Gyves & Gardner Trophies 14th. September 2019

Gyves & Gardner Trophies 14th. September 2019

Gyves & Gardner Contenders

The Gyves and Gardner was named after Robert ( Bobby) Gyves and George Gardner who were regular playing partners in the 70s/80s. Curiously they never won a Board pairs comp together with Gyves’ solitary Board Comp win coming courtesy of a Summer Knockout victory back in 1982 whilst  Gardner won 3 Board Comps in his Alty career                claiming victories in the Tommy Barlow (78) and Seniors (82) with his final success in the now defunct Golf Foundation in 1985 .

This competition is unique in that it is extremely unlikely to be won on countback given that it gives a pair half of their combined handicap usually giving a finishing score with a decimal point involved . Today 24 pairs challenged to win the trophies ... 

Ian Cheetham and Andrew Window (88/21,5/66.5) are a duo well known for their quirky approach to golf ... Cheetham is a relentless practiser and the owner of a full swing that isn't trusted to be used with a driver in his hand . A master craftsman (handyman) by trade , Ian  has occasionally produced superb golf but had not got himself on our hallowed Competition Boards until today . His partner Andrew Window was certainly thought by this observer to be one of the best players at the club  NOT to have won a Board Competition until he triumphed just a week earlier in the Autumn Cup ... obviously on a high , this affable , colourfully dressed player  had shown a good level of consistency this season and had curiously suffered the angst of scoring a superb net 68 in the Wilsons Trophies in June ( the previous pairs Board Comp ) only for ‘Cheets’ to play a Score High In Tandem with a net 85 leaving them finishing 14th in that event .

The scoring shown on the system does not give your reporter the information to accurately relay which of the players in each team actually recorded their score hole by hole . That said , your scribe has had the opportunity to quiz the winners as to their story of the round and it appears that they both contributed equally . The stats show that the pair started solidly and made a gain of 2.5 shots in the initial 6 holes ... the unusual amount of gain is due to the fact that the competition gives players their joint combined handicaps which meant 21.5 for the winners thus a net 5 on the stroke index 4 2nd hole meant a gain of 0.5 ! Consecutive net birdies on 5 and 6 put them high up the leaderboard with a rollercoaster end to their front 9 with a reverse on 7 , parity on 8 and net birdie on 9 leaving them at -2.5 and 2.5 off the lead . The back 9 has shown itself to be the more difficult of late and the pair started poorly with a sloppy reverse on 10 but immediately regrouped with a stunning net eagle 3 on the benign 11th then net birdie 12 to get to -4.5 and take control of the competition . They increased their lead courtesy of a net birdie 3 on the mentally challenging 13th. . The pair stood on the stroke 3 index 14th tee knowing that they had built up momentum and enthusiastically eyeing the two shots allowed to par meant that they had every expectation of strengthening their grip on the competition but inexplicably they stumbled to a net bogey 7 to go back to -4.5 and fret over the fate of their challengers . Given their strong position it was unsurprising that they played the final four holes to handicap which joyously saw them take the trophies by a relatively comfortable 2.2 shot margin . A first Board Competition for Cheetham and the second for Window .

Keith Ralston and Mark Snape (77/8.3/68.7) were the defending champions , are one of the best pairs in the club and have had many years to effectively hone their skills in this format . Snape has 4 ( of his 11 ) Pairs Board Competitions whilst Ralston 2 ( of his 9 ) . They started as one of the favourites for this event and it was no surprise that they would prove to be strong contenders again . They started sluggishly with a net bogey 5 on the opening hole but immediately regrouped with a net birdie on the second ...the rest of their front 9 was largely played to handicap other than a sloppy reverse on the short 16th again remedied immediately with a net birdie on 7 . Getting to the turn at level par they found themselves a little off the pace at 5 shots behind . The back 9 again showed their ability to regroup after a lapse typified by dropping a shot at the benign 11th then getting it back courtesy of a net birdie 5 on the difficult 12th . They were to play the next 4 holes to handicap thus leaving them standing on the 17th tee still at level par and back in fifth place ... given their record it wasn’t surprising that they upped their game and net birdied 17 and gained a further 1.3 shots courtesy of a 3 on the stroke index 9 18th which elevated them to second place just 2.2 strokes shy  of  retaining their trophies .
 

Lee Lomas and Keith Walton Jr (81/12.2/68.8) had showed promise as a pair in the Wilson Trophies earlier this season where they finished a creditable fourth place which also made them one of the favourites today . They did not disappoint and were strong contenders ,  starting  brilliantly by gaining a shot at each of the first three holes to take early control and then  playing steadily for the rest of the front 9 other than a dropped shot on the tricky 7th which left them no longer leading at the turn but at -2 handily placed just 3 shots off the lead .  The back 9 saw them start well with a slight 0.2 gain on 10 then a conventional gain on the dangerous 13th putting them now just two shots back . Playing the long 14th to handicap and with the leaders faltering on that hole brought them to a position just over one stroke back as they stood on the 15th tee ... unfortunately they slumped to a net double bogey 8 to send them down the field and out of contention but they played the final trio of holes well with a net birdie on the final hole giving them a net score of 68.8 and a fine third placed finish , 

Howard Johnson and Danny Miller (78/9.0/69) presented as a formidable pairing even though HJ last won a Board Competition over 8 years ago ... his legendary partner Danny Miller has been standing on the threshold of greatness all season as he again tried to win to equal the all-time record total of 31 Board Competitions held by James West . Today , the pair gave a front 9 masterclass with the only blemish-free front 9 of the whole competition and also containing gains on 2,4,5 and 7 with the highlight a superb gross birdie on the deceptively tough 8th hole which put them in complete command at -5 with a 2.5 stroke lead . Inexplicably the pair began to lose form and dropped shots on 10,12,14 and 17 to put them out of contention ... a net birdie 4 on the final hole gave them a net 69 finish and an exasperating fourth place after the majesty of their opening 9 holes .
 

Special mentions ...

Scott Armiger and Paul Southworth (86/16.8/69.2) were a scratch pairing but gave a good account of themselves . Armiger has yet to grace the Board Competition winners circle whereas Southworth won the last of his 6 trophies back in 2009 . Today the pair started poorly and dropped shots at the opening two holes ... they regrouped to play the next three holes to handicap then made consecutive net birdies on 6 and 7 to get back to parity before giving both shots back courtesy of net bogeys on 8 and 9 to get to the turn at +2 and a massive 7 shots off the pace . Most of the pairs today struggled with the back 9 but Scott and Paul thrived on the challenge of getting back in contention. Immediate net birdies on 10 and (0.8 birdie) on 11 again got them back to near parity with a further gain on the ever-challenging 13th strengthening their momentum . Unfortunately, any hopes of getting near enough to challenge the leaders were dashed with a careless net bogey 6 on 14 but consecutive gains on 15 and 16 meant that they had managed to get themselves into an unlikely second place but playing their final two holes to handicap meant that they finished with a net score of 69.2 and dropped back to 5th place .

Defending Champion Watch 

Ralston and Snape’s fine effort to defend their trophies is chronicled above .

Best Gross Pair 

Ralston and Snape (77) were the lowest gross total of the day .
 

Highest Score 

Brian Nicholls and John Wilks (101/21.6/79.4) inexplicably  recorded a ‘best ball’ 10 on the 12th hole and ultimately finished 22nd of the 24 pairs ... you couldn’t make it up as our beloved course was taking no prisoners today .