LADIES MATCHPLAY
championship
11 - 12 July 2023 Saunton Golf Club
The 13th Army Ladies Matchplay Championship took place on 11 and 12 Jul 23 on the East Course which was in immaculate condition as usual. The greens team had set up the course to be a challenge and when you added this to the awful weather it was set to be a battle of the fittest for sure. Encouragingly after a lot of hard work by the Development Team we were only one short of a full field with 4 entrants playing for the first time.
With no real shocks after round one, perhaps Maj Lizzy Stileman RLC beating Cpl Emma Dann RCAM being the exception, the eight strongest players on paper progressed to the quarter final. The top half of the draw had previous champions SSgt Kim GlynnGalbraith AGC (SPS) and Maj Kate Eastman AMS and looked set to be a very tight battle. The other half was, on paper, more open but any of the eight were more than capable of going all the way and lifting the trophy.
With last year’s winner, LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS) missing from the field due to operational commitment, there was only one seed, runner up from last year, Maj Gina Smith REME. Now anyone who knows Smith will know that it is not in her nature to finish any match in regulation and has often been known to play out to the 22nd or 23rd hole. Good for her then that this time she got to watch the ever-worsening weather from the shelter of the driving range and clubhouse as the remainder of the field battled through the first round.
The quarter-final matches saw GlynnGalbraith beat Maj Sue Lambert AGC (ETS) 4&3, the latter playing in her final Army Championship as she takes a very wellearned retirement at the end of the year. Eastman beat Smith 1Up, which must have seen Smith play the least amount of holes she’s played at Saunton for many a year. SSgt Mel van Zyl AMS beat Stileman 5&3 and van Zyl was looking very good as she progressed through the field. Her regular rounds on St Andrews Old Course surely giving her a good grounding for Saunton and this weather.
SAUNTON BOWL WINNER Maj Gina Smith REME
BOWLES TROPHY WINNER Cpl Emma Dann RCAM
That just left the last match, an all RLC affair and the Captain WO2 Zoe Burrell-Knipe RLC taking on the Vice Captain Lt Col Alex O’Brien RLC. The match was nip and tuck all the way through, but they had to go through the turn and on to the 20th hole before O’Brien took the match. It should be noted here that this was only BK’s second competitive round since recovering from surgery. The Plate competition for the Bowles Trophy saw 2Lt Molly Bean Int Corps versus Tpr Michelle Bolten HAC, WO1 Mel Silvester AGC (SPS) versus Dann in the top half and Musn Justine Stringer HAC versus LBdr Lizzy Griggs RA and WO2 Claire Ham AGC (SPS) with a bye in the bottom. The weather certainly wasn’t improving but with a constat keen wind at least what there was rain or shine was only overhead for short bursts. Bean, Bolten, Silvester and Griggs were all playing in their first Matchplay Championships and despite the elements and the best the East course could throw at them they all gave a superb account of themselves with some certain to form part of future Army teams. Unfortunately, Griggs couldn’t complete her round due to injury so that gave Stringer a WO and Dann displayed flashes of brilliance in her match to overpower Silvester 8&6, this just left Bean and Bolten battling it out with Bolten just edging it out with a 2&1 win. As we moved into the semi-final, experience won out and Ham beat Bolten 4&3 and Dann just eased out Stringer 1Up. So to a Dann/ Ham final, with both players showing their determinately and tenacity throughout, as with everything though someone has to win and on this occasion Dann just pulled ahead at the end to take the match 2&1. Cpl Emma Dann RCAM is the 2023 Bowles Trophy winner. So back to the semi-finals of the main Championship and literally the draw was wide open with the winner potentially coming from anywhere. The first match, Glynn-Galbraith versus Eastman saw two previous champions go head-to-head. With the weather improving slightly Eastman pushed on and took the match on the 16th green 3&2. The other side of the draw had van Zyl versus O’Brien, van Zyl looked the stronger perhaps after the previous two rounds but O’Brien would not let go of what is perhaps her last chance to be champion as she retires from regular service this year. The
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER Lt Col Alex O’Brien RLC match finished in front of a packed clubhouse veranda with O’Brien winning 1Up. We hope she joins the reserves and come back to attempt to regain her title. Lt Col Alex O’Brien is the 2023 Meechie Trophy winner. The Walters Trophy is a new award in honour of Ms Diane Walters, who stepped down as the Army Golf Ladies Manager after 18 years in the role. It is the Ladies Players’ Player of the Year Award, presented to the individual who has shown outstanding dedication and team spirit throughout the season as voted for by the players. This year the trophy was presented by Diane, for the first time ever, to SSgt Mel van Zyl AMS. Her dedication to the team has seen her play in every Army and UKAF representative fixture during the season. Congratulations go to all players for not only the standard of play but also the level of sportsmanship displayed throughout.
THE WALTERS TROPHY WINNER SSgt Mel van Zyl AMS
LADIES MATCHPLAY CHAMPION Lt Col Alex O’Brien RLC
KEY RESULTS Army Ladies Champion
Lt Col Alex O’Brien RLC
Runner-Up
Maj Kate Eastman AMS
Bowles Trophy Winner
Cpl Emma Dann RCAM
Saunton Bowl Winner
Maj Gina Smith REME
Most Improved Ladies Player
Lt Col Alex O’Brien RLC
Ladies Players’ Player of the Year
SSgt Mel van Zyl AMS