Chesham and Ley Hill Golf Club won their opening match in the 2022 Hillman Cup Competition. The tournament is run by the Berks, Bucks and Oxon (BBO) golf association, and there are over eighty golf clubs competing for the prestigious trophy. The competition has been suspended for several years due to the Covid pandemic, but prior to that, Ley Hill were relatively successful, as they twice finished runner-up in the plate competition.
The team consists of seven golfers, and the first three players must have a handicap between 5.5 and 9.4. The remaining four players have a handicap between 9.5 and 20.4. Home advantage can have a big influence on the result, and it is obvious that visiting teams struggle to cope with the tight and intricate Chesham golf course. This fixture was no exception, and Goring and Streatley were probably wishing they had played a practice round prior to last Saturday’s fixture!
Ian Morris was first out, and while he struggled to play his best golf, he stayed patient and focused, to defeat David Jenkins 1up on the last hole. The result was reversed in the second match, as Richard Lewis suffered a 1up defeat at the hands of Gorings’ Jason Hunter. The match was all-square on the 18th tee but Richard was unable to recover from an errant tee shot.
Third out was captain Ian Burrows, only recently returned from a hip operation, but obviously unimpaired, as he swept to an impressive 7&6 victory after just 12 holes! Meanwhile, Les Kimber arrived at the 18th tee all-square and played a miraculous chip-in to record another 1up victory.
Colin Harrison, a late replacement to the team, was 4 down to Ben Woodham, before mounting an inspired come-back to easily win 4&3. Finally, Ian King proved too strong for John Ray (3&2) to round up an impressive 6-1 victory for Ley Hill.
The Ley Hill course has recently received a significant make-over by new head-greenkeeper Darren Marsden-Smith, and despite early problems with the irrigation system, the greens are expected to look better than ever in 2022. The team are awaiting delivery of a new greens mower this month and the future is looking bright for the Chesham Club.
Next up for the Hillman team will be Mill Ride Golf Club, but Ley Hill will not have home advantage, and the team will have to adapt to a course over 2400 yards longer than the Chesham course!