This Is Guernsey

By Gareth Le Prevost

TWO nail-biting golf matches on Saturday morning set up a L’Ancresse versus La Grande Mare Guernsey final in the 2009 Hampshire Sevens.

On their home course, but as the away team, L’Ancresse ended the Guernsey Juniors’ two-year unbeaten run in the competition thanks to Ross Wheeler’s one hole victory over Danny Carre, which settled a pulsating tie 4-3.

LGC team captain Steve Mahy hopes that the result will spur his star-studded side on to great things this summer.

‘I want to have a really good run in it,’ he said.

‘I was part of the great days at the Royal when we did very well in this competition.

‘It is such a good team event and yet since I’ve been down at L’Ancresse, we have never done anything in it, so it would be good to put that right.’

Despite being last out, Mahy had to endure the tense finale with his teammates as he finished early with a comfortable 6 and 5 win over Danny O’Brien.

The L’Ancresse captain had contrived to three putt from within 12ft on the first for a half, but a birdie at the second soon banished that memory and he was never in danger of losing.

In front of him, however, there was plenty of drama.

In the first match out, Danny Bisson was giving Luke Blondel 11 shots and although the youngster lost a nervy first hole, he settled down really well and was soon ahead.

By the time they reached the sixth, Bisson was sporting a wry smile and said ‘I am having to make 25ft birdie putts just to get a half.’

They proceeded to race around the course and Blondel kept his nerve excellently to secure a 2 and 1 win and the first point of the day.

However, L’Ancresse were soon level thanks to Jack Mitchell, who struck the ball beautifully throughout his match with Sam Le Huray but kept seeing birdie putts just slide past the hole.

Le Huray did little wrong, but the 2007 island champion is extremely hard to compete with in this type of mood and he also won on the 17th.

With Mahy and Danny Blondel, who played some superb golf in his 5 and 3 win against Tom Pattimore, looking comfortable in their matches at this point, attention turned to the closer rubbers.

The in-form Tom Dawson certainly came up with the goods for the Juniors.

Admittedly, he had eight shots on Garry McFarlane, but playing against the reigning Channel Islands champion is still a daunting task.

However, Dawson stepped up to the challenge impressively and made the most of the handicap difference to accept McFarlane’s congratulatory handshake on the 15th green.

To all intents and purposes, that made the overall match score 3-2 to L’Ancresse, but the Juniors led in the two other rubbers and they were soon to be level.

Will Davidson had done well to reach the turn all square against Jamie Blondel and by the 12th tee he was two up.

Blondel came agonisingly close to a birdie on 13, but his putt lipped out and the chance to narrow the gap had gone.

Davidson then made the most of his shot down 14 to go three up and he finished in terrific style.

Two good hits down 15 left him with a 10-footer for victory and he rolled it in with the minimum of fuss.

And so, as GJGC president Colin ‘Bill’ Le Huray had predicted some time before, it all came down to the closest clash on handicap.

Viewing Carre and Wheeler going down 14 from the 16th tee box, it seemed as if the Junior captain was set to squander his one hole lead as he wandered off towards the gorse bushes.

However, an air of disbelief went around the spectators when word came back that Carre had eventually won the hole thanks to holing a chip while Wheeler three putted.

But Wheeler, not long ago a GJGC team member himself, responded with a well made four and a win on 15 before Carre went long and out of bounds at 16 for the match to be back at all square.

With Carre in a greenside bunker and Wheeler 25ft from the pin having played two each up 17, the L’Ancresse man was in good shape.

Carre played a sublime shot from the trap to save his par, but Wheeler knew this was his chance and he certainly wasn’t going to leave his right-to-left putt short. As it was, it found the dead centre of the cup and suddenly he was one up going to the last.

Two safe tee shots at the short 18th left a putting duel and, with the Junior captain in for three having holed a good six-footer, Wheeler calmly stroked in his short par putt to claim the spoils.

‘They’ve not lost for two years so it was always going to be a struggle,’ Mahy said.

‘When picking the team we had to decide either to match up handicaps or go with the big guns, but my view is that if you have got your top seven out, you should get four to play to the standard required to win.

‘What that seven give to the team is experience and while it was never going to be easy, we had just enough to get through.’

GJGC president Le Huray, while disappointed at the match result, was full of praise for his youngsters.

‘They have done very well and claimed some big scalps. L’Ancresse put out a very strong side and I hope the kids can learn from today,’ he said.

‘You look at Luke who, OK is receiving 11 shots, but he is revamping his swing and for a 12-year-old kid he still has to go out and use those shots and this was another step for him to build on.

‘Tom Dawson, for a debut match, to beat the CI champion was outstanding. He has got a big future.

‘Will Davidson was phenomenal and I cannot be more pleased for him.’

The drama at La Grande Mare went as far as the 22nd hole with Richard Le Poidevin eventually getting the better of Shaun McDade to seal the home side’s place in the Guernsey final.Hampshire Sevens: L’Ancresse and La Grande Mare through to local decider

Article posted on 13th April, 2009 - 2.29pm