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MTGS v TGS - Hankley Common GC - 19 July 2023
Match Report
This longstanding annual encounter was for decades one between the respective societies past
Presidents. Recent years have seen TGS struggle to fill their team with PP’s and they have had to
extend their reach into their general membership for a number of years now.
This year, MTGS too, for the first time have had to do the same. In the end, with call offs and some
last minute changes, we fielded a team consisting of five PP’s, two ordinary members and one
Hankley Common member who kindly offered to play for MTGS at very late notice.
A sign of the times maybe but in any case it raises the question of the future of this contest in it’s
current form. That debate for another time.
Meanwhile, to the match itself. We lost by 5 games to 3!
Great wins for the ever reliable Peter Featherstone and Vipen Khanna teeing off first against TGS
President Steve Burtenshaw and Bob Hughes. MTGS 2 up.
And then a run of successive losses, some of them close contests and some of them not!
Finally, we had our third win in the anchor leg match. New member, Gordon Watt ,birdied and
parred his way around the golf course in fine style to bring a somewhat more respectable final
score to the match. Well done, Gordon!
It had been a busy day at Hankley. We were one of three societies there on the day and last to tee
off on the first at 09.45. There was a large group of very nice but very slow gentlemen ahead of us
which meant we were out there for four and a half hours minimum. We did not sit down to lunch
until 15.30.
However the golf course was in it’s usual stunning condition. There was heather of course but
much of it was not in it’s most penal state. Fairways glorious and greens fast and true. Hankley
local rules state that all roads, paths and bridleways are to be considered as immoveable
obstructions hence a free drop applies. Also, a ball landing on the fairway but in a divot or other
‘obstruction’ can be moved without penalty. How very sensible, we all felt.
In conclusion, we must offer our thanks and congratulations to our gritty competitors in TGS. But
also to thank those in the MTGS team who fought hard on behalf of the society. In particular to
Brian Lowe, John Smith, Martin Derrick and our co-opted member for the day, Geoff Turner.
We live to fight another day!