Mon 3rd Aug
Harrow win back Cup from Malvern after an interval of 11 years
The Old Harrovian Golfing Society put out a formidable team on July 28th at Brancaster to win back the Harrow Malvern Cup. Malvern won the Cup in 1998, the last time it was played. Jeffrey Bonas was the captain and had selected a strong Sunningdale team including Steve Posford, Charles Donald and Andrew Aylwin. Unfortunately, Charles Donald had to cry off as he was suffering from a detached retina, which had occurred the previous week. Fortunately, Tom Olesen, a Brancaster member, was able to fill Charles’s spot at short notice
The two foursomes matches were to be played over 18 holes with holes up at the end of 18 holes to decide the result. Posford and Bonas opened proceedings against Peter Mathieson and Harry Anderson. Early on Mathieson showed his class and Malvern went up early in the match. Aylwin and Olesen started very shakily with a 7 at the first hole to go one down to Robert and Tony Beeson. However, they played the next 12 holes in par to ease into a lead. Posford and Bonas were struggling somewhat against Mathieson and Anderson and found themselves one down after 12 holes. However Posford, who is considering playing the Seniors Tour, upped his game and Bonas, who knows every borrow and blade of grass at Brancaster was proving deadly with both his putting and chipping. They stepped up the pace and played the last six holes in level par, no mean feat into a two club head wind, to win their match by 3 up at the 18th. Meanwhile, Aylwin and Olesen played good golf and won their match by 4 up at the 18th. The overall result was that Harrow won by 7up.
Following the presentation of the cup to Jeffrey Bonas, the winning captain, a convivial lunch was taken upstairs. The vanquished very generously paid for the vintage port and Kummel. All in all, a most enjoyable day
