The end of another season was signalled by the annual match against the Society of Norfolk Captains. The forecast for the day was not good and rain was anticipated. The course was playing long after all the recent rain and the conditions definitely favoured the longer hitting men. Perhaps I should have re-read my report on the previous year’s match before agreeing to play the same format as again, in all but one match, the ladies were the lower handicaps. Still, it gave us good reason to rib the men, particularly those wanting more than one shot a hole! For the most part we were lucky with the weather and the rain held off until late on when a short sharp shower caught most of the matches still live. There was some excellent golf played – needing to make birdie on our 3rd hole for a half my partner and I knew we were in for a tough battle, as did the ladies who were met with a birdie, birdie start against them. This only toughened their resolve and eventually they ran out winners. The rest of us unfortunately were not fully able to match this and the men eventually ran out winners by 41/2 to 11/2, an improvement on last year’s result but a disappointing end to an otherwise unbeaten season. The match provided the opportunity for first appearances for the NVLGS for Elaine Richards and Sheila Goodley with two other ladies playing their first match this season. The staff at Bawburgh looked after us extremely well and our dinner of roast beef with all the trimmings followed by a choice of cheesecake, sticky toffee pudding and fudge cake was enjoyed by everybody – particularly when offered with both cream and custard!

What a difference a day makes! Wednesday 9 August: torrential rain, courses closed, greens flooded. Thursday 10 August: beautiful sunshine, a gentle breeze, lush fairways and pristine greens. The greens staff at Spalding had worked an overnight miracle and presented the course in excellent condition for our match against the Lincolnshire ladies. This match is the furthest afield, for both visiting and home players, with some of the Lincolnshire ladies travelling for longer than the Norfolk ladies. After the long drive, bacon rolls on arrival were very welcome. Six pairs set off at 11.00 and there were some extremely close matches – three games being decided on the 18th green, two of them in our favour, the third going against us courtesy of a closing birdie from the opposition. The Lincolnshire team was paired in strict handicap order, not a policy that we have always adopted in Norfolk. Was that a factor in the way the individual matches went – something to think about for next year’s fixture? Following the game, we were able to enjoy a drink in the sunshine before partaking of a delicious meal of pork in an apple cream sauce with plenty of fresh vegetables followed by a blackberry Eton mess. There was the usual animated conversation over dinner with some old friendships renewed and some new ones made. Overall a friendly result too – match halved.

After the disappointment of our second competitive match of the season vs Bedfordshire having been cancelled due to the appalling weather, we were all pleased to see the sun shining for our game against Cambs & Hunts. The course at Swaffham was in excellent condition and as usual the greens proved particularly tricky. The match was the usual format of 4BBB and in addition we were able to accommodate the non-playing Captain from C & H who enjoyed 9 holes with Angie Allsopp before stalking the fairways to check on team progress. Home advantage came through in the end and Norfolk ran out winners by 3 matches to 1. The staff at Swaffham looked after us well coping with some last minute special dietary requirements, and we enjoyed a post match meal of lasagne, chips and salad followed by a selection of desserts. The animated conversation around the dinner table demonstrated the good spirit in which these matches are played.