1st team
The 1st team narrowly missed out on a top two finish in the Premier North division and came up short in the cup after losing to a strong Exeter team but Captain Matt Fieldsend praised his team for their efforts through the year: "The players have been great this year. There are some top teams in the Premier division and to finish in the top two was always going to be a tricky task but the commitment shown was never in question."
The 1st team prior to their 5.5 – 0.5 victory over Nottingham at Hollinwell GC
2nd team
The 2nd team retained their league title by narrowly beating the 3rd team to top spot in the Midland 1A division thanks to a final day victory over Lincoln 1sts. The cup final also beckoned but a dramatic home semi-final defeat at the hands of Bournemouth 2nds left the 2nds ruing their chances of potentially facing the 3rd team in the final at Formby Golf Club on 30th April. Despite this, Captain Jordan Patmore said: "Obviously we're disappointed with the loss but to get to the semi-final of the cup and retain the league title shows the potential this team has. We'll be raring to go for the double next time around."
3rd team
With a runner-up finish in the league secured, the 3rds turned their attentions to the cup final at Formby Golf Club on 30th April after beating Exeter 2nds in the semi-final at Edgbaston Golf Club in what will be a final to remember for a long time.
Bournemouth 2nds had led 3-0 after the morning foursomes which were far from an ideal start for Birmingham. However, the afternoon singles got off to a flyer with Sam Truman, Joe Way and Alex Bagnall all registering big wins which tied the match up at 3-3. Bournemouth then clinched another point which left them on the brink of victory but Luke Gorman squared the match at 4-4 with a decisive 7 foot putt on the 18th green to win 1 up. Major then decisively holed a three foot putt on the 18th to halve his match and take the final into a deciding playoff.
The successful 3rd team after winning the National Trophy Final at Formby GC
4th team
Full of confidence after the team's afternoon performance to win the singles 4.5 – 1.5, Gorman had the advantage in the playoff after splitting the fairway with his drive and finding the green in two. Bournemouth couldn't escape from the bunker which left Gorman with a 3 footer for victory which he holed cue the celebrations. Captain Mikey Major said about the win: "It's been a fantastic cup run and the players' determination to fight back in the afternoon shows how much this final meant to them. Special mention needs to be given to the support on the day in what has turned out to be a 'Miracle on Merseyside!"
The triumphant league and cup winning 4th team after their nail-biting final day at Woodhall Spa
The 4th team also delivered success in the form of a league and cup double thanks to a deciding day at Woodhall Spa in March. After staying unbeaten throughout the whole season, the final league game and cup final were both to be decided on the same day against Lincoln College. With a lot at stake, the team held their nerve in the morning and the afternoon to record the league and cup double thanks to 4-2 and 5-1 wins respectively. Captain on the day Dan Scoble said: "Today was an all or nothing day with huge amounts at stake but the players kept their focus and nerve and after a long season, it's great to have done the double."
Club Individual Tournaments
Jordan Patmore won the UOB Club Championships at Edgbaston Golf Club after an eagle on the 16th hole helped him on his way to a level par round of 69 to beat Andrew Turner by 2 shots.
Alex Bagnall won the inaugural UOB Handicap Invitational with 39 points on a blustery day again at Edgbaston Golf with students as far as Exeter and East Anglia attending and the Student Matchplay is into the latter stages where Luke Gorman will face the winner of either Alex Higgs or Harry Chapple in the other semi-final with the final scheduled for the end of May.
BUCS Individual Tournaments
Luke Gorman after winning the BUCS Strokeplay tournament at Royal Cinque Ports
Success in the BUCS individual strokeplay tournaments followed with Luke Gorman winning the BUCS Strokeplay at Royal Cinque Ports in March after a final round of 70 in tough conditions gave Birmingham their first men's individual title since 2010. Luke was joined at the end of season BUCS Student Tour Finals at Machynys Peninsula GC in April with:
Matt Fieldsend (2nd at Woodhall Spa)
Rhodri Harston (6th at Southport & Ainsdale)
Nathan Gilpin (6th at Saunton)
Joe Way (7th at Royal Cinque Ports)
Martin Tavoda (10th at Dundonald)
Harry Chapple (13th at Southport & Ainsdale)
Alex Bagnall (14th at Southport & Ainsdale)
Notable finishes at the concluding Tour Finals at Machynys GC included Matt Fieldsend (14th) and Rhodri Harston (15th).
Hole-in-ones
With the chances of achieving one of these in a round being close to 100,000 to 1, what odds would you have had on four of them being achieved in the same year from the same University Golf Squad? Well, this season four Birmingham players achieved this feat with Martin Tavoda holing out at Woodhall Spa; Dan Scoble at Royal Cinque Ports; Alex Bagnall at Southport & Ainsdale and finally Matt Fieldsend at Dawlish Warren!
Concluding Remarks
As the University season draws to a close, special mention needs to go to the committee members of 2013-14 in helping to run the Golf squad this year; thanks to all of the players who have performed incredibly well this season and also to Matt Bridge, David Fulcher and Alistair Davies for their help with regards to coaching and support in helping to make 2013-14 one of the best seasons in the Golf Squad's history. Let the 2014-15 season commence.
Written by Luke Gorman, UOB Golf Club Captain 2013-14
No comments:
Post a Comment