The Challenge XI

Yesterday was the traditional end of season Challenge Match between Scotland and the Rest of the World and yet again we had a glorious day for it. There were one or two regular participants missing - preferring to watch the Ryder Cup on TV apparently, but we still had a full complement of 24 playing.

We managed to get 3 of the groups teeing off at the Doo'cot and this helped us all gather back in the clubhouse in good time - virtually everyone was in and seated by 1pm. Some chose to watch a bit of the Ryder Cup on TV, whilst others sat in the dining room and swapped stories until the last group was in.

Rob took a number of team photographs on the first tee:

This match went in favour of R.o.W., with Linda and Thai'chie beating Gordon and Eileen by 2 holes.

Next out were:

This match also went in favour of R.o.W., with Les and Angela (representing Portugal) beating Dick and Theresa on the last green. Les holed the winning putt, but he must have felt a bit like Denis Law did many years ago when he scored for Man City against his beloved Man Utd, relegating them in the process. Les's competitive instinct eventually overcame his emotional pangs at beating his homeland.

The 3rd group that set off from the first tee were:

This was another match that pitched husband against wife - and it was also a Male v Female encounter, with Dan and Gary taking on Mel and Linda. Gary spared his blushes with a narrow one hole victory for Scotland.

The other 3 all male teams teed off from the Doo'cot, playing pretty much in handicap order. The top match with Syd and Harry representing R.o.W. was expected to be a shoe-in for R.o.W. against Scotland's Ians - Sharp and Stewart - but the latter two gelled well and were never behind and chalked up another 2 points for Scotland, which could have been even more decisive had Harry not holed a good putt on the last to claw Scotland back a little.

This match had scurried off at the 16th before any team photo could be taken. In fact, Syd must have been in an almighty hurry as this was how he left his car in the car park:

The 5th match featuring McRae/Gray (K) v Meaden/Bhagrath was late on the tee and missed not only the photo opportunity but also their turn, so got caught up in traffic when they got round to the 1st tee again. This match also ended up in favour of R.o.W. by one hole.

The fourball who had been selected for the 6th match moved up to 5th and still had plenty of time for their team photo:

This annual Challenge match seems to motivate Jack in particular and Scotland emerged victorious by 4 holes, which proved vital in securing yet another overall victory for the home side by 7 holes to 4. It was a pretty close affair, however, with each team winning 3 of the matches.

Scotland's representatives, Sharp and Simpson, got the Nearest the Pin prizes, with Harry somewhat inevitably taking the Longest Drive, which, a little mysteriously, changed from the planned 10th hole to the 15th hole. Another Senior Moment is suspected.

We were joined by Linda Edmonds and Richard and Gail Simcox for the carvery lunch afterwards, with Rob doing the announcements and posing with me and the trophy:

Most of the winning team lined up with the trophy:

Another hugely successful event and a nice way to end the season.