La Moye Golf Club

The Jersey Foursomes Championship sponsored by the Moorings Hotel was all in all a great competition this year with a high class entry and culminated in a final of the highest standard you could expect to see in an amateur golf tournament. The championship went to Jersey Senior (over 55) Team Members Terry Smith and Mickey Byrne who first won this tournament in 1977 and have now succeeded in becoming Champions on four occasions.

The morning saw the semi finals of the tournament which pitched Smith and Byrne against the top pair from the qualifying round Island Junior players Will Taylor and Nick House and in a closely fought match the experience of the seniors eventually told as they ran out winners by 3 & 2, The other semi final put many peoples favourites to take the title, Gavin O’Neill and Christy Mc Laughlin of the Royal Jersey, up against the La Moye pairing of Karl Fitzpatrick and Mark Hesford, the home players played very steady par golf to run out the victors by 7 & 6.

The stage was therefore set for a battle between two pairs who have both previously won the title and the gallery were treated to a great game of golf. Smith and Byrne made a birdie 4 at the first hole to take the lead, which they surrendered, at the 3^rd hole when they found trouble. They however regained the lead at the next hole and doubled this at the long 7^th which they won with a well played par four. However Mc Laughlin and O’Neill were not yet beaten as they cut the deficit when they birdied the 9^th hole the next two holes were halved the 11^th when both pairs made birdie three. Then when O’Neill rolled in an eight foot put at the 12^th for a birdie to level the match it appeared that the match might have turned in favour of the younger pair. However when O’Neill was short with his approach shot to the 13^th a par four was enough to hand the lead back to Smith and Byrne.

The remainder of the holes up the 17^th were halved in par leaving Smith and Byrne needing a half at the last hole to wrest the Championship, with both pairs on the green for 2 Smith calmly stroked in a put from around 30 feet to close out the match. Both pairs had played tremendous golf throughout the match with the victors standing at one under par at the finish.

The handicap section of the Championship was won by Channel Islands Junior Champion Paul Aitkens of Jersey Western partnered by La Moye Junior Josh Ozard who beat father and son pairing of Nick and Harrison Steel 3 & 2 in the semi final to set up a final against Royal Jersey pair of John and Dennis Le Couilliard who had experienced a very tough match with Steven and John Purdie before earning their place in the final by 2&1.

The match started very evenly and was level after six holes then Aitkens and Ozard succeeded in winning three holes in a row to reach the turn three up only to loose the next two holes to bring a glimmer of hope to the Le Couilliard brothers. However the Royal Jersey pair were unable to take advantage of the shots they received at the 12^th and 13^th holes and found themselves 2 down playing the 16^th hole and when John missed a five foot put at the 16^th hole for a half the youngsters claimed their well earned victory.

The sponsor Renzo Martin of the Moorings Hotel expressed his delight at seeing such a fine tournament and presented prizes to all of the qualifiers for the match play section of the Championship in the Club House upon completion of play.

Colin Amos, Eddie Cuthbert, Mick Emmanuel,Graham Goodyear, Peter Green, Derek Hart, Ken Hewitt, David James, Ray Le Louarn, Denis McGuire, Bill Manser, Harry Profitt, Barry Queree, Ron Senior, Mike Smith, Mervyn Stratford, John Twohig, Richard Villain.

The Royal Bank of Scotland International sponsored Am Am was played in testy conditions at La Moye Golf Club last Saturday. The winners with 47 points were A Russell, M Ormsby and B Nelson on a count back from C Neilson, J Marshall and M Hibbs. In third place were K O'Toole, R De la Cour and L Rebindaine with 45 points. Pictured is Brett Allen, Director, Business Development at the Royal Bank of Scotland International (2^nd Left) and Duncan McSporran ( far right) Captain of La Moye Golf Club, presenting the prizes to the winners.

Playing at Royal Jersey in the Hampshire 7 a side the La Moye Team recorded a great win over the Hampshire title-holders.

With the first six matches played and honours even it was down to the last match to resolve the outcome. With both clubs putting their lowest handicappers out last, Paul Chevalier for the Royal and Richard Ramskill for La Moye it proved to be as exciting as it gets!!

Chevalier 1up playing the 18^th, Ramskill holes a 15ft for a birdie and takes the match to the 19^th hole. After a magnificent drive 50 yards past Chevalier, whose great iron shot to the green is pin high and 20 ft left, Ramskill pulls his 8 iron left of the green follows with a delicate chip to 4 ft and Chevalier putts to 2 ft.

Onto the 20^th hole, a par 3, and Ramskill fires his shot into the green very close to the pin. Chevalier responds but cuts his shot and the ball falls short and right of the green in a difficult lie. Chevaliers first chip fails to find the putting surface and he has to chip again. The ball finishes on the green but he concedes the match to Ramskill and La Moye win four games to three.

La Moye’s non-playing First Team Captain, Kevin O’Toole, a veteran of these matches having played in them since the early 70’s, described it as one of the most exciting matches has been involved with.

La Moye now face Les Mielles at Les Mielles with the match to be played by the end of April.