Gutsy win secures Final berth for Bonnar Cup team

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Report by Wayne Humphries (Team Manager)

The equation was simple at Grange – win the contest against the home side and we make the Final. The task was not so simple. Grange had not lost a contest all season. In fact, they had only lost 10 individual games over the previous six rounds, but the Glenelg boys entered the contest with a quiet confidence and were well prepared for the battle.

The early signs were very encouraging with a miracle up and down from Liam Kennewell on the second hole from a buried lie, and a nice birdie from Andy Humphries on the 4th after his opponent hit his approach shot to 10 feet but missed his putt – the vibe was very positive.

After 7 holes, Glenelg had jumped their more fancied opponents and were leading in 5 games, behind in 1 game with 1 game all square. However, as happens in Pennant Golf, the contest tightened up a little, but with Glenelg still holding a small advantage. After 12 holes Glenelg were leading in 4 games and behind in 3 with several of the games quite close, so it was still anyone’s match. The Glenelg team stayed strong over the concluding holes to maintain their advantage and recorded the 4 and a half to 2 and a half victory that was required to qualify for the Bonnar Cup Final next week.

Jack Buchanan playing at No. 7 got off to a good start and was 2 up after 7. However, his opponent steadied and Jack kept trying hard but could not match his opponent who played very well over the last 8 holes for Jack to lose 5 and 3.

Liam Kennewell at No. 6 remained focused throughout his match and was either 1 up or 2 up for most of the day and closed his match out with a 3 and 2 win.

Sam Raschella at No. 5 was steady early and 1 up after 7. However, his opponent took advantage of his home course knowledge and turned the match around to win 4 and 3.

Luke Bashford at No. 4 had a massive struggle against an opponent who had won all his matches this season. His unbeaten run looked set to continue when he was 3 up on Bash with only 6 to play. However, Bash refused to give in and played sub-par golf over those last 6 holes to square his match. This half gave us a little breathing space and put extra pressure on the Grange top order playing behind him.

Andy Humphries at No. 3 played steady golf all day and closed his match out with a 2 and 1 win.

Brodie Whitbread at No. 2 also played consistent golf. A strong birdie 4 on the 16th put him 2 up and a half down 17 gave him a vital 2 and 1 win that gave us the team victory.

Earlier on Henry Duregon continued his excellent form to record a convincing 6 and 5 win at No. 1.

So an amazing turnaround from 2 weeks ago when it seemed unlikely that we would make the Final. We now need to regroup, re focus and prepare to do it all again this Sunday when we again play Grange at Grange East in the Bonnar Cup Final. Exact timings have not yet been announced but it is likely to be around the 11am timeframe for any members that would like to come out and support the boys.

Thank you again to all the caddies and parents who helped the boys get over the line.