|
MERTON EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB |
|
|
|
End of Season Celebration
Merton Eagles Golf Society Open Challenge Cup June the 29th saw the running of the First ever Merton Eagles Golf Society Open Challenge Cup!
Rather
than the expected and hoped for turn out of 15 golfers, we had to make do with just the 10 who felt that the two months notice
given to them was sufficient to get the day off work. For those others who are simply too dedicated to work, next year we
will try to arrange for three or four months notice! The day was split into two rounds, 9 holes in the morning and 18 in the afternoon. The morning was geared up for a team Stableford competition, with three teams battling it out.
Team
1 consisted of Adam, Nathan and Barry, Team 2 had Ben, Alan and Mat R and Team 3 was made up of Matt S, Luke, Dave and Tom.
To be fair Tom was supposed to be in team 2, but in true Nicolle style, he managed to arrive 45 mins late, despite being told
to arrive 45 mins EARLY! He managed to catch up with Matt, Luke and Dave on the first green. The
early favourites for the morning competition where Team 2, with Mat R playing off a very impressive handicap of 6. Team 1
probably just shaded it, with Adam playing off 16 and Team 3 the underdogs with Matt S playing off 18. As it was, it was Team 3 who triumphed with a very impressive net score of 8 under par. That gave them a significant lead over the second placed team who could only manage a net score of +1. Having been convinced that there GROSS score of 1 over par would not be sufficient to win, especially after some fine stroke play from the whole team over the opening 4 holes, step forward and take a bow, Team 3 – Luke Bellord, Dave Sawyer, Tom Nicolle and Matt Seabrook.
After
a nice refreshing lunch, it was on to the afternoon 3 balls and with the expected appearance of Pete and Alex not actually
happening, it was the same 10 players who headed out for the afternoon match play competition. Here all 10 players were pitched
against one another, with their appropriate handicap levelling the playing field. Again Matt R, Adam and Matt S would have
started as the favourites as reflected by their handicaps, but with the glory of golf, the handicap system and strokeplay
format, meant that anyone having a good spell and take first place. And so it happened!! Matt S and Matt R came in quite strongly to set the early target on the leaderboard, with Matt S scoring 37 points (effectively playing to one under his handicap) and Matt R scoring 34 points (2 over his handicap). But an awesome back 9 by Luke Bellord, that saw him take only 38 shots, helped him score a total of 41 points and took first place in the Stableford Competition.
There were two additional competitions for all players to compete in, on the afternoon
round: Nearest The Pin and
After 27 holes of golf on a nice Sunny day, it was time for some of the absentees and the WAGS to appear. A simple but nice meal was enjoyed with some light refreshment and some pleasant conversation and the day was enjoyed by all. After
the meal we went on to the last piece of business for the day, which was the inevitable presentation of the trophies for Top
Scorer, Players Player, Most Improved Player, Captains Player and Managers Player. Top
Scorers’ this year, breaking a run of three in a row for Ben, were Luke and Peanut, with an awe inspiring 9 each. A
good return from the midfield this season, but unfortunately our strike force of last year only managed to produce 1 goal,
with Pete scoring that in the last game of the season! For the record Ben scored 0 (NONE, NIL, ZIP, SQUAT, ZILCH, NADDA) Most
Improved Player was a run away this season, with one player making huge improvements from the start of the season through
to the end of the season. He got more and more dependable and it culminated in a 70 yard run in the last game of the season
to set up Pete for his only goal – Step forward Dan!! Captains Player this year went to a little fat lad, who may not be with us next season! NO don’t worry, I’ll still be playing! I was in fact referring to Peanut (Lee if you didn’t know his real name) who was one of the most consistent players in what proved to be a largely forgettable season. If we do indeed lose him next season, he will be next to 'impossible' to replace. In my dictionary, 'simple' comes after 'impossible' :) Managers Player this season was a tough one. A Special mention should go to Dan who kept on turning up even though he clearly wasn’t expecting to play every week. He was also one of the first to dip into his pocket if we were short of funds on any given day and when we were training, would give his all. Ben was also in with a shout as he played some blinding games in midfield and defence throughout the season. A shame he couldn’t get it right where we needed him – up front. Then the only other name in the hat had to be Joe, whose selfless dedication in the name of sportsmanship and the sacrifices made for his team mates, not to mention the financial contribution, would surely have put Mother Theresa to shame! But in the end and through gritted teeth the award went to Dave. Dave’s bravery and willingness to play through the pain barrier and times, plus his commitment to the team throughout the season and some stirling performances at the back, means that he gets the vote, even though he is a Chelsea fan! Lastly and for the big one, Players Player. In a season that left a lot to be desired it was actually quite difficult to find one player that stood out head and shoulders above the rest. This one was closely voted for, with two or three players in contention, all of whom gave their all in a difficult situation and did their best to encourage the rest of the team. In a nail biting vote I’m pleased to say that Luke is the winner.
Congratulations to all winners and let’s try to make sure that next season is more successful than the last! |
||||||||||||
