The flight from Bristol airport to Bordeaux on Saturday, June 2, carried 13 people from the Tenby area en route to the 18th Hamilton Cup at Golf Bordelais, Bordeaux. Four others who had travelled separately joined the group in France, making a total of 17 people, including three non-golfers. The competition itself took place on Thursday and Friday (June 7 and 8), but preparation and practice time had to be taken into account, so several visits were made to the course during the earlier part of the week. The qualifier for the Tenby team was held on Wednesday when eight members qualified to represent the club and a reserve list was drawn up. The Hamilton Cup reception, held at Golf Bordelais on Wednesday evening, was the time to renew friendships and meet new people. Francois Xavier Brousse, Bordeaux's team captain, welcomed everyone in French, English and Spanish as teams were present from Bordeaux, Pau, Tenby, Kirby Muxloe, Royal North Devon, La Toja (Rias Baixas) and Castiello. Unfortunately, this year the Portuguese clubs of Estoril and Oporto were not represented. Most of the clubs in the Hamilton Cup were founded over 100 years ago and have great histories and traditions. Francois explained that this year, in addition to the usual matches, there would be a subsidiary competition for those not in the teams. This would be a Wine Merchants competition, with prizes donated by members of Golf Bordelais who owned vineyards. The evening set the scene for the following days. Traditionally the Thursday takes the format of four ball better ball, with the best three scores counting. At the end of day one, the team scores varied from 124 to 104 points, with individual scores in the range of 47 to 26 points. The home team were in the lead and Tenby were in fifth place. Friday, singles day, started around 9 am. Conditions were difficult, due to the heat, and many scores were returned around 30 points. The best six scores count on day two. Tenby acquitted themselves well and rose to fourth position by the end of the competition - only three points behind the third place team. The final results were Bordeaux in first place, followed by Castiello, Royal North Devon, Tenby, Kirby Muxloe, Pau and La Toja. Tenby's team was made up of Linda Evans, Allan Morton, Nigel Ayers, Ken Gouldsbrough, Tony Key, Anita Davies, John Ball and Fair Fraser. Golf Bordelais is a traditional parkland course and the course was in superb condition for the competition. The greens were immaculate and very receptive to a well-hit shot, but the grain was difficult to read. The fairways were like a luxury carpet and were quite generous and very easy on the feet. In the rough, the balls sat down and were difficult to move any distance, although this was not as severe as at Tenby. Even though Golf Bordelais had lost many trees in a storm a few years ago, those that remain still posed considerable problems off the tees and overhanging branches protected the greens on some of the shorter holes. The weather was hot and sunny and the high temperatures often led to problems in gripping the clubs. Friday evening is the highlight of the Hamilton Cup when everyone meets for the final night, to relive each hole and exchange anecdotes, for each team member to receive a memento of the event and to discover which team has won the coveted trophy. The accompanying meal was a triumph, with Bordeaux excelling themselves with an excellent four-course meal accompanied by wine. Francois rounded off the evening by awarding a lead crystal golf ball to each team member and bottles of wine were presented to those who had won the Wine Merchants competition. One lucky member from each team was also selected to receive a bottle of wine. As newcomers to Bordeaux, Castiello presented a shield and Royal North Devon, who were attending the Hamilton Cup for the first time, presented a ceramic jug made by a local artisan from their home area. On an individual level, club ties and mementoes were exchanged. As always, the camaraderie was second to none, friendships were renewed, banter was exchanged and more names and faces were remembered. There were many opportunities for photographs during the evening and these should help to aid memories until the next meeting. Tenby had a series of firsts this year - Linda Evans was the captain of the Tenby Hamilton Cup team for the first time; the same eight players played both days; and Tenby's overall placing improved on day two. The latter two achievements were a major surprise to all concerned. For many of the people on our trip, the only change of scenery from the accommodation or the golf club was the result of a downpour on Monday morning. It was not the best weather to play golf and getting wet on the outside could perhaps be made bearable by getting wet on the inside! A convoy of vehicles headed for Saint Emilion - a heaven for lovers of fine wine. Every shop seemed to offer wine tasting and/or to sell wine. Apparently this was the 'educational aspect' of the holiday. Fingers were tightly crossed at the airport that the wine purchases would stay within the weight allowance and travel safely as hold luggage (as no liquids are allowed in hand luggage). A number of the bags for the cabin were searched at the airport as large, heavy glass objects upset the x-ray machines. Eventually the crystal golf ball prizes were allowed to leave Bordeaux too. The main party arrived back in Tenby on Saturday, June 9, and are already looking forward to the Hamilton Cup 2008. The team from La Toja (Rias Baixas) will host this and the dates and venue are to be confirmed. Royal North Devon will be the venue for the Hamilton Cup in 2009.
