Captains Corner

A BETTER YEAR, BUT WE’RE STILL NOT YET OUT OF THE WOODS

COVID19 still consumes our thoughts. As your Captain, I was grateful for the Committee’s recommendation that I remain in this position for a further year. There was some continued disruption and the early games, such as the Winter meeting and the match against Hertfordshire as well as our meeting with the Ladies had to be cancelled. The match against Bedfordshire was postponed, but it was played in September. My Captain’s Tour just about managed to go ahead, but my Captain’s Day had to be deferred from July also until September.

In the event, we had a successful year. We played 11 matches against other Counties and won seven of them plus an away draw against Sussex on the windiest day of the year. In our prestigious Four Counties matches, we won by a single point at Thetford, against Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Worcestershire, whilst we came a creditable second at Maidenhead against Berkshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire (winners).

What are my memories of the year? It began with the golf lesson I received from Martin Bart in our first match away to Hampshire. I had complained about not getting out of bunkers and he told me I was decelerating into the shot. I thought maybe I was doing this on all of my shots – and I was! This set me up for the rest of the summer, where I and my partners remained unbeaten until the last match. It was suggested that this only happened because I was able to pick my partners. However, my partners tended to be Captains of the home courses on which we played or, in away matches, new members wherever possible. This means that the new members we are attracting are of excellent quality.

Notable performances during the year came from Alan Rose in winning the Miner’s Lamp (at the Captain’s Tour) for the second year running as well as the Mixed Invitation; to Brian Rodgers and John Newell who won the best pairs at the Four Counties North and Bob Barnes as the best travelling reserve at the same competition; to Roger Warren who won the Past Captains competition.

Thank you to all the members who played matches during the summer and, especially to the new members playing for us for the very first time. I’m sorry if we were not able to play together, but I look forward to meeting you over the next few years. We are a friendly bunch and I hope you enjoy your time with the Buckinghamshire Golf Captains. Tell your fellow club captains and encourage them to join our association, if they aren’t members already.

One of the features of last summer were the teams we selected. At the beginning, because of Covid restrictions on holidays, the teams selected, largely, were those that played. However, once the restrictions were lifted and people were able to take holidays, the numbers of withdrawals increased substantially. This is not a complaint, because we had not been able to take holidays for such a long time and families were becoming restless. I have always said that being a reserve in any match is very important, because almost certainly, you will get a game. However, this all came to a head in our last two matches of the year, against Sussex and Essex, when the reserves were all used up and phone calls were being made all over the place. So, special thanks go the match managers of those games, Brian Rodgers and John Pettitt, for getting full sides out.

This leads me on to two very important points. First, Match Managers, you will have seen in the Subs/Match Selection forms that have been sent out to all members, that we are look for more Match Managers. This is an important role, liaising with the Match Secretary (now in the capable hands of Colin Elwell) and the Captain, making sure that we have a full complement of players. We need more match managers. Please make yourself available for this important role. You will only be asked to be a match manager for a game in which you are playing. It takes a bit of time and organisation but it will be only for one match.

Secondly, match selections. Whilst you are unlikely to be selected to play for every game, you will be selected as a reserve in others. I have tried to say how important reserves are to the way we organise teams and it can’t be stated often enough how important reserves are. It may seem a waste of time electing to play in matches in September, during the depths of winter in January, but we need as many of you as possible to make yourselves available for those far off games, many months ahead.

My main thanks go to your committee; to Peter Short, your Hon. Secretary, who does all the hard work during the whole year, part of which I appreciated all the more as I sent out the subs forms and handled the selections last year as he was moving house; to Doug Ebdon, your Treasurer, who was always available to provide welcome advice and to Colin Elwell, who gave me much needed assistance as Match Secretary and who will take on the role on his own this year. I would also like to thank my vice-captain, John Mannering, and wish him great success during the coming season. Tony Jeffries, will become vice-captain this year and I also wish him well. Tony remains the ‘Clothing Officer’ and does a brilliant job. If you need anything, contact Tony.

Finally, to you, the members, thanks for your company at the various matches and on the golf courses. I realise I will go down in history as the longest serving captain of the Association, so far, not in the best of times, but still in enjoyable times. You have given me much pleasure and I will never forget my two years plus as your captain. Thank you.

David Liston
Captain