County Seniors v Norfolk
Suffolk Seniors Match Report
Norfolk v Suffolk (East Anglian Seniors League – EASL)
Gt Yarmouth & Caister GC 18 May 2023
The Suffolk seniors’ team visited Norfolk at the tricky Caister course where unfamiliarity with the course was to play a factor in the match result. The weather stayed fine and the course was in good condition with fast greens.
Suffolk and the team captain Steve Duffety were expecting a good day after beating Northants 11.5 – 3.5 the previous week.
Norfolk made a fast start winning the morning foursomes session 4 – 1. An outrageous chip in on the last hole by Norfolk snatched a half for Norfolk and depriving Kenton Jameson and Ian Woodhead of a win in the last match of the morning session. The other half was obtained by Simon Goldsmith and John Newsome. Losses for Steve Crosby & Steve Mann (6&4), Steve Duffety & James O’Doherty (2&1) and Trevor Hellyer & Graham Sykes (1 down).
Suffolk needed a good start to the afternoon session and put out probably their two strongest players Goldsmith (Rookery Park) and O’Doherty (Stowmarket) at 1 and 2 in the singles to try and get the upper hand early on. Norfolk put out their strongest two players and Norfolk edged both matches with Goldsmith losing 4&3 and O’Doherty 2&1. A valiant effort by the remaining Suffolk players started to even the scores a little but Norfolk went onto win 3 key matches against Mann (Woodbridge), Duffety (Bury St Edmunds) and Woodhead (Newton Green) on the last hole. The honours were even for the singles matches which were tied at 5 – 5. Singles wins for Newsome (Woodbridge) 2&1, Jameson (Stowmarket) 1up, Sykes (Bury St Edmunds) 4&2, Hellyer (Hintlesham) 2&1 and Crosby (Gorleston) 1up.
The overall match score was 9 – 6 to Norfolk.
The result means that Suffolk have to win their two remaining fixtures against Cambs at home and then a real challenge away to last year’s winners Lincs to have any chance of winning the league.
