The buzz of anticipation was tangible as both teams assembled in glorious sunshine to fulfil this annual fixture. Though the warmth of spirit, as well as the sunshine, was prevalent, the latter groups out did notice a cooler spell as dusk began to fall.
By the end of his round 'our Jim' was blowing hot and cold. He and Owen Monaghan had reached the 14th four down and at best could only achieve a half. Due to delays, cooling air, as well as some 'hot air', it was decided to concede the match, much to Owen's chagrin. "Well," he declared, "I was just making a comeback when Jim blew a gasket and I felt we could change the outcome!" John Sheppard and Bob Simpson were quite happy to accept the result and walked in with a smile.
Brian Waters had called upon Des Stone to help him overcome Graham Harrison and Glyn Latchem and they started off well, going two up after five holes, thanks to Brian's five net four on the fourth and birdie three on the sixth. They couldn't improve on this lead as Graham and Glyn always managed to pull one back each time the Tenby pair went ahead.
Brian and Des each lost a ball on the eighth and Graham and Glyn reciprocated on the ninth. Glyn made up for it by scoring a net par on the 10th to draw level, but the Tenby pair still managed to forge ahead. They were one up starting the 18th and only had to halve the hole to achieve a result. They reckoned without a competent 20-handicapper in Glyn, who won the hole with a five to halve the match and bring a big smile to his captain's face.
The second game out was also a close fought affair as Bob Howse and Richard Davies used this match as a practice for the Classic final on September 25. Trevor Lewis and Keith Hubbard made sure that they were well-tested, establishing a three-hole lead early on. There was some steady golf in this match as Trevor explored as many of Tenby's bunkers as he could. He found them rather testing and Keith showed him how to extricate himself when he found the bunker close to the green on the 14th. This match was played out to the last hole and also ended in a half, which everyone agreed was a fair result.
Terence Morgan started his round with a birdie to establish an early lead with his partner Jack Zeraschi. The luck didn't hold as Stan Hudson and Malcolm Arlott relaxed into some solid golf. Stan reckoned he had bottomed out on Tuesday with a very low score and that Thursday's match was the start of a recovery.
With some rather wild shots, the Trefloyne pair managed to experience the Tenby rough, though Terence made up for it by driving the green on the 13th. In fact, he out-drove Stan on most holes. Stan and Malcolm were five up with seven to play and managed to hold on to their lead to give the home side their first victory. With the match over, both Stan and Terence cleared the railway line on the 18th.
Having established a winning streak last week, Paul Bradley wanted to build on it this week. A birdie two on the sixth did a lot to sustain his form as he and John Hancock had a close game - against each other! One had the pars, while the other scored the birdies. John Hargrave and Wayne Connett complained that John and Paul were boringly straight down the fairway each time, while they drove straight down the rough each time. That made for an unequal contest and the Tenby pair finalised the match on the 13th.
Pat Casement and Bob Burks concluded their front nine one under par. That was a bit too much for the Morgan duo, Roy and Dave, who conceded that the Trefloyne pair was just too good for them. Their opening gambit was par, birdie, par for the first three holes and Roy and Dave knew they had a tough match in prospect.
Roy managed to halve the fifth hole, but they just couldn't match the quality golf of the in-form Trefloyne pair. Three down after nine, Dave remarked that he should have stayed in bed with the Missus! They didn't recover.
Barry Wood was very pleased with his game. The edge to this match was provided by his old cricket rival Brian Morgan and Woody was quick to rejoice in the fact that he claimed Morgie hasn't beaten him at anything yet. That is a rivalry that will continue on the golf course for some time yet. He may have played well, but he still needed the support of Barry Thorne to fill in on the holes he missed.
Brian Morgan and Rod Clarke were totally frustrated, not by the opposition, but at the fact that almost all their putts just lipped out or over-ran. It was not their day as Woody revelled in a burst of form. As Morgie hinted: "I'll catch him when the bubble bursts!"
They may have been off form with the putter, but Ken Gouldsbrough wasn't. He was having a field day with his and he was ably supported by Mike Fox. John James and Dave Crowley, however, were somewhat startled by Ken's exercise regime for his continuing back problem. Seeing a senior golfer rocking back and fore on all fours is not a pretty sight and some of the walkers on the footpath thought they were seeing a press-up competition as they watched Ken ease his aching back. Mike Fox said: "No, I did mine during my Army training thank you!" Whatever, the ploy worked, the putting was effective and Tenby had another result.
The Tenby rough made life difficult for Terry Harvey and Glyn Jones, but they overcame it enough to play a sound game of golf. Unfortunately, they came up against an in-form Nigel Rimell, who sat at the bar after the match with a satisfied smile on his face. His partner, David Evans, reckoned that he started very well - every time he lost a ball, he found two others! This aspect of his game deteriorated as he found fewer balls as the round progressed. He was quite pleased that Nigel allowed him to show some occasional skill on a couple of holes. This pair was six up after 12 holes and concluded their match on the 14th, after halving the 13th.
The last pair to return to the clubhouse was that of Peter Williams and Geoff Aston. They came in as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and they had also been paired with thoughts of the Seniors Classic final at the Grove Golf Club in mind.
The outcome of their encounter would also affect the result of the whole match. A half or a win and Brian Waters could breathe a sigh of relief. A result for the Jones boys, Darrell and Steve, would ensure a friendly half for the away team. According to the participants, this was a very close match, with no more than one hole in it either way.
Peter claimed some unfortunate runs as his ball clipped the edge of the hole on a number of occasions. On the other side, Steve was playing so well that El Presidente was overheard to offer him special discount to join Tenby. He had used six of his shots to win holes for Trefloyne and effectively put paid to Peter and Geoff's chance of achieving a result. Darrell compounded their misery by sliding the winning putt in on the 17th to go two up. That was enough to seal the fate of the Tenby duo and they shook hands to congratulate their adversaries.
Brian Morgan continued in his quest to make money for charity, even extracting a contribution from Woody. This week's lucky winners were Owen Monaghan, Roy Morgan and Glyn Latchem.
Results: B. Waters and D. Stone halved with G. Harrison and G. Latchem; B. Howse and R. Davies halved with T. Lewis and K. Hubbard; S. Hudson and M. Arlott beat T. Morgan and J. Zeraschi 3 and 2; J. Hancock and P. Bradley beat J. Hargrave and W. Connett 6 and 4; D. Morgan and R. Morgan lost to P. Casement and B. Burks 5 and 4; R. Clark and B. Morgan lost to B. Wood and B. Thorne 5 and 4; D. Evans and N. Rimell beat T. Harvey and G. Jones 5 and 4; P. Williams and G. Aston lost to D. Jones and S. Jones 2 and 1; K. Gouldsbrough and M. Fox beat J. James and D. Crowley 4 and 3; O. Monaghan and J. Martin lost to J. Sheppard and B. Simpson by 4.