Warwickshire Golf
LADIES COUNTY MATCH WEEK
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Pictured (l to r) Charlotte PRIDDLE, Gemma BRADBURY, Annabel EDMOND, Rachel RUSTED, Kelly KNIGHT, Maria TOLEDO BAILEY, Claire HOWELLS, Julia BURTON, Liz HAYCOCK, Yen PHAM, Emma GRIFFIN, Lisa BARTON
Pictured (Seated) County President Caroline LASSEN, County Captain Margaret SHEEPY
CLICK HERE for INDIVIDUAL TEAM PHOTOS:
CLICK HERE for a SLIDESHOW of the EVENT:
Hosts for the week commencing Monday 25 June for the Midlands South County Match week are Worcestershire & Herefordshire Ladies County Golf Association, with the venue being Kings Norton Golf Club.The squad comprises Lisa Barton (Coventry GC), Gemma Bradbury (Coventry Hearsall GC), Julia Burton (Moor Hall GC), Annabel Edmund (Coventry GC), Emma Griffin (The Warwickshire GC), Liz Haycock (Ladbrook Park GC), Claire Howells ( Moor Hall GC), Kelly Knight (Nuneaton GC), Yen Pham (Shirley GC), Charlotte Priddle (Moor Hall GC), Rachel Rusted (Nuneaton GC), Maria Toledo Bailey (Walmley GC). We wish them well in their endeavours.Format for the five days is that on each day of the week, six counties play against each other, with morning matches comprising three Foursomes together with six Singles in the afternoon. The competing counties are: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire/Herefordshire.
CLICK HERE for details of the matches:
Day 1 - Monday 26 June
Foursomes
The weather today was just what was wanted, lots of sunshine but not too hot, so there were great expectations for the Warwickshire Team.
First match of the week is against Northamptonshire with the Foursomes pairings being, Gemma Bradbury & Charlotte Priddle, Lisa Barton & Claire Howells and Yen Pham & Emma Griffin. Early nerves were apparent on the first hole from each side resulting in bogey 5's from each pairing but then things settled down!Gemma and Charlotte were 2 up after 3, 3 up after an excellent chip by Gemma on 7th and commencing the second 9, they stood at 5 up!! Then the tide turned with them losing 10, 11 and 13 to go only 2 up. They stopped the rot however, after 2 halves but then won the 16th and the match 3 and 2. An excellent start for the team.Second pairing saw Lisa and Claire hold their own, being All square after 3, going 2 up after 6 holes which remained until the 10th tee. By the 14th tee, they had serged ahead to be 4 up then lost the 14th. 15th was halved in Par 4's and then they won the match 3 and 2 on the 16th. Considering Lisa was playing with a totally new set of clubs having had her previous set stolen just two weeks ago, she played some magnificent shots. The future looks good for these clubs!!
In the third game, Yen & Emma did not fare so well. They kept it together as they were only 1 down at the turn, quickly winning the 10th with a birdie. The following holes however were lost with the match eventually being lost 5 and 3.
Singles
Liz Haycock led the Singles matches out in the afternoon but even though she had an eagle and two Birdies on the Front 9, she was All Square after 9 holes. She went 1 up on the 10th and then they halved the following 6 holes but after getting a further 2 Birdies on 17 and 18, she managed to win 2 up.
Gemma Bradbury started brilliantly, winning the first 4 holes with 2 Birdies and 2 Pars and then went further ahead by managing a further Par and then Birdie on 6th and 7th to win the holes to go 6 up at the turn. The 10th was lost to Par but after winning 11th with an Eagle and then 12th with a Birdie, she won the match 7 and 6. What a start to the afternoon proceedings!!
Young Maria Toledo Bailey playing in just her second County Match Week started brilliantly by holing a 15ft putt for a Par on the 1st to go 1 up. The next 4 holes were halved, with both players having a Birdie 4 on the 5th and then she went ahead to be 3 up after 9 holes. By now she was on a roll and with some excellent play, Maria won the next 3 holes to win the match 6 and 5. Well done Maria.
In Game 4, Kelly Knight had an up and down match particularly on the front 9 winning 2 holes but losing 4!! 2 down on the 10th Tee, Kelly went on to win the 10th, 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th to win the match 3 and 1. After this game, Warwickshire Ladies were in a winning position for the match which is a fantastic start to the week.
Regrettably the final two matches of the day were lost. Rachel Rusted losing 2 and 1 after a fighting round, having gone 3 down after 8, she went on to win the following 3 holes to go All Square. She held on well until the 17th which she lost to a Birdie. A very close encounter.
Julia Burton brought the afternoon Singles games to an end having struggled to gain momentum as her opponent was hitting the ball out of sight. As Julia commented after the match, "in all my years of playing golf, I have never played against anyone who hits the ball so far!!" She eventually lost the match 5 and 4.
A great first day of County Match Week, with Warwickshire Ladies winning the day 6 and 3 - roll on tomorrow when the match is against the hosts Worcs & Herefordshire.
Day 2 - Tuesday 27 June
Today rain was expected, but fortunately we managed to have a dry day, cloudy and a little cool at times. Warwickshire played Worcs & Herefordshire the hosts for 2017 and this obviously was going to be a grudge match between two local rivals.
Foursomes
What can we say about the morning Foursomes but my, how we were beaten!! Gemma Bradbury & Kelly Knight were out first and they could not believe that they were beaten 10 and 8! They felt that they played well but did not have any breaks and the opposition just played better. Match two also produced a loss for Claire Howells & Charlotte Priddle, 6 and 4 and all hopes were then on Match three with Liz Haycock & Emma Griffin. They battled valiently to the 17th hole where they were beaten 2 and 1.
Disappointed they may have been but determined to do better in the afternoon singles, they set off at 1.30 p.m. with the chosen Singles players of Yen Pham, Gemma Bradbury, Charlotte Priddle, Maria Toledo Bailey, Lisa Barton and Liz Haycock.
Singles
After halving the first 3 holes, Yen went 1 up on the 4th, followed by a Birdie on the 5th to go 2 ahead. However Lucy her opponent was on the green on the 424 yard, Par 5, 5th in two to win the hole, followed by further win on 8th and then eagled the 9th to go 1 up. On the back 9, Yen halved the 10th and then won the following 5 holes, with many Birdies to win her game 4 and 3. Great comeback!
Gemma took the whole 18 holes to get a result, this time halving the game. By the 9th she was 4 up (she obviously likes the front 9 as she plays it so well) and then on the Back 9 she had an eventful time. The 10th was lost, 11th won, 12th lost to Birdie and then 13th Won with Birdie leaving her still 4 up. By the 18th Tee however, she stood on the Tee 1 up, eventually losing out to a Birdie. A great battle but Gemma was disappointed to have only halved the game.
Match 3 saw Charlotte playing extremely well on the front 9 to eventually be 2 up at the turn. Highlights of the front 9 were sinking a long putt off the green on the Par 3, 3rd hole for a Birdie followed by a further Birdie on Hole 6. With 2 halves on 10th and 11th and a win on 12th, she then stood at 3 up, then losing the 13th and 15th to a Birdie. With wins on 16th and 17th, Charlotte won her match 3 and 1. Things were looking good for the Warwickshire ladies at this stage.
Maria again was on top form this afternoon with some excellent play, particularly chipping in, which she did twice to go 2 up after 9 holes - (5th hole Eagle 3 and 9th hole Birdie 4). By the time she won her match on the 15th, 5 and 3, her caddy congratulated her for being 1 under gross at this stage! Another great win for this young talent.
Experienced Lisa Barton was in match 5 and much as she tried, she was unable to gain a further win this afternoon. Her game consisted of 11 Halves, 2 Wins and 4 Losses by the time she lost the match 2 and 1 On the 17th.
Liz Haycock, playing in her 3rd game of the week thus far reached the 9th hole 1 up having had 2 Birdies on the way. On the back 9 her highlight of the afternoon was the drive on the 316 yard, 15th which is a downhill Par 4, when her drive was just short of the green, allowing her to draw level once again. With losses on 16th and 17th however, she lost the match 2 and 1.
A great afternoon's play when our team gave their all, just coming up short of the required 5 wins. Worcs and Herefordshire eventually won the match 5 1/2 to 3 1/2. Wednesday sees the ladies playing against Oxfordshire with their start times of 9.30 a.m. and 15.10 p.m.
Why not come over to Kings Norton and support our team? It would be much appreciated.
Day 3 - Wednesday 28 June
After a heavy downpour during the night, today's playing conditions were going to be a little different, especially the greens which though still fast were holding just that bit more. Weather forecast was to be heavy rain for most of the day, but for the morning play only saw light drizzle whilst the afternoon remained dry but quite windy.Today's opponents are the Oxfordshire team with our matches last out on the rota.FoursomesFirst out this morning were Gemma Bradbury and Charlotte Priddle. What a difference a day makes as they won their match today, 5 and 4! Great start once again, they were 4 up after 9 holes. With continuing steady play on the back 9 they won their match 5 and 4. Both girls put their win down to very steady play with lots of pars.
Claire Howells and Julia Burton in match 2 also had a good day, winning on the final hole, 2 up. They were All Square after 9 and through 14 but went 1 down on 15. They won the next three holes with Birdies on 17th and 18th to complete a really good round. The Birdie on the 18th was a joy to watch as Claire sank a long putt from just off the green!
On the 9th hole Lisa Barton and Rachel Rusted went 1 down after their opponents sank a long putt for Birdie, and then followed with a loss on the 10th. They did win the next four holes however, putting them 2 up. With a good drive from Rachel on the difficult Par 4 16th, Lisa's second shot landed close to the pin and halving the hole meant that they had won their game.
What a good morning's work from the 6 ladies resulting in 3 wins and the buzz around the team was excellent! Let's see if the afternoon pans out as well.
Singles
Maria Toledo Bailey led out the pack this afternoon with great expectations after her two good wins previously. However this was not to be as she met her match with an opponent on top form who scored 3 Birdies on the Front 9, when she was only able to make Par. By the 9th Maria was 5 down even though she had played some very good golf. With another loss on the 10th and 11th again to a Birdie, Maria lost her match 7 and 6. How things can change from day to day!
Claire Howells was out next with not a good start of losing the 1st but then pulled back level when she sank a great putt from off the green to win the hole. 3 further holes lost to 2 won meant that Claire was 1 down at the turn. On the 9th she had a great approach shot to the green and sank a 10ft putt for Birdie! By the 12th she was 1 up having Birdied the hole but then lost the advantage on the 15th to go back to All Square. Claire lost the 16th and then the 18th to lose the game by 2 holes. Really good match which really could have gone either way.
In game 3, Emma Griffin was playing in her first singles match of the week and she started well on the 1st with a Birdie. Back to All Square on the 5th, she then had a good run, winning holes 7, 8 and 9, this one with another Birdie, to go 3 up as she started the Back 9. With wins on the 10th, 14th and 15th, Emma had an excellent win 4 and 3.
Kelly Knight in Game 4 did not fare so well however and was 3 down after 9 holes and it continued in this vein until she finally lost on the 15th hole, 4 and 3. On the day her opponent was just that bit steadier whilst Kelly struggled to make any Birdies.
First game for Annabel Edmund this week saw her go 2 down after the first 2 holes but she rallied with a Birdie on the Par 3, 3rd and with wins on 4th and 6th holes, she was 1 up at the turn. Good start! Then the wheels fell off somewhat and with losses on the next 4 holes, she was soon 3 down. She won the next to go 2 down and that score remained as she halved the next 3 holes, thus losing 2 and 1. A good effort from Annabel for her first time out.
In the final game of the afternoon, we had Lisa Barton playing. With a lot of Pars between them on the Front 9, saw Lisa winning 2 holes but losing 3, thus being 1 down on the 10th Tee, On the Back 9, Lisa won the 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th, all to Par, but lost the 11th and was 2 up at this stage. She then lost 16 and 17 and they stood on the 18th Tee All Square. With the hole halved, again in Par 5, the game was Halved. This match was a real ding dong affair which either player could have won.
At the end of the day, our morning wins helped us to a Halved match, 4 1/2 to 4 1/2. We are out at 8.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. on Day 4 when our opponents will be Buckinghamshire, who have yet to lose on the first three days, except that they also halved their match with Worcs/Herefordshire today!! Should be a good day's play.
Day 4 - Thursday 29 June
Foursomes
Day 4 saw Warwickshire playing against favourites Buckinghamshire and with the weather quite cool and damp in the morning, the matches commenced at 8.30 a.m.
Gemma Bradbury and Charlotte Priddle led the way but had a very slow start going down quite quickly and this remained throughout the morning. 5 down at the turn they did manage to pull one back, eventually losing the match 4 and 2. Difficult when you go down early on and as they said afterwards, try as they did, they just could not pull the holes back.
Again, our second pairing of Lisa Barton and Claire Howells did not fare too well in their game. 2 down after 9 holes, they held their own for much of the back 9, but lost the match on the 17th, 3 and 1
Our third game out with Yen Pham and Liz Hancock did in fact give us some joy, as they won their game. They quickly went 2 down after 2 holes but then pulled one back, on the 3rd. By the 10th Tee they had managed to get to 2 up and winning the 11th, they stood at 3 up. On 13, they managed an excellent half in six, which considering their Tee shot had gone in the ditch, was a good recovery. With a win on 14 followed by a half on 15, they won their match 4 and 3.
The players all said that the course was holding up well after the rain and if anything, the greens seemed slightly faster today. Let's see what we can do this afternoon in the singles.
Singles
First out this afternoon was Liz Haycock, who after her win with Yen this morning was raring to go. Liz was 2 up after 8 holes having made 2 Birdies but then lost the 9th. On the difficult Par 4 10th, with a ditch all down of the left and many trees down the right, Liz hit a very good Tee shot and then a magnificent 2nd to 12", sinking the putt for Birdie and a win. The score stayed at 2 up as mostly halved holes to Par on Back 9, but when Liz and her opponent scored Par 3's on the 17th, the game was hers, 2 and 1. Great start to the afternoon's play.
Gemma had a poor start and was 3 down early, scoring Bogies to her opponents' Birdies. She halved the 6th with a Birdie but then on 9th, hit what was a poor drive for her which landed in the ditch on the left and then had to have a penalty drop. She managed a Bogey 6 but it was not good enough and thus finished the Front 9, 4 down. Although she made some excellent recovery shots, her opponent had a great afternoon playing some fantastic golf. Gemma never recovered from the poor start, eventually losing her game 6 and 5
Game 3 saw Charlotte Priddle drew the short straw this afternoon and came up against an opponent who was on the Birdie trail, scoring five in the round. Winning only 1 hole on the Front 9, she finished at 4 down and then losing 10th, 11th and 13th, Charlottle lost her game 7 and 5
Emma Griffin was next out and her game started with a win, loss, win and then loss! She then halved the next 3 holes, single putting on two of them. At the turn she was just 1 down and all to play for. However, losing 3 further holes and halving 4, Emma lost her game 4 and 2.
Julia Burton played a hard Front 9 and by the 10th Tee was standing 4 down. Things did improve on the Back 9 when she pulled a couple of holes back and when the game ended, Julia had lost 4 and 2. This was definitely not going to plan!!!
Last out this afternoon was the morning victor, Yen Pham and again she was really looking forward to playing for the second time today and her match went all the way, one of the few today. She had a ding dong game on the Front 9, going 1 up on the 1st, losing the next 2, winning the 4th, halving the 5th and then losing the 6th and 7th. With great fortitude she had pulled back to All Square after 9 holes. The Back 9 seemed to be a repetition of the previous holes with 4 wins against 3 wins and on the 18th Tee, Yen was standing at 1 up. Both played the 18th, Par 5 well, both landing on the green in 3. Yen putted first to a few inches for a 5, but her opponent's putt went straight in for Birdie. Match All Square and what a match, must have been a great game to watch.
Well, at the end of the day this was another win for Buckinghamshire 6 1/2 to 2 1/2 which leaves them with 3 wins and 1 half - doubt they can be caught now.
Our girls played some excellent golf but the Birdies of previous days seem today to have dried up and they came up against a very good team in Buckinghamshire.
Tomorrow is the final day and we will be playing for pride to see if we can get up the table a little. The opponents are Berkshire and the start times are 9.00 a.m. and 14.20 p.m.
Day 5 - Friday 30 June
Foursomes
This long week of golf is nearly at an end and there a few tired people around from all Counties. Today Warwickshire are drawn against Berkshire and once again the rain has kept away.
The morning Foursomes were led out by Yen Pham and Rachel Rusted. Things didn't go to plan with this pairing as their opponents were playing the holes in either Par ar Birdie whilst Yen and Rachel were only managing to get either Pars or Bogeys. This game finished as a Loss to Warwickshire, 6 and 5.
Things went much better in game 2 with the pairing of Lisa Barton and Annabel Edmond, who won the game 2 and 1. Quickly going 3 up after 5 holes, they were All Square after 11 holes. With Pars to follow, they then won the 16th and 17th to win the game 2 and 1.
The Moor Hall pairing of Julia Burton and Charlotte Priddle went 3 down after 9 holes and were still on that score after 13. They had 1 Par and 2 Birdies to pull level and were 1 up on the 18th Tee, only to lose the 18th with a Par to a Birdie. So after the morning session, the state of play was All Square, so what can they do for the next 6 singles games?!
Singles
Liz Haycock was on top form on the Front 9 and with 4 Birdies on 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th she was 4 up. With a Par 5 on the 9th and winning this hole, she was 5 up going into the final 9 holes. Liz really was surprised at how things fell away as she lost the 10th, halved the 11th and then lost the next 3 holes. She stopped the rot though on the 15th to go 2 up and with a Par on 17th to a Bogey, she won her match 2 and 1. An excellent start to the afternoon proceedings.
Gemma was in the second game out and with Pars on the first 4 holes, she was 2 up. She won the next hole with Bogey and then the 8th with Birdie and by the turn she stood 4 up. Birdies on 10th, 11th and 14th and 3 further wins to a loss of hole on the 12th, she had a convincing win 6 and 5. By the way, she had an amazing chip in on the 14th!! The first two games to the good and four to go - can we do it?
Emma Griffin had a fantastic afternoon's golf, one of the best ever, she said at the end of play! Halving the first 2 holes, with a great up and down on the second, she then won the next 3 holes and together with the 9th (birdie) was 4 up after 9 holes. A very steady 6 further Pars on the Back 9, Emma ended the game on the 16th, 3 and 2.
In game 4, Kelly Knight played extremely well making a comeback on several occasions to the extent that after 9 holes, she was only 1 down. She lost the next two holes and then won the 13th with a Par followed by a win on 14th with a Birdie 2. Unfortunately, she didn't quite finish it off and lost her match 2 and 1, but a great effort.
Claire Howells had a very steady game with, in her words, nothing spectacular happening! 1 up after 9 having had a Birdie 2 win on the 3rd, she then went All Square on the 11th, followed by winning the Par 5, 13th. They both Birdied the Par 4, 15th but then she lost the 16th. With 2 halves on the 17th and 18th, the game finished All Square.
Last game out this week was Yen Pham. A poor start from both players with Bogies from both , Yen was All Square after 3. She then went 1 up with a great fairway Bunker shot resulting in a Birdie and after alot of Pars or Bogies, she stood 1 up after 9. No Birdies in the following holes, Yen went 2 up after 14 holes but then lost the 17th. Standing on the 18th Tee, 1 up with all her fellow team mates watching, she did not disappoint, scoring a Par 5, to her opponent's Bogey and thus winning the game 2 up. This meant that our match against Berkshire was won 6 games to 3 - a great finish to the week.
Well the end of a very enjoyable but extremely hard five days, with the Warwickshire team results standing at 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 half. In speaking with the County Captain, Margaret Sheepy after all games were completed, she commented "There has been a fabulous team spirit all week, everyone has played their hearts out for Warwickshire County Ladies Golf Association and I couldn't be more proud" Margaret then said that she was delighted to present County Colours to Julia Burton.
Final results of the week had Warwickshire lying 3rd out of the 6 teams with 5 points, which was an excellent result. Buckinghamshire, as expected as the week went on, were first with 9 points, with host county Worcs & Herefordshire coming in 2nd with 6 points, Northamptonshire 4th with 4 points, Oxfordshire 5th with 3 points and Berkshire 6th with 2 points.
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