22 October 2010 Intervarsity alumni golf match Cambridge vs Oxford

It was a beautiful day at Royal Sydney Golf Club (RSGC), ranked 15^th in Australia and a suitable venue for the second annual intervarsity alumni golf match.  Fifteen players turned out, eight from Cambridge.  Hence one Oxford player ended up playing two matches against Cambridge opponents. 

Royal Sydney requires that for each four-ball a member of RSGC be present and Cambridge was able to supply four RSGC members, but then RSGC is Sydney’s most prestigious golf club so this is to be expected.  Some might regard this as giving Cambridge too much home advantage but others would consider it as perspicacious captaincy.

For Cambridge, Peter Young and Daryl Dixon were the first pair off playing against Murray Tobias and Robert Lawrie.  Both won their matches (4&3, 5&3) giving Cambridge a flying start of 2-0.  The second four-ball of Andrew Soddy and John Keniry versus Robert Gilchirst and Julian Walter was split.  Andrew (RSGC member) won a very close match 1 up but John unfortunately was narrowly defeated 3&2.  Cambridge was now leading 3-1.  In the next hit off John Levisholm of Oxford played two matches, one against Malcolm Young (RSGC member) and Chris Golis (Captain).  Chris maintained his perfect record of losing every match he has played so far going down 6&5 while Malcolm and John played an absolute humdinger with the lead never going more than 1up and Malcolm draining a 3 metre (no make it 4 it gets longer with every passing day) putt to halve the match.  Cambridge was now leading 3½-2½.  The final four-ball of Chris Abbot (RSGC member) and Russell Lyons against the Oxford combination of Peter Abelson (Captain) and John Garvey was again split, Chris winning 3&2 but Russell losing 3&1.  Thus the final result was a win to Cambridge 4½-3½.  We then all retired for a superb meal in the Royal Sydney Club house.  Peter Young had done an excellent job and as the wine flowed, the drives got longer, the bunkers deeper and putts even more awesome.