11 April was a red letter day for our golfers. We reached the quarter-finals of the Halford Hewitt for the first time for many years. This was after victories over Blundell’s (3-2), Harrow (3-2) and Downside (4-1). We then lost a desperately close match against Watson’s by 3 matches to 2, denied by a 15-foot putt on the 18th green in the deciding one.
Many congratulations to our team: Marcus Ferguson-Jones (captain), John Davies, Tony Whitty, Willy Porter, Adam Kendrick, Craig Moore, Giles Pickford, James Boyle, Tom Cary and Marc Sadler.
The Halford Hewitt has been described by the golf writer Nick Tremayne as “the greatest of all truly amateur tournament”. Founded in 1924 it is competed for today by the old boys of 64 English and Scottish public schools which each field five foursomes pairs, making 640 competitors in all. The sheer size of the field – plus the hundreds of supporters who routinely turn up – is part of what makes the Hewitt a unique sporting event. The tournament has a rich history, frequently pits average golfers against famous internationals, and produces moments of golfing pressure simply not experienced by amateur players elsewhere. Our team this year will not disagree!