WILTSHIRE SENIORS BEAT DEVON IN THE CHANNEL LEAGUE

Seniors Channel League - Wiltshire v Devon

It turned out to be a tough start to the season for the Devon Seniors' side in their first match of the season, away to Wiltshire at Tidworth Garrison Golf Club.

The morning session saw honours even, with four of the five games going all the way to the final green. Chris Audin (Exminster) and Andy Clark (Honiton) started the ball rolling with a 2-up win over Bryan Lindsay (Cumberwell) and Wiltshire captain Martyn Evans (N Wilts) but Wiltshire already had one in the bag by then as the powerful duo of Colin Edwards (Cumberwell) and Jez Tomlinson (Marlborough) had defeated Dave Eva (Thurlestone) and Mark Evans (Rpyal North Devon), finishing them off with eagle 2 at the short par four 7th.

Skipper Tim Aggett (Warren) and his team-mate Jez Binch (Warren) had been 2-down early to Graeme Wright (N Wilts) and Mark Slater (Bowood) but a superb tee shot from Binch at 5 and back-to-back birdies at 7 and 8 gave them a 1-up lead and win. A delicate chip from Rick Osborne (Churston), partnered by Andy Rich (Stover) to concession distance secured a half for with the home club’s Al Patterson and Simon Dymoke from N Wilts.

Tony Allsopp (Tiverton) and Tim Jones (Warren) came to the last 1-down to Steve Ballard (Broome) and Wilts debutant Ian Quigley from High Post. Both pairs faced difficult chips to the two-tier green and neither could convert for par. All square and everything to play for at lunch.

Wiltshire came out firing on all cylinders for the singles and took 4 of the top 5 with only Eva salvaging an excellent half against Tomlinson. Audin lost at the last to Linsday, an ailing Evans lost to his Wilts namesake and Osborne couldn’t hang on for the notable scalp of Colin Edwards, succumbing on the final hole. An out of sorts Binch, struggling with the driver, lost to Slater.

Skipper Aggett produced Devon’s first full point of the afternoon, beating Wright 3/2. Andy Rich also closed out his game, defeating Dymoke 2/1 but that was it for the visitors. Andy Clark battled away against Patterson but couldn’t quite draw level, a magnificent birdie effort on the final green missing by a blade of grass. Jones was always down to some very solid golf from Ballard. Allsopp battled back from being heavily down to Quigley, from 4 behind to just the 1, but the Wiltshire man took the last two holes of the match, both Devonians losing on the 17th green.

It was a superb performance from the home side in completing a 10-5 victory, fielding a side showing great strength in depth. For Devon it is on to the first home game of the season, at the Warren where Dorset are the visitors on 20th May.

Huge thanks also go to host club Tidworth Garrison, who presented a course in fantastic condition and who looked after both sets of players really well both on the match day and on the practice day.

Click here for full match results

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