Bromage leads Sidmouth seniors to success

Last Tuesday the visitors to Sidmouth from Teign Valley arrived to play the return fixture having won 4-2 at Teign Valley.

Playing alongside the seniors vice captain David Bromage was past seniors captain Dieter Ritz and they set the standard with a win by two holes.

Three very close matches followed with the good fortune favouring the visitors despite some extremely fast and tricky greens encountered.

John Bainbridge and Tony Stoyle lost three-and-two whilst an even narrower score line separated Alan Billinghurst and Colin Paddon who lost two-and-one with one opponent being a very juvenile 55-years-ld!

Ken Rothwell and Bob Cook lost four-and-two, but finally the tide turned with Phil Spencer and Vernon Ruffle in the penultimate game gaining a half and a grandstand finish by Bruce Harcourt/Charles Brown with an emphatic win by six-and-five to wrap up a narrow win for the visitors by three-and-a-half to two-and-a-half.

Two days later the seniors vice captain again led the team, but this time to his first seniors’ match win against Windwhistle.

First out were the pairing of David Bromage and Brian Cole won their game three-and-two with good steady play from Cole despite playing in an earlier knockout match in the morning.

John Billingsley and Bruce Harcourt had an excellent six-and-five success before Ray Gunston and Peter Wells narrowly lost two-and-one, but the pace was picked up again with Chris Grubb and John Hicks making lightning work of their match by winning six-and-five, despite Grubb’s back problem, and immediately headed in to the clubhouse ahead of an impending thunderstorm. Almost as quickly Ken Rothwell and Vernon Ruffle were in the clubhouse in a flash with a six-and-four win. Tony Wilson and David Roberts brought up the rear, but unfortunately lost five-and-four to leave the score at 4-2 to Sidmouth and therefore the two-legged encounter ended 6-all as Windwhistle had won the earlier meeting 4-2.