Herts Colts lost this fine match on a sunny but windy day at Brookmans Park 8-4. A withdrawal less than an hour before play did not help our cause although we managed to call in a very late replacement, Jack Woods ( Mid Herts ), who did us proud in the difficult circumstances after forfeiting his place in his club championship. Some re-jigged pairings and a slow start saw us whitewashed in the morning foursomes, which was disappointing as in one match we were 3 up with 6 to play and looked likely to get something on the scoreboard. The afternoon singles saw a spirited fight back by all the players and there were a number of close and excellent games as the honours and the points were shared. Alan Glithero ( South Herts ) beat the current Essex county champion and there were good wins for our captain Chris Barnes ( Mill Green ), Stewart Mitchell ( Brickendon Grange ) and Lewis Remington ( Knebworth ). However, we had left ourselves too much to do and the strong Essex team were worthy winners on the day.
Full Results
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 At Royal Wimbledon G.C. on Wednesday 25th June 2008, the Senior 6 man team turned in a great performance to finish third behind Kent and Hampshire but so nearly won it! Playing a really tough Par 70 course in difficult conditions, the forecast was that any side who turned in 5 scores under 80 would win. We did but finished on 390 total and lost out by one stroke. Kent won by virtue of the better 6th man score but we would have won that too had we saved that one shot! A good performance all round highlighted by a 75 from Captain Gaius Potton (pictured), the second best of the day.
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On a windswept Dunstable Downs course on Sunday 22nd June 2008, Hertfordshire suffered their second 6.5 to 5.5 defeat of the season against Bedfordshire. Struggling to come to grips with the exceptionally high winds, the team went into lunch at 3/1 down. A spirited fight back in the afternoon round saw wins for Tom, Speyer, Laurence Allen, Andy Kay and Gordon Forster. A half from Greg Schmidt completed our scoring and left Herts just that one point adrift.
Scoresheet
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 Having finished second in the Boys Championship and runner-up in the 2007 Colts Championship at Knebworth, Tom Speyer (West Herts) clinched the 2008 Colts Championship title with rounds of 70 and 70 at Harpenden G.C. on 21st June. Tom finished one shot ahead of Gareth Thomas (The Hertfordshire) who shot 71 - 70. Three players finished on 145 with Will Chambers (Mid Herts) takingthe third spot on countback with the best last 18 of 70. Sam Claridge (Harpenden Common) shot the best round of the day with a two under par 68 in the afternoon. Our photograph shows the three prizewinners with Gareth on the left, Tom in the centre and Will to the right.
Full Results
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 At Knebworth Golf Club on Sunday 15th June, the final of the 2008 County Championship was battled out by home course Paul Amess (Knebworth) and the more experienced Chris Tingey (Mid Herts). Amess was never behind and finally ran out a 5/4 winner. Chris Tingey had been the the leading quailifier on Friday 13th June, scoring 68 -67 for a 7 under par total of 135. A course record equalling 66 by Ryan Newman (Brookmans Park) helped him to second place in the qualifying with a total of 137. Tingey maintained his good form in the knock-out matches and reached the final by beating James Jankowski (Potters Bar) in a great semi-final match. Paul Amess, having scored 72 and 73 in the qualifiers, was never behind in any of his knock-out matches and had outsatnding opposition in John Ambridge, Ryan Newman and finally Laurence Allen (Brookmans Park) who was the other losing semi-finalist. The standard of golf at the championships was oustanding and the event was brillinatly staged by Knebworth Golf Club in this their Centenary Year. For them to have their 'home town' winner was icing on the cake for them. Our photograph shows the winner, runner up, losing semi-finalists, 36 hole qualifying winner and runner-up with Terry Trude, President of the Hertfordshire Golf Union and Terry Rowney, Captain of Knebworth Golf Club.
Matchplay Results | Qualifying Scores
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 We recently played the English Senior Championship at the Wildernesse/ Knowle Park. Hertfordshire were well represented and had Donald Longmuir, Norman Cameron, Gaius Potton, Martin McKenna, and Terry Croker all qualifying for the final day.
Norman Cameron (pictured) finishing a very creditable 7th shooting a gross 70 at the Knowle Park golf course the lowest score of the tournament.
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As announced at the Annual General Meeting, our current County Secretary, John Newton, has indicated his intention to retire effective on or before February 2009. We would like to invite applications from candidates who would wish to be considered for this remunerated position and who could offer the Union the required level of experience and expertise. Previous experience in golf administration would be be preferred and relevant I.T. skills are essential. Further information can be obtained through John Newton on 01438-244858, e-mail secretary@hertsgolfunion.com at 16 Ranworth Avenue, Stevenage, Herts. SG2 8SL. Applications to be considered, with C.V., to be addressed to The President, Hertfordshire Golf Union and sent to John at the above address. The closing date for applications will be 21st June 2008
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Herts 10.5 – Essex 4.5
Rochford Hundred was an excellent course for this hard fought match. Played in a most competitive, yet friendly spirit Hertfordshire took the honours because our players held their nerve in the final stages of most of the matches.
The morning nine hole foursomes displayed this tenacity and although 4 of the 5 matches went to the last hole, Hertfordshire had secured a 4½–½ lead by lunch. At this stage the Hertfordshire stars were Nick Ward and Sam Towler who won their match 5&3 and Elliot Leonard and Jac Hicks who came from 3 behind after four to win their match on the ninth hole against the Essex top pair. Early in the afternoon session it was dark clouds for Herts, as the Essex boys took a firm grip on the 10 singles over the opening holes and only Bradley Walters for Herts was ahead after 5 holes.
But again Herts boys dug in and began to turn their matches around. Again Nick (4&3) and Sam (3&2) were at the forefront of this fight back. The fighting spirit, however, ran through the whole team and with Jac Hicks 4/2), Bradley Henwood (1up), Bradley Walters (5&4) and Stuart Patrick (1 up) contributing fine victories an 6- 4 afternoon session result ensured a tremendous 10.5 – 4.5 victory over a very strong Essex team. It was a wonderful team performance played out in a great spirit of sportsmanship. Considering that this was the first representative match for 6 of the boys, the team played with great maturity and fully deserved their reward.
Full Results
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After a good win in their first league match of the season against Bedfordshire, the Colts lost 7.5 - 4.5 at Sudbury to a strong Middlesex side containing many first team members. The morning foursomes started in promising fashion with a lunchtime lead looking likely until some late lapses saw the points shared 2-2. The singles were always a struggle with many opportunities being spurned by some of our more experienced players whose touch around the greens let them down. There was an encouraging debut from Simon Bird ( Berkhamsted ) and Nick Algate ( Moor Park ) won both his matches, finishing with a fine birdie on the 18th.
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The Boys Qualifier at Rookery Park G.C., Suffolk saw Hertfordshire with a strong team and an anticipation of a good performance. The morning round saw an excellent round of 71 (1 under par) for Glen Portelli (Brickendon Grange) which was joint leader. Sadly, Glen was to sign for an incorrect afternoon score and was disqualified. The remainder of the team struggled to score and despite a very good round from Matthew Wallace (Batchworth Park) the Captain, in the afternoon, Hertfordshire finished down the field to a very strong Surrey side which retained the title.
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Hertfordshire experienced a very disappointing start to the league season by losing to Middlesex by 5.5. to 6.5 at home at Brocket Hall. In torrential rain in the morning, the team battled to a half way lead of 3 - 1 and seemed set for a comfortable win. Tom Shadbolt led the way in the afternoon singles and took a win by 7/5. This was followed by Greg Schmidt with a second win and a half by Captain James York. Sitting on 5.5 points with three matches completed meant that Herts only needed one point from the remaining 5 games. Sadly it was not to be and Middlesex managed to win all five to take the match.
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 On a pleasant and clear day last Thursday, 78 players were presented to an Brookmans Park Golf Club in excellent shape to play in this traditional event involving current Captains and their secretary/managers. The winners, and taking the title for the first time, were the team of Bob King (Captain) and Matt Smith (Admin) from Chesfield Downs Golf Club. Matt is a newcomer to our area and, playing from scratch, he helped his partner to the winning score of 43 points. Second place, one point behind, went to the Sandy Lodge team of David Scammell and Lesley Diamond with the home side at Brookmans Park (Captain Jim Cameron and Manager Jonathan Dove) in third place on 41 points. President Terry Trude and Alan Green won the Executive Committee prize with 34 points. The day was rounded off with an excellent dinner which produced a great atmosphere and was thoroughly enjoyed by all concerned.
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At Verulam G.C. on Tuesday 20th May, the first league match of the season saw the Hertfordshire Senior side take a closely fought match with Bedfordshire by the margin of 6-4. Leading from the front, home player Donald Longmuir gained an impressive 5/4 win and other wins then came from Philip Nye, Ben Brown, Brian Bulmer and Alan Pountney. Halved matches from Jeff Duffy and John West then sealed the victory. Full results available through the match result section.
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.jpg) The annual visit to Seacroft (Skegness) with eight other counties brought mixed results for a young and inexperienced Herts. team. As last year's wooden spoon winners, the team were committed to improvement against some very strong teams. Saturday morning saw the team take 6 of the 10 available points and this suggested a positive challenge for the top. Sadly, only 3.5 points in the second round and only 1 point in the third saw a plunge to the bottom of the table. A spirited revival in the last session brought another 6 points but this was half a point below the total needed to avoid a second year as wooden spoonists. Essex won the title with 23.5 points with Hertfordshire on 16.5. Highlight for Hertfordshire was on the Saturday morning when Andrew Kay (Sandy Lodge) aced the 175 yard 4th hole, this to win his match having started at the 6th. A first hole in one for Andrew was suitably celebrated later that evening! Picture of Andrew after he had recovered his ball from the hole.
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 On Monday 12th May 2008, 72 senior golfers assembled at Old Fold Manor Golf Club to contest the second Senior Champion Club Championship. As with all courses at this time of year, the flush of grass growth ensured that the rough was rough and the fairways narrow. This made scoring very difficult and only seven players managed to break the 80 mark. Winners were Letchworth Golf Club represented by Mike Slattery, Martin McKenna and Frank Bryder who scored 155 with their best two scores. Second on 159 were the Moor Park team of Neil Marsden, Graham Steel and John West with the Knebworth team of Philip Nye, John Walton and John Smalley on 3rd place with 161. An excellent day, well hosted by Old Fold Manor, and very popular with the players. Our picture shows the winning team with HGU President, Terry Trude and Past President Tony Bailey who was the presenter of the trophy for this competition. Full results by team by clicking on the link below.
Team Results
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 Anthony Hughes (Potters Bar), with a one over par 73, won the Herts Salver at Whipsnade Park Golf Club on 3rd May to lead the 16 qualifiers into the County Championship. On a fine but blustery day, scoring was never easy and rounds of 77 were in the top 16. Second place in the Salver went to Neil Brinkworth (Sandy Lodge) on 74, winning that spot on count-back from Luke Gutteridge (Porters Park). The top sixteen now join the pre-qualifiers in the County Championship at Knebworth commencing on 13th June 2008. A copy of the full results and also the qualifiers may be accessed using the links below. Our picture shows Anthony receiving the Salver from Barry White, Captain of the Hertfordshire Golf Captains and accompanied by Terry Trude, President of the HGU.
Full Results | Qualifiers
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The HGU Seniors have now completed their pre-season preparations during which they have played five friendly matches unbeaten. With club games against Moor Park, Berkhamsted and South Herts all resulting in wins, they turned their attention to two county teams. At Hammonds End on 2nd April, Northants were the visitors and this resulted in a thumping 11-1 win for Herts.On 18th April we entertained Cambridgeshire at Brickendon Grange and a keenly fought battle resulted in a 9-9 draw. Excellent results which bode well for the forthcoming season which kicks off in earnest on 20th May at Verulam with our first league match against Bedfordshire.
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 On a stormy wet day at South Herts on 27th April 2008, the West Herts team of County Captain James York (72), Greg Schmidt (74) and Tom Speyer (77) returned a team total of 223 to snatch the title by two shots from second place Hartsbourne Country Club (Michael Charles, Jeremy Bohn and Mark Gershinson). Letchworth (David Tandy, Joe Smith and Ben Harman) were a further two shots off the pace on 227. A storm delay of nearly two hours meant that the event was reduced to 18 holes but some fine golf was played in very difficult conditions. The best round of the day went to Matthew Wallace (Batchworth Park) who shot a gross 70 against a CSS which went up to 74 on the day. The winning team are pictured with County President Terry Trude who, I think you will agree, seems to be 'growing up' in the job!
Full Results | Team Results
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 Glen Portelli (Brickendon Grange), winner at Batchworth Park in 2007, played excellent golf to retain his title as Boys Champion with scores of 70 and 68 for a 138 winning total. Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City) led the field with a morning 69 and, but for a dropped shot at the 36th hole, played outstanding golf to push Glen all the way. Tom finished with a 70 and a 139 total. In third place was Sam Claridge (Harpenden Common) on a total of 143. The overall standard of golf throughout the day was excellent and many competitors can be pleased with their performances. The event was superbly hosted by Mill Green Golf Club who provided every hospitality and a good test of golf in these difficult early conditions. Our pictures show the winner(s) receiving the trophies from President Terry Trude accompanied by Club Captain Gwn Ellis.
Winning Scores | Full Scores
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 At the Boys Championship at Mill Green, the coveted Malcolm Reid Trophy for the Under 16's was won in fine style by Callum Shinkwin (Porters Park) who followed a morning 77 with a joint best of the day 68 to win by one shot from runner-up Daniel Ellis-Banbury (Letchworth). Excellent performances from two very promising Hertfordshire golfers.
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 At the Boys Championship at Mill Green, the Harpenden Common Team of Sam Claridge, Tom Brown and Marcus Fox scored a total of 291 to take the Team Championship pennant for 2008. The team are pictured with the flag which may now be flown by Harpenden Common during the year.
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The season's first competitive match took place on Monday 31st March at Redbourn when the Under 18 Boys Team took on mighty Essex for the Cheshunt Salver. Fine performances in the six foursomes matches took Hertfordshire to a 4-2 lead at lunch. A much tougher afternoon saw the singles halved at 6-6 with George Hewitt (Chadwell Springs) winning the last match to ensure the 10-8 victory.
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.jpg) The annual meeting of the club Junior Delegates took place at Welwyn Garden City Golf Club on Tuesday 4th March 2008. The meeting received a round-up of the 2007 events and successes from David Duke who then outlined the prospects for the 2008 season. A valuabe presentation by Andrew Clapp set out the coaching strategy for the year and this led to some informative questions/answers from the floor. Chris James then gave details of the 2007 Boys Order of Merit events and announced the winners who were Glen Portelli (Brickendon Grange) who won the Scratch Order and Edward Horey (Brickendon Grange) who took the Handicap order. Photo of Edward Horey. The meeting also enjoyed a lively interactive forum on topical subjects and all concerned felt that the meeting had been a great success.
BOOM Report
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 At the Annual General Meeting of the Union (The Council Meeting) on Thursday 7th February, Mr A.R. (Tony) Bailey (Letchworth) stepped down from the position of President after a highly successful three year term. He was succeeded as President by Mr T.V. (Terry) Trude (Harpenden Common). Terry now enjoys the honour of being President of the Union, President of his club and President of The Hertfordshire Artisans. Also at that meeting, Alan Green (Mid Herts) and Hugh Wikner (Hadley Wood) were re-elected to the Executive Committee. Elected for the first time was Gaius Potton (Berkhamsted).
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 With some fine performances throughout the season, including two 1st places, Graham Povey (Brickendon Grange) wins the 2007 Order of Merit with a five event total of 185. Close behind was John Ambridge (Moor Park) on 172 and Ben Harman (Letchworth) on 158. The Order of Merit, now in it's second year, continues to go from strength to strength with 123 players gaining points throughout the season. At the Annual General Meeting on 7th February 2008, Graham was presented with the Harkett Trophy by Past President Clive Harkett, the donor of this fine trophy.
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The new regulations concerning equipment, and particularly drivers, comes into force on 1st January 2008. The definitve lists of both conforming and non-conforming drivers may be found at http://www.randa.org where you will find pictures of the appropriate clubs. The two links below show both the conforming and the non-conforming lists and may be printed for information.
Non-Conforming List | Conforming Driver Heads
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