Inter Unit Championship 25

INTER UNIT

championship

10 - 12 June 2025 Catterick Golf Club

The Inter Unit returned to Catterick this year with an increased field of 18 teams, continuing a steady growth over recent years. With teams travelling the length and breadth of the country, it was pleasing to see that this longstanding competition remains as popular as ever.

We were blessed with glorious sunshine upon arrival for the practice day and set-up. Those who took advantage of the practice round had a distinct advantage, having seen first-hand the condition of the course and the length of the rough, which was high. Day one saw all teams participate in a 36-hole Stableford qualifier played off 95% course handicap. The top four teams progressed into the Main Matchplay Championship to compete for the Balfour Trophy, while the next four progressed into the Plate to compete for the India Cup. The remaining ten teams played a 27-hole team Stableford event for the UDR Trophy.

The weather remained hot and sunny throughout both rounds on Wednesday. While these were good playing conditions, the heat had a draining effect on the players. The course was in excellent condition once again, following a dry spring and recent rainfall, leaving it lush, green, and running firm. However, for the players, the downside was the rough, now thick and deep for anyone who strayed off the fairways. This would prove a stern test for every golfer, regardless of whether they had a handicap of 5 or 28.

Given the look and feel of the course, there was some surprisingly good scoring in the first round, with 24 players scoring 30pts or more.

Notably, four players played under handicap: Capt Michael Fitzpatrick, Sgt Santosh Rai, and Cpl George Dickinson all with 38pts, followed

by Sgt Raju Tamang with 37pts. Once all the scores were in, the early leaders were 3 PWRR (A) with 107pts, closely followed by MPS Regt MCTC with 106pts. Five back on 101pts was 1 CS Bn REME. The remaining teams were all 8+ pts off the pace. Everything was still to play for going into the afternoon.

After a great lunch (our compliments to Michael the chef) it was back out into the sun, which felt warmer than during the morning round. As the sun firmed up the course throughout the afternoon, the greens began to speed up. It would be interesting to compare the morning and afternoon scores. To our surprise, the scores were equally as strong, with a few particularly good performances. 27 players scored 30pts or more, with the highest

being 40pts from Fitzpatrick. SSgt Ben Taylor followed with 39pts, two ahead of Capt Stephen Johnson. Maj Jogendrasing Limbu and Capt Steven Harrison who all carded 37pts.

The best overall individual standings were: Capt M Fitzpatrick – 1 CS Bn REME on 78pts Sgt S Rai – DSEME on 74pts SSgt B Taylor – 5 MI Bn on 73pts Team scores from the qualifying competition: 1 CS Bn REME MPS Regt MCTC 3 PWRR (A) 3 PWRR (B) DSEME 255 Sig Sqn 5 MI Bn ATC Pirbright 2 YORKS (A) 11 Sig Regt HQ 2 Med Gp 2 RANGER HQ 1 UKXX 17 P&M Regt RLC 4 Regt RA The Light Dragoons HQ SASC 2 YORKS (B)

203pts 203pts 195pts 183pts 182pts 178pts 177pts 177pts 174pts 172pts 169pts 158pts 158pts 151pts 145pts 133pts 127pts 107pts

The draw for the semi-finals in the two Matchplay competitions was as follows: Main Championship: 1 CS Bn REME vs 3 PWRR (B) MPS Regt MCTC vs 3 PWRR (A) Plate Competition: DSEME vs ATC Pirbright 255 Sig Sqn vs 5 MI Bn Day two began with light fog, although the forecast suggested it wouldn’t last long. Sure enough, once the sun rose, it quickly burnt off, leaving another glorious day in the northern sun. The ten teams not making it into the Matchplay competition made the trek up the hill to the 10th tee for the Stableford event, with the familiar sentiment in the air: “Our team definitely needs to improve for next year to avoid this climb.”

With all teams now more familiar with the course after two rounds the day before, there was an air of confidence, and significantly fewer golf balls were sprayed into the rough off the 10th tee. Everything pointed to some competitive golf ahead.

In the morning round of the Stableford competition, only three players managed to break par: Harrison with 40pts, Cpl Laxmiraj Thapa Magar with 38pts, and WO1 Mike Arnell with 37pts. After 18 holes, HQ 1UKXX led the field on 103pts, with 2 RANGER close behind on 100pts. HQ SASC trailed by 10pts on 90pts, leaving plenty still to play for over the final 9 holes.

9 holes, followed by WO2 Christopher Wood, Sgt Andrew Heslop, and Cpl Diwash Purja Pun, all on 18pts.

HQ 1UKXX 2 RANGER HQ SASC

With the Stableford concluded, attention turned to the finals. In the Plate, ATC Pirbright faced 255 Sig Sqn. With no major margins and evenly matched handicaps, ATC Pirbright secured a steady win, taking all three matches either 2&1 or 3&2.

103pts 100pts 90pts

In the first semi-final of the Plate Competition, DSEME faced ATC Pirbright, while 255 Sig Sqn played 5 MI Bn. In a slightly one-sided match, ATC Pirbright defeated DSEME 2½ – ½.

Dickinson, giving away six shots, beat WO2 Krishna Yonghang 5&4. Santosh Rai and CSgt Bikas Rai finished all square, before WO2 Khagendra Gurung beat WO2 Wayne Alden 8&6 to win through to the Plate Final.

In the second Plate semi-final, 255 Sig Sqn edged out 5 MI Bn with a 2 – 1 victory. In a tight match that went down to the wire, Cpl Luke West beat Cpl Tony Rutter 1Up, Cpl Jake Barrass beat WO2 Lochlann Brown 4&3, before Taylor pulled one back for 5 MI Bn, defeating Sig Joshua Thomas 1Up. In the main competition, both 3 PWRR (A) and (B) reached the semi-finals, managing to avoid each other. The A team faced MPS Regt MCTC, while the B team met 1 CS Bn REME. Both semi-finals ended 2 – 1, with some highscoring wins. 1 CS Bn REME faced 3 PWRR (B) and lost 1 – 2. WO2 Indra Gurung beat Capt Carl Appleby 2Up. Fitzpatrick levelled the score with a 6&5 win over Cpl Ricky White, and Jogendrasing Limbu convincingly beat WO2 Edward Frank 7&5 to put 3 PWRR (B) through.

In the other semi-final, 3 PWRR (A) beat MPS Regt MCTC 2 – 1 in convincing fashion. Johnson beat Sgt Aash Gurung 5&4, WO2 Netra Rai beat Sgt Andy Lund 5&3, and Raju Tamang beat WO2 Colin Jenkins 4&3. This set up an all-3 PWRR final. At least the trophy was staying in the regiment, with only internal bragging rights to be decided.

As the sun continued to beat down throughout the afternoon, the top four Stableford competition teams pulled further away from the pack. With only one player breaking par, there were unlikely to be major moves on the leaderboard, though a few notable scores emerged: Maj Thomas Millns carded 20pts over

Ultimately, HQ 1UKXX proved too strong, holding onto their morning lead to win with 150pts. In second place, 2 RANGER finished 5pts back on 145pts, and in third, HQ SASC with 137pts.

The Main final saw the trophy staying with the Regiment, regardless of which 3 PWRR team won. The lower-handicapped A team gave shots across all matches but still secured a convincing 2½ – ½ win. With the first two matches securing the A team’s victory, the final match was halved, and players walked in from the 17th.

Notably, with 3 PWRR (A) winning the Inter Unit Trophy for the second year running, only twice in the past 100 years has the trophy been won three years consecutively by the same unit. 3 PWRR now have a chance to make history next year.

Huge congratulations to all the players who fought hard over the two days for their units in testing conditions.

The AGA remains committed to growing this event and welcomes entries from all units able to field a team of three – male, female, or mixed.

As always, we extend our sincere thanks to our sponsors, without whom these events simply could not take place. To Thales (our headline sponsor), Pozitive Energy, Heckler & Koch (clothing sponsor), Comms Spec (communications supplier), and Army Sport (grant support) – thank you for your continued generosity and support.

Finally, our deepest gratitude goes to Catterick Golf Club, along with its members and committee, for so kindly allowing us to take over significant tee times (and in some cases, the course itself) over the two days. The course was in immaculate condition, and we were superbly looked after by Club Secretary Shireen Rudge, James Wallace and his pro shop staff, and, last but by no means least, the excellent catering and bar team, notably Sarah and Michael the chef.

CHAMPIONS

PLATE WINNERS

3 PWRR (A) L to R: Sgt Raju Tamang, WO2 Netra Rai, Sgt Aash Gurung

ATC Pirbright L to R: WO2 Khagendra Gurung, CSgt Bikas Rai, WO2 Krishna Yonghang RESULTS

RESERVE WINNERS HQ 1UKXX L to R: Sgt Sam Lowe, WO1 Mike Arnell, SSgt Matt Chadwick

Winners

3 PWRR (A) WO2 Netra Rai Sgt Raju Tamang Sgt Aash Gurung

Runners-Up

3 PWRR (B) Maj Jogendrasing Limbu Capt Lee Fuller WO2 Indra Gurung Cpl Ricky White

Plate Winners

ATC Pirbright WO2 Khagendra Gurung WO2 Krishna Yonghang CSgt Bikas Rai

Plate Runners-Up

255 (SO) Sig Sqn Sig Joshua Thomas Cpl Jake Barrass Cpl Luke West

Reserve Winners

HQ 1UKXX WO1 Mike Arnell SSgt Matt Chadwick Sgt Sam Lowe

Reserve Runners-Up 2 RANGER CSgt Minkaji Gurung Sgt Shiva Yawa Cpl Laxmiraj Thapa Magar