LITTLE SPOTS ARE SW CHAMPIONS!

SW JUNIOR INTER-COUNTIES DAY 1

Another year and another venue and the SW Junior Inter-Counties started in earnest today with a little bit of mizzle in the air. Gloucestershire and Devon kicked off the tournament with everyone anticipating a tough and challenging match. We had to give shots to our opposition in all but one match and in three of the matches the numbers were big. With a different mindset going into this year's tournament and with several practice rounds under our belts, Team Glos felt good and the decision to go out and enjoy the golf and play the best golf we could, worked.

With our Captain and Vice-Captain leading the way, Liz and Neve, having to give the most shots - 14 in total, found themselves 1 dn through 5, but they kept battling and turned the situation around by the 8th and were +1. This was always going to be a tough ask, but they kept it tight and eventually found themselves going up the 18th A/S. A friendly half was secured but prior to this match ending, there was lots of other great golf being witnessed on the course.

The other foursomes match of Taylor and fellow club mate and our rookie for this year Frances, motored around the Red and Yellow courses of Cumberwell Park and soon found themselves 5 up through 8, securing an emphatic win on the 13th - the fact that they had to give 13 shots didn't faze them at all and this really bolstered the spirits and the singles matches also started to bring home some good scores.

Leading the singles was Mariella who had to give 3 shots to her opponent (ignore the team sheet figure, as this was wrong!). The precise delivery of this match was a spectacle to be witnessed - I think her Devon opponent just didn't know what to do as the wins were relentless and Mariella closed out her match on the 14th securing a 6&4 win. In quick succession, Rosie also secured a 6&4 win having plotted her way around the course in her usual quiet and unassuming way -this is the golfer who makes you work hard for any advantage, making sure she is always in control. "Don't mess with Rosie"! Our final singles player, Molly was up against a tough opponent and having to give 13 shots. Molly was having to make birdies and pars just to halve holes and found herself 2 dn through 5. Molly's match eventually finished on the Par 3, 13th with a 6&5 loss. Losing big, when you have to give so many shots and you know you've played well can be demoralising for the girls but they always keep going knowing that if they're playing their best, they can walk off the course with their heads held high and accept "it just wasn't their day".

Whilst initially there was some discussion about the number of shots that Team Glos had to give, they rose to the challenge and came out on top with a final result of 3.5:1.5

The afternoon session saw us playing our neighbours Somerset. Being neighbours means that most of the girls playing for both Counties are really good friends, playing throughout the season with one another regularly - however at SWJIC, we go out to win and friendships, to a degree are put aside to focus on the challenge in hand.

With a very quick turnaround for Somerset, Team Glos reaped the benefits of having a long break between the am and pm session.

Our first foursomes pairing of Neve and Molly worked well and through 9 they were 3 up. They eventually won on the 14th securing a 6&4 win. Our second pairing of Sophie and Liz battled throughout their match and again they were losing to pars, but they kept holding on but it was one step too far, and they lost their match on the 16th 3&2.

Our singles players were fairing much better, with Mariella zooming out to secure a great position, finding herself 4 up through 5. However, her opponent wasn't going to let her have it all her own way and gradually started pegging her back. Mariella held on, making sure not to lose the advantage, and eventually finished her match on the 17th with a 2&1 victory.

Millie, having benefitted from a rest morning, smashed her opponent out of court and sealed her victory on hole 15 with a 4&3 win.

Our final singles player, Taylor had a bit of a yo-yo match with the win flip flopping to both players. By the 13thTaylor had gone 2 down, but not to be beaten, she then won the 14th and the 15th. It was game on, then they halved the Par 3, 16th across the pond and then carried the match forward to the 17th. Taylor drove just short of the green on this par 4 and her opponent was shorter and to the left of the green. Two shots later and they were both putting out with Taylor coming out on top, which meant she was going up the 18th, 1up. Unfortunately, Taylor lobbed her drive OOB on the left and had to take another ball off the tee which went reasonably straight up the 18th fairway. With a nice little shot into the green, this meant Taylor was 4 to the green but Amber was fighting back and made it to the pin for 2. Ultimately Somerset won the hole and the final match on Day 1 was halved.

Our final result for our afternoon session, was an emphatic win for Gloucestershire 3.5:1.5

To say Team Glos were excited would be an understatement and the girls thoroughly enjoyed the win. Tomorrow we face Wiltshire in the morning and Dorset in the afternoon. We don't have as early a start as we did this morning, so instead of leaving our hotel at 0630 hrs, we can have an extra hour in bed which I know all the girls will enjoy.

Thank you to all the supporters who came along today and fingers crossed we can do as well tomorrow.

SWJIC Day 2

Following the success on Day 1, the girls really wanted to maintain that feeling of satisfaction from winning but we knew that we needed to remain focussed and stick to our game plan - irrespective of the number of shots that we might have to give, we had to play our own game - having done some preparatory work before SWJIC, we knew that the reason for handicaps is to level the playing field and if we had to give shots, it was because our opponents needed those shots to be able to compete against Team Glos. Team Glos are exceptionally lucky to have such a talented bunch of girls and on Day 2, it showed just how good they are!

Our morning session was against Wiltshire and they pushed us all the way. In the first foursomes match, Long Ashton club mates, Taylor and Rosie had to give 13 shots, but they were really fired up and soon set the pace, winning 3 holes through 6 and then they just stepped on the pedal and motored to a win on the 14th.

Inspired by their team mates, the next foursomes match of Molly and Frances who had to give 8 shots, found themselves 2 up through 6. They were steady through the next 5 holes before dropping a hole on the 14th. Even though their objective was to follow the first foursomes pairing, it took them a bit longer to eventually win 2 up on the 18th.

The singles matches also created interesting viewing with Millie leading these matches and having to give 6 shots. Millie came up against an in-form Wiltshire player, who had quickly won 2 holes through 4 before Millie was able to win back-to-back holes, to get to A/S through 6. She lost the Par 3, 7th to a birdie, but was able to claw back to A/S on the long Par 4 dogleg 8th before losing the 14th. Securing a win on the 15th she maintained this through 17 knowing that on the 18th she had to give a shot to her opponent! Millie really battled hard throughout her match, but unfortunately lost on the 18th.

In the second singles match, Sophie met her match giving 6 shots and was never up, and she soon found herself 4 down through 9. Although she didn't give up she was unable to claw back any holes and eventually lost 5&3. A tough match but it was good to witness Sophie's mental resilience throughout her match.

In the final singles match, Liz was never down, even though she had to give 4 shots. The confidence she has in her game was clearly visible as she dominated the play. Even when she is in a competitive match, Liz still shows a level of empathy and care towards her opponents which is rare in match play, especially with the younger opponents, but is however a wonderful trait to have in golf and it was certainly acknowledged by those watching this match, which ultimately finished on the Par 3, 16th with Liz winning 4&2.

These results, gave us another great 3:2 win over Wiltshire.

The afternoon session was against Dorset and we knew we needed to stay strong and not lose focus, as this was always potentially going to be a difficult match to win.

It was important to show trust in Sophie's game, so she was paired with Liz in the first foursomes match and even though they had to give 1 shot, they worked extremely well together ensuring they were always up in their match, closing it out on the 15th to win 4&3.

Long Ashton club mates, Taylor and Frances proved to be a great pairing even though they had to give 6 shots. Once they secured a couple of wins, they were always at least 1 up throughout their match, and even though they got pegged back they secured a win on the 17th, when they nearly drove the green whilst the Dorset dumplings were short and then put their 2nd shot into the greenside bunker. Team Glos secured a 3&1 win at this point.

The singles matches were top quality - we witnessed incredible golf and at some points you forgot these are junior golfers because the standard was so high.

Mariella led the singles out, but it was Neve who put the first points on the board with an incredible 7&6 win - her playing partner was totally outplayed and said she was only 2 over and Neve was 5 under for her round. With the two foursomes win, we knew that we had won the match, but there was also 2 other singles battles being played out on the course.

Mariella and her opponent who both had playing handicaps of +2 and who are both in the Regional SW England Golf squad played phenomenally. There was never more than 2 shots in this match, and even their bad shots (if you can call them that!) were good! There were some "Seve" like recoveries which showed the pure talent of the two players and it was a pleasure to watch. Mariella ultimately beat her opponent on the 17th with an incredible birdie and with all the spectators grouped around this green, we could then watch our last singles match come down the fairway.

Millie was playing another in-form player and coming down the 17th she was 1 down, but this was after battling back from 4 down. Millie almost drove the green but landed in the front greenside bunker and she knew she needed to win this hole to extend her match. Her opponent holed out for par and Millie needed to birdie the hole. She hit an incredible bunker shot to within 3 feet of the flag for 2, knowing that she could win the hole and extend the match up the 18th if she could putt it out. Could she do it? Unfortunately, Millie's putt lipped out, so it meant that she lost her match 2&1.

However, as a team we had another win and beat Dorset 4:1

To say I'm proud of the girls would be an understatement. The quality of their golf is first class and they never cease to amaze me with their resilience to take up the challenge and deal with those occasional disappointments. However, whilst there have been some personal disappointments for some of our girls, it's all about the team and as a team, they have shown such commitment towards one another. They support one another - the girls that are rested each session follow the players, supporting them from the sidelines, when they have finished their own matches, the girls follow the others that are still playing and when any of them lose they are there to give them a big hug!

This team has been awesome so far and we have one match left - they have won 4 out of 4 matches, which has put us at the top of the leaderboard and once we returned to the clubhouse, it was confirmed that we had won the tournament with a day to spare - how awesome is that - it's totally awesome and they deserve to have won this year. We have worked hard to change the mindset of the players and focus on our own game - that's what we can control and as long as they walk off the course knowing that they have played to the best of their ability that's all we want - girls you have been inspirational and knowing that you are the future of Gloucestershire Ladies Golf makes me very proud.

Let's go out and have another good day tomorrow and see what we can achieve.

SWJIC Day 3

After our Day 2 matches, and once the team were all fed, we ventured back to our hotel in Trowbridge and decided it was time to have a celebratory dessert. It was waffles, cookie dough and crepes, decorated with fresh fruit and chocolate sauce, and the girls totally deserved every yummy mouthful!

Whilst we were enjoying our desserts, we decided it was time for the girls to take responsibility for team selection, something that is usually done by the CJO, Match Manager and the Junior Captain.

We asked who wanted to have a rest and Taylor and Lizzie both said they would happily take a rest for the morning's match against Cornwall, so that left us with seven girls who wanted to play. They then had to decide who would play together in the foursomes and who would be playing singles?

Mariella who had played singles in 3 matches, said she would like to play a foursomes match, so her and Frances were paired together. Millie and Sophie also wanted to play foursomes together, so Neve, Rosie and Molly agreed (happily I ought to add) to play in the singles matches.

So the team had selected the team and once they had consumed the huge desserts, it was time for them to wind down, pack their suitcases, before going to bed and getting a good night's sleep in readiness for the last match which we agreed would be great if we could get a clean sweep, although we had the luxury of knowing that we had already won the tournament.

Following two day's of golf, we didn't hear a peep from the girls once they had left the dessert café and even Millie who has unlimited energy, actually suggested to her room-mates that she needed to get to bed early in preparation for the last match.

With the help of Sandra Gibbs and Karen Rix, the girls and all their luggage (yes 2 car loads full) was transported to Cumberwell in time to have breakfast and prepare for the battle against Cornwall - when I say preparation, I mean get the face/leg paint on (definite priority!!), nip to the range to hit a few balls and do some putting.

Both foursomes pairings had to give 12 shots each and leading out the match were Knowle's Millie and Sophie. The holes with shots on the red course were on 1,2,4,6,8 and 9, so it was no great surprise that the girls found themselves 3 down through 9 holes. They were able to stop the rot and kept the three-shot loss right through to the Par 3, 16th where they unfortunately lost 3&2.

The second foursomes of Mariella and Frances, didn't fair quite so well, with their opponents showing really good form and through 9 they were 6 down. Unfortunately, they had an uphill battle and eventually lost 8&6 on the Par 3, 13th.

By this time, we were hoping that the singles matches were doing better and would bring in some points. Neve had gone out first in the singles and was playing a level match. It was very even with little more than a 2-hole difference in the score, but Neve stuck with it and ended up going to the 18th A/S. Neve was through the green in 2 and her opponent was on the green in 3, having topped it off the tee. The green was elevated with the it sloping down towards the tee, so it was always going to be a very difficult chip or putt for Neve. Neve opted to putt her ball but unfortunately there was a sprinkler head which her ball just touched with caused it to slow up, not rolling out like it should have done towards the hole. Her opponent was closer, so Neve had to putt again and she literally needed one more roll of the ball to win the hole. Her opponent was also short, so a halved match was agreed, so we had half a point in the bag.

Behind Neve, Long Ashton's Rosie who had to give 3 shots was quietly going about her business, plotting her way around the course and although she was 1 down through 9, this wasn't for long as she won 4 holes on the trot and was 3 up through 13. Her opponent then fought back and eventually it was on the 17th that Rosie won her match with a 2&1 score.

Molly was also confronted with a 13-year-old superstar and was having to give 7 shots. Molly did well to fight back from 2 down through 5 losing to birdies and pars to a girl who had only been playing for just under 3 years. Molly never gave up and got it back to A/S through the 7th before her opponent then won the 8th and 9th holes. Molly found herself 3 down through 11 and then she found her mojo and got it back to 1 down through 16 with an incredible bunker shot. Molly then won the 17th to go back to A/S but that meant she was heading up the 18th knowing that she had to give a shot on this hole. With two great drives and approach shots it was down to the putting and unfortunately with a shot advantage on the hole, the Cornish girl won the hole.

The final result was a loss to Cornwall 3.5:1.5 but the tournament result still meant that we won overall.

The morning's result may not have been what we were looking for, but the girls enjoyed their last session of the tournament and it was good to see them celebrate on the 18th with everyone piling on top of Molly.

The girls had fun, were totally committed to the cause of trying to win the tournament and delivered some sensational golf throughout the 2.5 days. It was a pleasure to be with them throughout the tournament and to see the high's (plenty of them) and the low's (few of them) that were experienced by the girls. They were great ambassadors for the County and they obviously enjoyed the whole experience. We are so lucky to have such a talented junior team, and even though three of them, Lizzie, Molly and Sophie will be leaving the junior section (too old at 18!), there are even more girls coming through the ranks who will be able to replace these three quality players.

Gloucestershire Ladies County Golf is looking healthy with all members of the current junior team already representing the Ladies 1st and 2nd teams. Next year there will be some new additions and it will be good to see how they fare at Broadstone Golf Club, who are going to be hosting the 2025 SWJIC tournament.

There are always lots of people to thank at these events - Chris Douglas, our Match Manager, Wiltshire Golf who organised the event, Cumberwell Park and the whole team who hosted the event and kept us fed and watered, members of the GLCGA Executive, parents, supporters and most of all the girls who were determined to get the win doing it in style with a day to spare.

I feel very privileged to be part of this great team and let's hope we can do it again next year!

Return to News Page

Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.