down. She had had great birdies on 5th and 7th holes. Still All Square on 18th Tee, Sarah drove the green (240+ yards!!) and won the hole with a Birdie - what a match.
Claire was drawn against an in form Anna ROCK who after 5 holes was 5 up! Claire reduced this to 4 down after 6 but went on to lose the match 7 and 6. Claire had put the ball in good positions and was very straight all round, but today Anna was just in top form.
Experienced Karen GREENFIELD was the opponent for Adelle this afternoon in match 4 and by the 6th hole had gone 2 ahead even though Adelle had won that hole. Adelle won the 12th but by this time she was 5 down and with Karen winning the 13th she won the match 6 and 5. All down to putting which on the day, Karen did better.
Kelly played against Laura YAPP and although Laura went 1 up on the 3rd, Kelly won 5th and 6th to go 1 ahead at this stage. With Laura winning 7th to get All Square, Kelly's Tee shot then hit the flag stick on the long Par 3 10th and sinking her putt went All Square. In this ding dong match, Laura then won the 14th, with Kelly winning the 16th to go 1 up which she retained until the 18th Tee. Laura then went on to win the 18th to square the match, and what a match this must have been, very little in it all round and probably a fair result all round.
Bringing up the rear was Lisa against Alica BROOKS. Lisa had gone 3 down after 6 holes and although she steadied the ship, could not reduce the defecit by the 12th. Pulling back one hole, she eventually lost the match 3 and 1.
Conditions were difficult today as there had been very heavy rain overnight which made the greens quite difficult to manage. A delay of 30 minutes in the afternoon's play due to heavy rain and with flooded greens again, did nothing to assist the putting! Very close matches this afternoon where obviously it was a case of who could adjust to the conditions the best.
Friday 24th June - Day 5
With better weather today our Warwickshire Ladies were determined to finish with a flourish and that they did!
First off in the Foursomes were Claire HOWELLS & Adelle MIDDLETON playing against Cara GAINER & Kate EVANS from Oxfordshire. Our girls went ahead on the 2nd when Adelle chipped in from off the green for a Birdie, what a good start. However after the 6th they had lost the advantage and were 1 down. All Square after 12 holes they continued in this vein with a well contested match finishing All Square on the 18th.
Rachel RUSTED had a new partner this morning in Helen DELLOW (Stoneleigh Deer Park GC) and they too were 1 up after 6 holes. In a similar fashion to the first match out they continued with very steady play going right to the end to gain yet another Half.
In the third match out Julia BURTON and Lauren BEAMAN, a 17 year old who had not played previously this week but who had been out supporting her colleagues when not practising. What an inspired decision it was by Captain, Margaret SHEEPY to put these two out together, as after 6 holes they were 5 up!! With excellent Par golf, they were still up by 5 at the turn, but then the wheels fell off somewhat with them losing 3 holes, but they managed a win going 2 up on the 18th. What a good introduction to County Match Week for Lauren.
What a good start to the final day leading the Oxfordshire Team by 2 points to 1. Can they continue in this rich vein of confidence this afternoon?
Team selection for the singles saw Kelly KNIGHT, Gemma BRADBURY, Yen PHAM, Lisa BARTON, Maria TOLEDO BAILEY and Charlotte PRIDDLE playing and they were first out this afternoon.
Kelly was playing against Millie ANDERSON who had an inspired game and was 3 under gross after the 13th! By the 6th Kelly was 3 down even though she had chipped in from 30 ft on the 2nd and had holed a very long putt to win the hole on the 11th. Her match finished on the 13th losing 6 and 5, but as she said later "I just met someone today who could do no wrong in spite of what I have achieved!"
To counteract things, Gemma playing against Victoria HART came out on top, winning by 2 up. The Oxfordshire player holed a few putts early on and had 3 Birdies in the first 6 holes to go 2 up whilst Gemma's putts were just not dropping. Gemma played very steadily having a couple of cheeky halves to stay in the match, but was still 2 down on 15th Tee. She recovered from a wayward drive with a great pitch shot and holed the putt for Birdie on 16th and then continued with 2 further Birdies on 17 and 18 to win the match 2 up. What a classy finish to a match!!
All week Yen has played very steady golf and this afternoon it was no different. After the 6th hole she was 5 up and flying with the match finishing on the 12th hole by her winning 7 and 6 - quite a margin.
Karen POLLARD was Lisa's opponent but she could not cope with the excellent steady play from Lisa who was hitting most fairways and getting on greens in regulation. Only 1 up after 6 holes, this increased to 4 up by the 9th when she nearly holed a chip shot which stopped just 2 ft short of the hole - she holed the putt though for a win. Again on the 11th, Lisa nearly holed out, this time from a bunker, again stopping just 2 ft away. She won her match 5 and 4 and things were looking good for Warwickshire.
Next out was young 15 year old Maria playing in her second match of the week and having had a baptism of fire in the Tuesday singles, she was determined to do better and so she did!! Today she played some great golf and holed some long putts, also getting up and down from a bunker on the 11th. Maria had a fantastic win 3 and 2 finishing on the 16th and her opponent Kate EVANS complimented her on her excellent play. What a great end to her week.
At this stage Warwickshire had won the afternoon play but Charlotte who struggled a little with her game today, just kept on fighting. She evenually lost her match on the 16th, 5 and 3.
What a great last day for Warwickshire and after a very testing week with lots of rain making the playing conditions change from day to day together with the many rounds of golf played, the Warwickshire Team came 4th having won on two days. Once more Buckinghamshire came out the victors so we must congratulate them on their 5 wins over 5 days
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