Rutland Water Golf Club's senior section continued their match programme with three fixtures in April.
First up on April 12 was a tough away match at Toft, where the Rutland Water team had never previously managed to register a victory.
With Seniors Captain Rob Budgen indisposed, it was left to Vice Captain, Chris Burton, to motivate the team onto greater heights. T
oft Golf Club are undergoing major changes at present and as a result could only welcome six pairs from Rutland Water due to limited catering facilities.
Lining up for Rutland Water were Chris Burton partnered by Jack Knight who was making his debut, followed by the pairings of Brooksby/Kilpatrick, Tee/Soper, Graves/Cripps, Ker/Kerley and Malyon/Wade.
On a blustery morning with strong winds and rain forecast all parts of the golf course were visited plus other areas of the surrounding landscape by most players on both sides but the match was keenly contested on a wonderful but testing course, evidenced by three of the six matches being decided on the 18th green.
Following an excellent post match meal the result was announced with RWGC recording their first ever seniors victory away at Toft by 4 points to 2 with wins for Burton/Knight, Brooksby/Kilpatrick, Tee/Soper, Graves/Cripps.
The following day the short journey to Greetham Valley Golf Club was made, a course which is familiar to many of the Rutland Water team. With skipper Rob Budgen again being AWOL (a worrying trend starting to develop), Vice Captain Chris Burton had also decided to make himself scarce which meant that last years seniors captain Stuart Westmorland was dusted off and wheeled out to lead from the front, assisted by another former seniors captain the ever youthful Bob Haynes.
The leading pair were joined by Ker and Graham, Robinson and Smith, Childerley and Abbott, Harris and Brooksby, Mee and Edmonds, Holland and Malyon, with Spedding and Fretwell making up the full compliment of eight pairs.
Playing the Valley Course, Rutland Water battled hard but we're unable to match the home side and repeat the victory of the previous day falling to a 5 1/2 to 2 1/2 points defeat.
The third match in April saw the seniors travel to Burleigh Park near Stamford with skipper Rob Budgen finally returning from his excogitative sabbatical leading the team partnered by Tony Wright, hopes were high for an overdue RWGC victory with McNaughton/Malyon, Westmorland/Graham, Soper/Perrett, Ball/Haynes, Childerley/Ker, Kilpatrick/Fretwell, Webb/Crown making up Rutland's finest.
However it was not to be, with the home side dominant in securing a 6-2 home victory.
The match was not all doom and gloom however with Jim Graham finding an alternative route to the first green with his drive which made its way down the adjacent estate road, via a speed bump and back on the middle of the fairway, Jim going on to win the hole.
Much is made of the high standard of training that the RAF's flight crews undergo to become the finest aviators in the world, however doubt was cast over this when one of the home team, a former RAF Tornado navigator sent one of his drives soaring off the tee 180 degrees in the wrong direction!
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