Yelverton Golf Club

Beer Boys prevent Yelverton's Juniors sealing a Champagne Double!

Stover Golf Club was the setting for this season's West Devon Junior Golf League (WDJGL) Championship Day, which saw the League's two Group Winners and Runners Up battle it out for The Roy Wood Trophy.

Having narrowly pipped Staddon Height's Juniors to first place in Group B of the WDJGL, Yelverton's Junior team were in confident mood having secured the League Champions Trophy the previous weekend following their excellent victory over Elfordleigh at Staddon.

The morning Semi-Finals paired Yelverton with Bigbury and the team, led superbly from the front by Club Junior Captain, James Smith who enjoyed a fine 4&2 win over Sonny Webster, earned their place in the Championship Day Final courtesy of a 3-2 victory. Fellow County Player, Ryan Acres (5&4) and foursomes pairing Josh Reeday & James Dawson (also 5&4) were Yelverton's other victors, although Frazer Reed maintained his unenviable record of having lost all of his singles matches (6 out of 6), all of which have featured in matches that his Yelverton team-mates have ended up winning! Bigbury's promising youngster, Dan Williams, joined Oli Bachin in putting points on the scoreboard for Bigbury, albeit that his victory over Kieran Alder was to no avail.

In the other Semi-final encounter Staddon Heights, runners-up to Yelverton in Group B resoundly overcame the winners of Group A, Elfordleigh and with all of their pairings comfortably in the lead at the half way stage, it was little surprise that the conclusion of the match was not far away as Staddon ran out 5-0 winners. Whilst Staddon would pit themselves against old adversaries Yelverton in the Championship Final, Elfordleigh we're left with the consolation that they would overcome Bigbury in the afternoon match that would determine 3rd & 4th placings.

The Final itself proved to be a great occasion for both sides, and although this match would go a long way towards proving the theory that there are at times no winners or losers, the end, when it came would yield a fitting conclusion that few would argue against!

Once again Yelverton were able to send out County players, Smith & Acres to lead the way although both would have to not only overcome dogged opponents in terms of Staddon's Harry Trump & Oliver Elliot-Smith but also the uphill task of conceding 8 shots apiece, which was eventually to prove crucial! This was highlighted after only 3 holes when Smith's Par-par- birdie opening was only good enough to result in a 2-down match status whilst Acres on the other hand had seen 4 consecutive pars result in a 1 down position! With Staddon's Eddie Shannon and Kieran Burley-Brown getting off to solid starts, it was only the afternoon pairing of Josh Reeday & George Davies who were showing any signs of an advantage in Yelverton's favour.

Gradually Smith got into his smooth rhythm and by the turn he had reversed fortunes with Trump to be 1 up, a lead that he was never to relinquish and by the conclusion of the 15th hole, a fine 4&3 was secured and Yelverton's 1st point of the Final chalked up! With the pairing of Reeday & Davies seldom relinquishing their advantage, things appeared in good shape for Yelverton, as only a point from the remaining 3 games would be sufficient? Alas, as we all know all too well, Golf is seldom that simple!

Elliot-Smith stood on the 14th tee, 4up with 5 holes to play against Acres, so all things considered that match was as good as over and with Burley-Brown a similar score against Alder, suddenly all attention had turned towards the Shannon v Reed encounter, the outcome of which could've proven decisive?

By the time Game 2 had reached the 17th Tee, Acres had won all three of the preceding holes and suddenly Elliot-Smith's lead was down to 1up with 2 to play. A nervous tee shot from the Staddon player gifted the hole to his dogged opponent, so by the time they stood on the 18th tee it was all-square!

Elsewhere Burley-Brown had put the first point on the Scoreboard for Staddon having wrapped up a fine 5&4 victory but no sooner had he done so that the foursomes match had concluded and with it Yelverton had re-gained the upper hand. With Reed fighting back to one down on the 17th tee in Match 3, as series of communications from one hole to another either by conventional or more unconventional methods ensued!

Acres, despite his somewhat diminutive stature, had driven the ball some 275 yards and a touch of draw had seen the ball come to rest in the middle of the 18th fairway, some 135 yards to the pin! Elliot-Smith, possibly boosted by the comfort of receiving a shot (Stroke Index 8) suddenly regained his composure to send a 4 iron into the middle of the fairway, albeit leaving him around 170 yards still to go.

Back on 17, Reed's tee shot had drifted onto an adjoining fairway and when he left his approach some 50 yards short, Shannon, who was on the green in two, knew that his opponent would have to get up and down in order to prolong their match? This was to prove one step two far and Shannon's two-putt was good enough to close out the game 2&1 - match status 2 games all!

By now, Elliot-Smith had reached his ball and with it, the over-riding need to find the 18th green was uppermost in his mind. A few moments later, his objective had been achieved courtesy of a 6 iron and almost as quickly as it had deserted him, a calm composure had returned, at least outwardly! Acres now had a Wedge in his hand and despite his best efforts to go pin-seeking, quite possibly through the adrenalin rush, his approach flew the green and ended up on the collar. Not to be fazed by this, Acres knew that if he could chip-in the pressure would return to his Staddon counterpart, although the old adage of never up, never in, readily sprang to mind as his chip was around an inch or two short on legs!

Elliot-Smith's initial putt left him with a knee-trembling 4 footer for the game and as the ball disappeared into the hole, with it went any aspiration that Yelverton might have had in terms of completing the League and Championship Day double!

The after match celebrations and reflections were shared by both teams, which as the photograph below clearly shows each has formed a strong relationship with one another and one that will no doubt continue throughout the foreseeable future. In no small part this spirit was reflected by Staddon's Junior Captain, James Bailey, who despite being an unplayed reserve throughout the day was seldom far from any of his team-mates keeping them updated with regards to the unfolding match status.

He has clearly learnt well from the man that in his Post-Trophy presentation speech he referred to as a Legend, a compliment rarely used certainly in terms of local Junior Golf but as this was to prove to be Staddon Junior Organiser and County Stalwart, Dave Beer's last official match in charge of his siblings, I cannot think of a more fitting person to see his team lift the Trophy.

Well done Staddon!