The South used this match at Cockermouth Golf Club on Tuesday 28 July to blood some youngsters with more established team members. The Cockermouth golf course sits in the foothills of the Cumbria Mountains 3 miles above the town and has fantastic views of Scafell Pike, Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite Lake. Lying in the Lake District National Park one of the conditions is that there are no sand bunkers, only grass. The course itself has super heathland grass and the greens are large and beautiful to putt on. The officials, members and staff could not have been more welcoming and friendly to their visitors.
The weather forecast for the day was heavy rain but when the two teams teed off from the first tee the rain stopped and was never seen again until the last match had finished. Angus Bendall (Castle Douglas) and Jamie Marchbank (D&G) led the team off in the morning foursomes and held their own on the outward nine to be all square before losing the next five holes and the game by 5 &4. The two Kirkcudbright members, Nathan Watson and debutant Callum McMillan, two down after nine and three down after 11, fought back to be two down after 15 but lost 3 & 2.
Cameron Gray (Kirkcudbright) and Corey Brown (D&C) got off to a great start and were two up at the half way mark, but all square at 15 before eventually losing by 2 holes. It was left to the last pairing of Iain Rae (Dalbeattie) and Ryan Cano (Thornhill) to uphold the honour of the South boys – and they did not disappoint. Four up after nine was increased to six after 11 and they were first back in the clubhouse with a 7 & 6 victory. South had lost the foursomes by 3 games to 1.
In the afternoon singles Angus Bendall in the top match was holding his own being one down after 7 and two down after 12 but not being able to buy a putt he lost by 2 & 1. Nathan Watson played very well and steadily increased his lead to win by 6 & 5. He was 3 under par for the thirteen holes played. Cameron Gray’s opponent started birdie, eagle, birdie and a shell shocked Cameron could not recover and lost by 6 & 5. The reliable Iain Rae was two up after 7, increased his lead to four up after 12 and won 4 & 3. Ryan Cano had a tougher game holding on to a one hole lead after 7 and eventually finishing on the last green with a well fought victory by one hole.
The young lions, Corey Brown, Callum McMillan and Jamie Marchbank all played well and never gave up. Corey was level par after the first three holes and one down; was four down at the turn, fought back with birdies at 10 and 12 but ran out of holes to lose by 2 & 1. Callum McMillan showed his fighting spirit over the first seven holes to be only two down, but lost three holes round the turn and was beaten 6 & 5. He is one for the future and his day will surely come. The anchorman, Jamie Marchbank, got off to a bad start, two down after 7, fought back to one down after 12, before his wee legs ran out of steam and he lost 4 & 3. With hindsight the singles may have been one game too many two of the three that had played 36 holes against Northumberland the previous day. The South lost the singles 5 games to 3 and the match 8 games to 4.
Individual Results
Morning Foursomes
Angus Bendall (Castle Douglas) and Jamie Marchbank (D&G) lost to Archie Davies and Patrick Brennan by 5 & 4
Nathan Watson (Kirkcudbright) and Callum McMillan (Kirkcudbright) lost to Byron Evans and Liam Mason by 3 & 2
Cameron Gray (Kirkcudbright) and Corey Brown (D & C) lost to James Fisher and David Boardman by 2 holes
Iain Rae (Dalbeattie) and Ryan Cano (Thornhill) beat Tom McNeil and Will Hendley by 7 & 6
Foursomes Score: South 1 Cumbria 3
Afternoon Singles
Angus Bendall lost to Archie Davies by 2 & 1
Nathan Watson beat Patrick Brennan by 6 & 5
Cameron Gray lost to Byron Evans by 6 & 5
Iain Rae beat Liam Mason by 4 & 3
Ryan Cano beat David Boardman by 1 hole
Corey Brown lost to James Fisher by 2 & 1
Callum McMillan lost Tom McNeil by 6 & 5
Jamie Marchbank lost to Will Hendley by 4 & 3
Singles Score South 3 Cumbria 5
Match Result South 4 Cumbria 8
The photograph shows the South team. From the left; Angus Bendall, Cameron Gray, Nathan Watson, Callum McMillan, Corey Brown, Iain Rae, Jamie Marchbank, Ryan Cano