The equation was simple. With Yorkshire and Cheshire at the top of the table, and both teams playing away in the season’s final league fixtures at Northumberland and Durham respectively, it would almost certainly come down to the number of individual game points amassed over the season.
The match at South Moor GC was a momentous one for Cheshire in that Chris Peterson, chairman of selectors, was stepping down after 15 years of dedicated service to the county. Held in extremely high esteem and affection by all current and past county players, the team were desperate for “Podders” to go out on a winning note. The evening prior to the match Chris was presented with a gift and a card by the team, prompting Chris to make some quite moving remarks about his time involved with the county team. And a very amusing impersonation of Sam Prince!
Match day dawned with thick fog, and with visibility down to no more than 100 yards, the foursomes was delayed. It was not until nearly 11am before the fog lifted and the decision of the two team captains was, sensibly, to play foursomes matches over 12 holes as permitted in the league rules. We did not fare well on a hilly and in some places quirky course, only youngsters Laurent Beech and Dan Hayes winning. Trailing 4.5 to 1.5 at lunch, and with Yorkshire taking a commanding 5-1 lead at Dunstanburgh, it seemed nothing short of a miracle was required.
The singles matches were a totally different kettle of fish. Cheshire stormed out of the blocks, with GB&I star Dan Hayes quickly building a commanding lead and the impetus flowed back through the team to a point where we were in a commanding position and well placed to overhaul the lunchtime deficit. Remy Miller, after his heroics in the last match against Yorkshire, again came back from 3 down to secure a vital half point. Big wins for Josh Sims, Jack Nicholson, Joe Sephton, Chris Chilton and Sam Prince followed, and Jon Beesley’s fine win, in which he had 7 birdies, took Cheshire to a 9-3 singles win for a 10.5 – 7.5 match victory. As expected, however, Yorkshire did not slip up and they secured another league title by virtue of a greater game points total.
Prior to the long journey home, non-playing captain Peter Barber held brief post-match team talk in which he congratulated the team on a tremendous season. He highlighted the commitment of players and the great team ethos, exemplified by Lucas Kuiper who withdrew from a scratch event to travel as a reserve. Peter also thanked Dan Hayes, whose packed and hectic golf schedule did not deter him from turning out for Cheshire in this pivotal match. He also mentioned Haminder Matharu who was playing his last match for the county. “H” responded to say how welcome he’d been made by the county and how proud he’d been to represent us. He has never been on a losing team!
Peter also made special mention of Chris Peterson in what was an emotional tribute to someone who has given so much to the county.
Congratulations to Sam Burton who earned his county colours with his half in the singles matches. Paul McFerran, Haminder Matharu and Dan Hayes have also earned their colours this year
Top image: Remy Miller
Cheshire men’s golf has probably never been in a stronger place, with phenomenal young talent coming through and some seasoned campaigners who consistently produce results. The future is indeed bright. Bring on 2025!
Match results
Final League Table
