The Grafton Morrish

Date: Qualifier - 26 May 2012

Venue: Royal Ashdown Forest

Date: Finals - 5-7 October 2012

Venue: Hunstanton / Brancaster

Captain: Philip Brown

Report on 2011

After finishing top in the qualifying at Royal Ashdown Forest in June, hopes were high for the Grafton Morrish this year. Jos Pralle was eligible; while Robbie Busher had secured some notable successes over the summer, which meant the youth policy was very much in evidence. The rest of the team was made up of seasoned campaigners: Rhys Francis, Stuart Gillett, Toby Couzens and Ed Kelly.

Oakham had won the plate two years ago and both sides fancied their chances at Brancaster. The top pair had a tough match against the Duck brothers, one of whom had previously been an England international. They managed to stay ahead with some good golf and secured a hard fought victory on the 17th green. The second pair of Kelly and Pralle struggled with the 30 mph wind and were always behind eventually going down 2 and 1. The final pair of Gillett and Couzens opened up a three hole lead with some Seve like ups and downs, only for the Oakham pair to respond with some great golf into the wind culminating with a birdie two at the 15th. It is worth noting this 180 yard par 3 required a driver from both pairs due to the strength of the wind. All square on the 16th tee in the deciding match, Couzens hit a fabulous 6 iron to six feet at the 16th and the opposition got up and down from 100 yards for the half. Their luck them deserted them as they struggled on the 17th and 18th so we won two up.

The team were immediately out to face a Woodbridge team with no real track record. They didn't present themselves as a tough test and all three pairs had a comfortable game, with the top and bottom matches being over after 13 and 14 holes respectively. A tougher test lay ahead with the seasoned campaigners of Fettes, our opponents on Saturday morning.

Fettes had reached this stage with a comfortable victory over Haileybury and we knew they would prove to be strong, Scottish opposition. However, the mix of youth and experience in the top pair proved decisive with Francis and Busher racing into a 5 hole lead early on and winning  by 7and 6. The second pair were involved in a tight battle and showed signs of gelling and edged ahead in their game around the turn. The third pair were untroubled and won their match 6 and 4, ensuring some decent time off before a quarter final against Charterhouse or Epsom.

We enjoyed a good hour and a half to prepare for the quarter final, unlike Charterhouse whose top pair had ten minutes after a last hole victory for them against Epsom. The team were confident and knew a tough match lay ahead and the role of underdog definitely suited us. Busher and Francis again produced quality golf and raced to their 6th successive win as a pair by 4 and 3, Francis remarking on the mental strength of Busher on the golf course something his teachers at School may not have always said! Pralle and Kelly struggled against a strong second pair and went down 4 and 3, leaving the third pair one down on the 16th tee in the decisive match. Sherborne won the 16th and 17th after solid play from Gillett and Couzens and in the darkening gloom teed off one up on the 18th knowing a solid par would be good enough for victory.  However, after a visit to the putting green and a fabulous Charterhouse recovery the match was squared and, due to the late finish and darkness, we had to go down the 19th the next morning.  Gillett hit his approach to 15 feet and Charterhouse were some four feet short in three. Couzens duly holed for a 3 putting us into the semi-finals for the first time since 1965.

The semi-final against Merchant Taylors’ was a tight match. Gillett and Couzens, struggling for form, perhaps partly due to the early morning exertions on the 19th, fell behind early and, despite a chance to get back on terms, the short game that had been so sharp in previous rounds, deserted them and they lost 4 and 3; the first loss of the year for the pair. Kelly and Pralle produced their best performance of the week, playing some great matchplay golf and the highlight was Kelly hitting the flag with his tee shot on the 6th. A miraculous four from 100 yards left of the 11th knocked the stuffing out of the OMT second pair, who on paper were their strongest pair, and we ran out 4 and 3 winners. So it all came down to the top match which was a close game throughout. Francis hit an excellent approach to “gimme” range on the 16th only for the opposition to hole from 40ft for a half, match all square. The 17th was a scrappy affair played into a strong breeze meaning both sides struggled to reach the green in two. OMT's holed from 35feet to go one up. This knocked the stuffing out of our pair and, after a poor drive at the 18th from Sherborne, the opposition secured a solid 5 and with it the match. Despite some controversy about a burrowing animal, this was a close match that handed Busher and Francis their first loss of the year.

Overall, this was a great performance from the side and all were in agreement that we could have gone on and won the event. As you get to the latter stages of these tournaments it is clear that the key to winning is eliminating the mistakes and having a sharp short game. This has to be the focus for the Sherborne side as we move on. There is no doubt that having Busher and Pralle in the side gives added quality and strength, and hopefully this will motivate others within the Society to improve their games in order to secure positions in the scratch sides. A special mention must go to the Brown family for their very generous offer to accommodate the team at their house and it truly makes for a fabulous and memorable event, especially when coupled with good results on the course.





Match details

Grafton Morrish Bowl - Round 1 v Oakham at Brancaster on 7 October 2011



Grafton Morrish Bowl - Round 2 v Woodbridge at Brancaster on 7 October 2011





Grafton Morrish Bowl - Round 3 v Fettes at Hunstanton on 8 October 2011



Grafton Morrish Bowl - Round 4 v Charterhouse at Hunstanton on 8 October 2011



Grafton Morrish Bowl - Semi Final v Merchant Taylors' at Hunstanton on 9 October 2011