June 19th – Grange vs The Vines at Grange West
Round 6 of Bonnar Cup was to be challenging, playing The Vines at home. A win would consolidate us in the top two, a loss and still work to do. The weather was cold and windy, but no rain, and the course in great condition. The side looked very strong, but The Vines also looked very solid with a couple of players in that have played some Simpson Cup this year and they also happen to be Grange members.
Jackson Szyszlak, with his father Michael following, was first out against Bailey Doe. This would be a good match-up between two young players, with Bailey having more experience at this level. The match was very even for the first few holes, Jackson 1 down at 7 and square at the par 3 eighth when Bailey plugged in the side wall of the bunker. From then on it was smooth sailing with Jackson playing great golf to win 5 of the next 6 holes and get our first win 5 and 4.
Ryan Sugars played at number 6 this week against Mark Potter. He did not have such a great start and was 2 down after 3 holes, but as always Ryan stuck to the task and was only one down after 9. I watched the 11th hole where Mark played a difficult chip across the greenside bunkers to gimme distance and Ryan just failed to get up and down from the bunker. A loss at 12 and Ryan was 4 down. From then on Ryan fought his way back into the match and at 16 Ryan played two great shots to make par and now only be 1 down. Unfortunately a loss at 17 and Ryan lost 2 and 1.
Craig Brown, with Paul Thomas as caddy, played at number 5 this week against another experienced Bonnar player in Brendan Fisher. Craig struggled from the outset and was 3 down after 3. When I caught up with him after 7 he let me know he was having shoulder issues and this was making it difficult. At that stage he was 5 down and eventually turned 4 down. After a dose of Nurofen tablets, Craig won 3 holes in a row to be only 1 down after 12 holes with some hope. However Brendan had 3 birdies in the next four holes and Craig eventually lost on the fifteenth 4 and 3.
David Humphries played at number 4 this week against Chris Burns. David was 1 down after 4 and then square after 5 where his chip from the front of the green missed going in for an eagle by millimetres. A conceded birdie and all square. This continued to be a high standard match with nothing in it either way until the 11th hole. David was 1 down at this stage. Again, Chris played some excellent golf over the next few holes to win the match 4 and 3.
Captain Tim Cece playing at number 3 against Paul Gregory did not start well with a drive left and a walk down the second fairway. However, that was only a minor error as by hole 3 he was 1 up and turned 3 up. At hole 12 he was 4 up and although he did lose hole 13 went on for a very solid 4 and 3 victory.
This left the match in a very precarious position with The Vines with 3 wins and us with 2. Some very good play would be needed by our number 1 and 2 to get us over the line. I was not particularly confident as every time I had caught up with them we were behind.
Steve Berridge, with the calming influence of Lee Coulthard as caddy, played at number 2 against Mark Inglis. This would be a tough match as Mark has local knowledge of the course and is very experienced. It turned out to be exactly that. Steve lost the first, won the second, lost the third and by 6 was 2 down. He said he was not playing great but was working on it. He did steady the ship and turned 2 down. From there he won a couple of holes and got back to square at hole 13. That is the way the match stayed with some great saves and pars by both players. At hole 16 Steve had a chance as Mark found the fairway bunker 80 metres short of the green with his drive, but his par putt slipped by. Wayward drives on 17, left Steve with a sideways chip but a great third to about a metre put the pressure on as Mark had played his second to the front of the green. They agreed a half as both were similar distances from the hole. Two very solid pars down 18 and the match was halved. A great match by Steve and good result against a tough opponent.
At this stage we had all gathered around the 16th and 17th holes to watch the final matches and all we could hope for now was a drawn match.
Alex Nitschke was at number 1 against Craig RIvett. Craig also a Grange member, so had the local knowledge and also Simpson Cup experience. This would be a challenge. Things did not start well for Alex, losing the first and was eventually 3 down after 6. A couple of wins and he turned only 1 down. By 15 he was 2 down and we needed a minor miracle. Unfortunately after a mishit drive into great position on 16, his second found the greenside bunker and the hole was halved. A solid par to win 17 and he went down the last only 1 down. Eighteen was also halved so Alex lost 1 down after a great fighting effort.
A disappointing result for Grange losing four and a half wins to two and a half. Things are now very tight in the final four and it is possible a number of sides could make the four depending on results. Thank you to the members who came out and supported the team. This week we play Blackwood at The Vines, hitting off the tenth tee at 12.10pm. A win will consolidate our spot in the top 4.
Kym Linke
Team Manager