Day One (2 - 1)
The 1st round was played at the signature course of the weekend, The Oxfordshire. Looking down the first hole from the tee, everyone could see this was
going to be tricky, with long wispy rough and a tight fairway ahead. The course lived up to it's billing and was a tough but fair examination providing
three good matches.
Last year's victorious opening partnership, Laurence and Smez for Ground Control couldn't match the old school pair of Dean and
Alex and were 6 down at the turn. They kept it alive for a bit before succumbing 5&4 on 13.
That was as good as it got for Big Putts today, as Paul and Khalid beat Duncan and Simon, whose self professed lack of practice didn't
stop them being all square after nine but then the wheels coming off and losing 4 holes in a row ending in a 4&3 defeat. The third games saved the closest for last, the Reading school duo
of Dave and Shan three up at one point but Jonny and Tom fought back and the game swung back and forth, eventually going up 18 where Jonny took the point,
with a par good enough to win.
Day Two (4 - 2)
Saturday brought some groggy heads, full of the remnant of dodgy smoking cocktails and excessive meat to Bicester Golf Centre. Simon's team needed
a good start to get back into the match. They didn't get it, Tom and the now double champion Smez getting one over on Alex and Shan with a game that
should have been over well before a 4&2 victory closed it out. Duncan and Dave formed a strong team, using their Kent
partnership to closely win 2&1 against a good team in Paul and Jonny and bring the deficit back to just one point. Dean and Simon had the opportunity in the last game
to level the scores against Khalid and Laurence, but Laurence isn't number one in the matchplay tables for nothing and they were too strong,
winning a match they led throughout 3&1. Ground Control ended the day in a strong 4-2 lead.
Day Three (7 - 5)
To Sunday and everyone turned up bit by bit to Heythrop Manor, further away than we needed from the comfort of bed after another healthy night out.
Everyone made the most of (un)surprisingly non seedy Oxford late night venues and
rumours abounded at breakfast of hotel rooms shared until 5 in the morning with some over enthusiastic local golf fans.
In the golf, Tom's team started in control with a 2 point lead, but Simon led a captain's charge by beating his old nemesis in the top game. In the other pairing
from the 1st fourball Duncan continued his good form over the weekend and consigned Jonny to defeat, levelling the match and bringing hope to
I Like Big Putts". The middle match became all the more important and Paul who has a great matchplay record beat Alex to regain the
momentum whilst Laurence beat Shan again to ensure Ground Control could not lose the cup. Dave beat
Khalid to keep the draw alive and it was down to the last game, Smez v Dean. Dean battled against Bomo's form player
but came undone up the last in front of the entire watching squad and Ground Control to Captain Tom ran out deserved champs.
The Scores
