Sidmouth lost their quarter final of the Palairet Trophy (Devon Cup) against Torquay at Exeter last Sunday and missed out on an appearance at Final’s Day for the first time since they won the competition in 2003, writes John Johnson.

Neil Holland, himself a winner of the Greenbank Classic at Greenbank Golf and Country Club in 2003, took the extremely hot weather into account and dropped the ‘Fat Lads’, Lee and Thomas, from the team for the first time this year.

Unfortunately, this decision seemed to backfire as the team lacked its usual heavyweight presence in the middle of the order where the match was ultimately lost. Holland and Small Boy had got the team off to the perfect start with a three-and-two win before the wheels came off.

Damion Gee and Willard White, back in the team after a month under the witness protection scheme, were slightly out of sorts all day and lost three-and-two.

Dudley Taylor and Lewis Perry had tree trouble for most of the afternoon which lead to a two-and-one, although they did at least get the opportunity to practise chipping sideways. John Jones and Chris Lewis managed to get as far as the 16th hole before conceding defeat, no doubt this would have been much earlier had it not been for the guiding presence of former European Tour caddie, Paul Lewis.

This left a dead rubber at the end of the match and Stuart George Coles and James Spiller salvaged a half from a match they really should have had in the bag much earlier.

There is, as always, ‘always next year’!