Golf

Rossallian Golf Society Spring Meeting at Hoylake, 1st May 2019 By Arthur Stephenson, Hon Sec. Rossallian Golf Society

The Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake has hosted all the great golf tournaments of note in the UK, including twelve Open Championships dating back to 1897 and eighteen Amateur Championships. In September this year, they will host their third Walker Cup Match between the US and UK and Ireland. So, a suitable venue, you might think for the Rossallian Golf Society’s Spring Meeting? Of course it was, and to make the point, as we assembled for lunch in the Club’s magnificent Spike Bar, the clouds lifted and we were treated to a fine, calm afternoon- a rarity in these parts. When your Secretary, after a couple of stiff drinks to settle his administrative nerves, finally collected his notes and copious lists from the floor, he calculated that fifty-seven members (nineteen three balls) would compete, playing eighteen holes Stableford for the Newsome Trophy, and would be joined by a further eight members for dinner in the evening. In the event, two of our number had to pull out- Farmer Marriott from llkley having to take to his bed that morning with a high fever, and one of our three handicap girls from school due to an imminent confrontation with her GCSE Examinations the following morning. However, with your somewhat ragged Secretary and excellent super-sub Tony Bush (OR) standing in, we were still able to field the full list of fifty-seven. Interestingly (for me, anyhow) of these there were five students from the School Golf Academy, three from the North West, and twenty-one from South of Birmingham, mostly from London, but from as far afield as Hampshire and Devon too. And of the fiftyseven, twenty-six were making their first appearance for the Society, which is most encouraging.

So hearty thanks are due to everyone for their support, but especially to those from the distant south, and to our own ‘Biggles’ Millar, who once again flew himself (and his dogs) from Belfast to be with us. His flying career might have been permanently grounded during his Rossall days, when the then Headmaster, Dr. Sharp, took a dim view of young Biggles flying his plane at what he judged to be a dangerously low level around the Sumner Library! Hoylake, at over seven thousand yards is a formidable challenge for this sort of gathering, but our troops battled manfully round, greatly helped by the intervention of our President, A. G. de B. Marrs {as his name appears in my 1955 ‘Red Book’), generously dispensing large glasses of Kummel, at his expense, from a hut behind the 10th green. Perhaps not surprisingly then, the winners emerged from the ranks of the youngest ORs playing; though Peter Millard, that dark horse of previous meetings, managed a very creditable third place.

The results were as follows:

1st and winner of the Spring Meeting – The Newsome Trophy – Jack Morrison (11 h’cap) 39pts.

2nd Charlie Ardron (6 h’cap) 37 pts tied but won on best 2nd 9 holes.

3rd Peter Millard (17 h’cap) 37

Team Prize (Men) James Wilson (11) Jack Morrison (11) Tom Morrison (20) 109pts.

Team Prize (Ladies) Jenny Cheetham (24) Nicky Ewart (10) Lea Dawson (3) 99pts.

Sixty-five members enjoyed a superb dinner in the beautiful Clubroom upstairs in the evening, when we were grateful to the Headmaster for attending, and telling us something of his ambitious plans for our old school, and of the progress being made to achieve them. We were grateful also to the Secretary of RLGC and all his staff who looked after us wonderfully well throughout the day. And finally, it was a delight once again, to have the students playing with us, and to see at first hand, the charming way in which they conduct themselves both on and off the course. Since the Golf Academy at school was started less than three years ago, under the direction of Stuart Hemmings, our resident professional on the staff, the students, by winning almost every schools’ event throughout the UK, have elevated Rossall to first place, by some distance, in the Independent Schools Golf League table - a remarkable achievement in so short a time.

And finally, a big thank you to everyone who came up to Hoylake, for your support, and a plea to come up to Fleetwood GC, another fine course, for our Autumn Meeting on Wednesday 2nd October,

when we will be able, after golf, to look around the new recently completed Sports Centre, and to have an excellent dinner in the School Dining Hall. Halford Hewitt Cup at Royal Cinque Ports and Royal St George’s Golf Clubs, 11th-14th April 2019 By Noel Muscutt

The Halford Hewitt Cup is the world’s largest amateur golf tournament where 64 schools, each with 10 in their team, compete over four days in scratch foursomes knockout format, at the Royal Cinque Ports (Deal) and Royal St. George’s (Sandwich) Golf Clubs. It was played for on 11th-14th April 2019.

This year Rossall were drawn against Taunton in the first round in the very first match of the tournament, early on the Thursday morning, at Royal St. George’s. With some strong golf we managed a comfortable win 31/2 – 11/2, which put us through to a second round tie against Hurstpierpoint on the Friday morning. A win again followed by the same margin with some similarly strong performances, ensuring that we made it through to the Saturday morning, this time against Watson’s with whom we have had many tussles in the past. Playing well, the team felt confident but sadly went down in a very fiercely fought contest, narrowly losing by the closest of margins, 3 – 2. Watson’s went on to lose in the semi-final to Malvern, the eventual winners. So, it was definitely a case this year of “what could have been.”

The team were again well supported by Geoff Henney and Chris Holt, and also by Graeme Marrs, President of The Rossallian Club, making his first trip to experience all that happens in Hewitt week... and it can safely be said that the whole team really appreciated him coming and enjoyed his company as much as he seemed to enjoy the teams!

The Rossall Golf Academy at School continues to be very successful and new talent is on the horizon which will surely strengthen our challenge in the years to come. With this in mind, the Captaincy of the Rossall Halford Hewitt side for future years has been handed over to Matt Allen who has promised to take us into the stratosphere!

Any single figure OR golfers who would like to be considered for selection, please contact Matt Allen at mdpallen@hotmail.co.uk