On the longest day of the year 16 XLGS athletes gathered from far and wide at West Sussex GC in Pulborough to engage in a long standing fixture with the club that, in all the time I have been Match Manager, we have never won!
The day was warm and bright with a small breeze and the course was in fine condition with lush green fairways that had been boosted by the recent rains in the past weeks. As always the company was extremely convivial and in the end the scores also proved to be the same too.
At lunch the score was remarkably 4-4 which enhanced the merriment whilst dining, as did the wine on offer, which somehow delayed our readiness to change and get to the first tee at our allocated times. That said the second round commenced in earnest pretty much on schedule and again the XLGS athletes were ready for the challenge.
To my immense delight we returned the same result in the afternoon leaving the match drawn at 8 apiece with Lance Taylor and Tony Stebbings bringing a point home in the last group. It really felt like a win and I haven’t stopped smiling since!
My thanks go to the fine team of XLGS ‘athletes’ but moreso to the West Sussex club and Members who place high value in this fixture with us and are already looking forward to our meeting next year.
Best wishes
Mike Johnson-Hill, Match Manager
