The Inter County Pearson Trophy.
St.Swithins Day dictates the weather for the following forty days or so tradition dictates, this year the weather on the Inter County Pearson Trophy finals day certainly was true to form and in keeping with St. Swithins.
The morning started with high winds, high grey rain clouds interspersed with sunshine. This was going to make the finals at Wrotham Heath very interesting.
The annual meeting of teams from Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Kent and Surrey who gathered together to take part in the very exciting event that Issette Pearson and her friends devised just after the turn of the 20th Century.
Surrey (Roehampton) teed off first in their match against Middlesex (Ealing), Surrey took a 3/0 lead but Middlesex were not going to go down without a fight, they won the next game thanks to Cari Gale, but the following result was a Surrey win.
Giving Surrey the match 4/1.
Well-done Middlesex for putting up a spirited battle.
In the second semi final Kent (Nizels) played Hertfordshire (Bishops Stortford).
Hertfordshire drew first blood, with Susie Hartley of Bishops Stortford beating Hilary Burdis; this win shook Kent's Nizels into action.
Denise Carr started the attack by beating Barbara Page, Juli Fayers recorded a second win against Linda Battye, Jan Martindale and Barbara Tucker were battling away in a close match and getting closer and closer to the matches conclusion. Then the news came in that Amanda Rose had take her match for Kent and shortly after that Nikki Bell came in with the deciding match for Kent. 4/1.
The final would be between Surrey and Kent.
We all took a break for lunch and had a short time to take stock of the mornings events, play had been very exciting, could we possibility have a repeat of last years thrilling Final?
Team sheets were handed in, start sheets prepared and off we go again.
Gilly Webb-Wilson lined up against Kent Denise Carr, they played a very close match, with plenty of ups and downs.
Second out was Gunilla Huldt against the exciting Juli Fayers, this certain was going to be a match with plenty of spice. Juli Lost in a close match against Gunilla and so first blood to the visiting team.
The effervescent Jan Martindale followed she played against Vivien Harris; this match was another win to Surrey 2/0. Kent nailed one back when the gorgeously rosy Amanda Rose walked in with a huge smile, saying that she had just beaten Linda Hamilton. 2/1. Shortly after that sparkling Adele Young reported a loss to Surrey's Mary Barlow. Surrey was 3/1.
This was going to get interesting, Nizels always seem to come back from behind, could they possibly do it again?
Gilly and Denise match had been held up by a dispute, due to a Caddie walking onto the green, they lost time as three matches had to be let through.
In the mean time that charming Sue Crimes snatched the match from her Surrey opponent Sally T Rex.
Valerie Patten for Surrey was Liz (the Tiger) Heis's next victim; Liz came in with a great win against her prey.3/3
Back to Denise and Gunilla's match, Denise was two down when leaving the 16th green.
Denise sunk a great putt to take a hole back; she was going to the 18th Tee with the task of having to win the final hole to take the match to the 19th.
What does she do folks? Yes! HOLES a 90 foot putt, (ok that's what it looked like to me.) It might have been 12 feet or more, certainly not less.
Then on to the 19th. And yes you guest it, as with last year Gunilla sunk her putt and the lovely vivacious Denise narrowly missed her putt. WOW! What a final.
Congratulations to all the players, especially the Kent Gals.
Well-done Surrey.
