Stoke by Nayland seniors members (age 55) are eligible to play in the Essex County Golf Union (ECGU) competition for 2025, covering handicaps from scratch to 15.
Each match requires 11 players and a reserve, I was lucky to have a squad of 18 eligible members who signed up for the team.
ECGU have web site https://www.essexgolfunion.org/essexseniorsteamchampionship listing regulations and draws, more on this to come.
Some clubs have 1st Round byes; our first match was drawn away against Forrester Park Golf club (FPGC) on 11th April 2025.
This year's team selection was based on match play experience, a mix of handicaps as you don’t know what the opposition is until we swap team names, and their handicaps half hour before the match commences.
Courtesy round
I had organised a courtesy round on Wednesday 9th April at 12.00 for 12 players as many hadn't played FPGC off the white tees.
Mark had raided Gregs and bought all a sausage roll each, to which I said I would provide my version at the halfway hut on match day.
The course was very dry, with crowned greens, it was much needed experience to prepare for the Friday match.
After the courtesy game I went through SBN players handicaps, as ECGU requires you to calculate each player's “Playing Handicap” based on that player's H/C from the previous Sunday's (6th April) England Golf computer listing.
Match Day
Gathering up the sausage rolls and drinks for half way hut and all the admin sheets, we all gathered in the club house by 9.15am.
Our players elected for bacon bap and tea/coffee which SBN would cover the cost.
The weather was excellent and their captain Steve Barraclough had arranged a tee time buffer in front and behind. The teams would play in lowest H/C order, first tee 10.00am off white tees. Preferred lies in place.
With Team photos taken play could commence.
Team Captains exchange the playing order and H/C as follows, because of the slope rating and course rating SBN gave shots in 9 matches and got one shot in the last match.
FPGC had watered the greens for two nights and moved the white tees back from winter tee boxes but failed to tell us that.
FPGC Player Playing H/C Player Playing H/C Shots given
Match 1 Tony Cloke 3 Cyril Williams 3 0
Match 2 Martin Gunfield 4 Mark Clark 3 1
Match 3 Mark Philips 5 Stephen Wood 4 1
Match 4 Jim Davis 7 Simon Oliphant 5 2
Match 5 Steve Barraclogh 10 Phil Boyland 7 3
Match 6 Dave Ayres 11 John Parkinson 7 4
Match 7 David Gillespie 11 Ian Mckay 7 4
Match 8 Paul Kally 12 Jonnathan Perry 9 3
Match 9 Steve Brewington12 Trevor Brace 9 3
Match 10 Chris Hurrell 13 Colin Pottle 12 1
Match 11 Tony Hawkins13 Ian Smith 14 +1
Our last match teed off at 11.20am
Play
The first hole is a 496 yd par 5 with OB down the right and a fairway that slopes from left to right.
Match one duly showed the crowd how to hit stonking drives.
For some later players, balls flew left and a couple OB.
The second hole is a 226 yd Par 3 which Cyril went 1 up with a chip in birdie.
The 3rd hole 397 YD index 2 par 4, this hole would see some of those given shots being taken.
The 5th hole is a 203 yd par 3 crowned green so tough to make par.
Cyril was keeping hold of being 1up until the 7th hole which he moved to 2up and after 9 was 4 up.
At the halfway hut the scores for SBN were
Match 2 was all square
Match 3 -2
Match 4 -1
Match 5 AS
Match 6 AS
Match 7 +2
Match 8 -1
Match 9 -4
Match 10 -1
Match 11 AS
Clearly the team needed the sausage rolls which went down well.
At the 17th green  Cyril arrived with a 4/2 win.
Match 2 saw Mark with a 2/1 win
Match 3 not so good loss 4/3
Match 4 halved
Match 5 went to 18 with a loss.
Match 6 halved
Match 7 loss 2/1
Match 8 loss 3/2
Match 9 Loss 4/3
Match 10 win 2/1
We went back to the club house and the match had been conceded as SBN 4 points and FPGC 6 points.
The captains shook hand and both went to meet the last group on 18 where the match was halved resulting in
Result of 11 matches FPGC 6/12 SBN 41/2
The winning team then submits the scores via email to ECGU for approval.
Our player congratulated FP on a well deserved win and we all travelled home.
FP would be playing at SBN on Sunday 13 April in the Lesley woods competition where some of our Essex seniors would be playing again.
Later that evening ECGU after checking the submitted playing H/Cs both captains had submitted they emailed Steve Barraclough (FP Captain) with a question about Match 7 - David Gillespie V Ian McKay.
They noted that Steve had entered David Gillespie's course H/C on the Sheet as 11.9 which he had entered into England golf's computer after his round on Sunday 6th April.
Steve had checked David's H/C on Monday 7th and seen it was displayed as 11.9 this gave David a playing H/C of 11, which was on the start sheet for Friday's Essex seniors match.
ECGU pointed out that that rule 8.6 states
The Handicap Index on the Sunday before the match is then frozen and must be used for the match despite any changes in the time leading up to the match. 100% allowance is to be taken from the lowest course handicap for the tees being used at the venue.
The key point in the above 8.6 rule is “Sunday”, ECGU stated David's change of H/C to 11.9 does not come into effect until 00.01 on Monday 7th. Therefore David's correct course H/C
should have been 11, because that was his Sunday H/C, which meant his PH would be 10 and not 11.
Steve emailed me and we spoke on the phone that ECGU had DQ FPGC and Steve accepted his error, therefore SBN would win the match and go through to round 2 and play Thorpe Hall or Rochford 100 by 16th May 2025.
Your captain
Eric Fisher
12 April 2025

Many thanks to Eric for selecting & captaining the team and handling all of the post match politics