Thermopylae, Waterloo, El-Alamein - these minor skirmishes pale beside the cutthroat conflict that was the annual seniors' Captain versus Vice-Captain match.

On the morning of Tuesday, April 24, seniors could be seen consulting the start list and discovering which of the protagonists they were representing. Many seniors arrived unaware that this momentous match was being played, and the teams grew larger and more partisan as tee times approached.

Fortunately, the weather was kind and everybody enjoyed the friendly - but hotly contested - games. As in all battles, there were some casualties, Stan Hudson's adventure with a buggy and a ditch being the most prominent.

Repairing to the clubhouse after the match, the seniors enjoyed a light lunch, before Captain Jim - beaming all over his face - announced the result. Guess whose team was victorious!

Moving on to Thursday, April 26, the seniors who had competed against each other so recently had to regroup and do a bit of bonding to face external opposition. The target was to attempt to beat the Machynys seniors, 16 of whom had driven the 99 miles to enjoy a match on Tenby links.

Again, the weather gods smiled on Tenby. It was a fairly grey day, but despite a gloomy forecast, the match suffered only the merest smidgeon of rainfall. This was the Machynys' team's first match here and they were suitably impressed by our course and, as it turned out, by our performance as a team.

Having 'brunched' together before we played, there was no match meal just a drink, a chat, a raffle and an announcement of the result - which was a very pleasing home win by seven matches to one! Machynys captain Mike Drew and our own Jim Martin parted amicably and both teams look forward to the return match at Machynys in May.

See you there!

M.F.