Fitzwilliam Golf Society
Golf for Alumni /ae of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Event 3. FITZHALL MATCH (PLAYED AS INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION) - WON BY DANNY GESUA - 8 MAY 2017
Due to low attendance by St Edmund Hall, the annual team match was suspended this year and replaced with the "FitzHall Masters" - an individual 18 hole stableford competition. The venue once again was Wimbledon Park GC, home course of Hall's Michael Archer, the original instigator of the FitzHall match . The course lies adjacent to the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
The weather was unseasonably cold with a fresh breeze (usually in our faces). Many of the 19 competitors failed to master the excellent and very fast greens. Unphased by any adversity, Danny Gesua of Fitz was the clear winner with 37 points and he inherits the Red Blazer for the year. In equal second place were Michael Hall (F) and Arwyn Hughes (H). Nearest the Pin, over the water on the 6th, was Robin Winckless. The Longest Drive on the downhill 13th was taken by Stuart Lester (F). The best team of three prize was unsurprisingly taken by Danny Gesua and Michael Hall plus Paul Fairweather.
The Rabbit Award for most notable event on the course was given to Graham May. On the short 6th, his shot to the green was blocked by a duck standing on top of a large mound. He politely suggested the duck move and it obligingly waddled out of sight. Graham then took his chip shot - only for it to hit the duck which had walked back out of sight onto the edge of the green and into his line. A rules conference followed and the incident was declared "Fowl Play"!
The players enjoyed an excellent dinner afterwards when Michael Archer presented the prizes supported by the Fitz Match Organiser, Graham May. Mike Hamment as Fitz Captain gave a vote of thanks.
Event 2. FITZ PIPPED BY CLARE IN THE 2017 INTER-COLLEGIATE COMPETITION
The second Cambridge Inter-Collegiate competition (this time with 10 Colleges playing) was played at Gog Magog Old Course on the 20th April. We were represented by Charlie Brown, Jon Prichard, Matt Hignell, Brian Smith, John Uwins (selected on the basis of their form shown in the 2016 Fitz Open) and Captain, Mike Hamment.
The other colleges taking part were Clare, Christ's, Corpus, Jesus, King's, Magdelene, St John's, Trinity and Trinity Hall.
The format of the competition is that all play off full handicap in a Stableford format - and the best five Stableford scores are totalled - to get an overall score for each team. When Fitz scored a total of 177 (average 35.4) for our top 5 players - it appeared that there was no stopping us from winning the Competition. But unfortunately Clare had other ideas - especially one of their team (a bandit off 21) who scored 41 points - and their top 5 also totalled 177 points.
Unfortunately - a precedent had apparently been set in the previous year - when there was also a tie. And it was determined that in the case of a tie then the sixth score would also count - as our sixth score was 29 against Clare's 31 - then we were placed second. Never mind - all of our team had played very well on the day. We also enjoyed a good meal in Christs in the evening. And at least by not coming first, we avoided the need to organise next year's competition!
Mike Hamment
Event 1. Cambridge Meridian Society Day
Fitz entered three teams in the 2017 Greene King Society Day at Cambridge Meridian on 10 March
The format was that the best two out of four scores counted. Team B was the most successful of the three Fitz teams scoring 77 points which was sadly insufficient for a podium position. The winning team scored 83 points and one of their members was a Fitz man John Uwins!
Brian Smith was the Fitz Match Organiser and he also won Nearest the Pin with a fine tee shot on the 17th.
