Cornwall's trip to the SWCGA Championship Week at Cumberwell Park GC finished on a high yesterday in a dramatic last gasp win over wooden spoonists Dorset.

The morning singles again proved a disappointment as Cornwall trailed 4.5 - 3.5 at lunch.

Cornish wins came from Matt Richards (4&3), Conor Wilson (1 hole) and the Duchy's top points scorer for Cornwall, Rob MacGregor with an emphatic 7&6. Sandy Kirton gained a half in his singles match. Joe Cruse was the only other Cornishman to go up the 18th before he lost by the odd hole.

Cornwall needed two foursomes wins and a half to claim a win overall and County Captain Ian Veale let his team know full well what he expected of them as they tee’d off at the 10th.

At the top of the order MacGregor and Wilson delivered in style with a 6&4 win. At number two Cruse - playing in his 10th and possibly last SW Week -and Joe Reynard had fought out a tight front 9 and took a 1 hole advantage into their back 9. The pair won the first and second holes to go 3 up and did not look back running out 4&3 winners. The other news on the course was not good though as even before the second Duchy win the pairing of Josh Greenaway and Aaron Stephens went down to a defeat neither will want to remember for long. And with the Duchy 4th pairing well down also another defeat was definitely the most likely outcome.

The fourth pairing were Sandy Kirton (pictured top) and Matt Richards (below) and they were 3 down with 3 holes to play. County Captain Ian Veale was staring a third matchplay defeat in the face. What unfolded was unexpected and demonstrably proved the value of never giving up and Kirton and Richards certainly did not do that, albeit they had ‘a little help from their friends’.

The pair won the par 3 7th hole in regulation after the Dorset pairing of Luke Hirst and Matthew Sandy went long into the greenside bunker and failed to get up and down.

On the par 4 8th both teams found the green in regulation and after Richards putt just missed the hole but was conceded, it was left to Dorset to just nudge the ball up to the hole to claim victory. Unexpectedly to the onlooking members of both teams the Dorset player struck the putt some distance beyond the hole and when his partner missed the return Cornwall were still alive.

The par 5 9th threw up yet more entertainment or excruciating pain dependent on which side you were looking from. Both teams struck enormous tee shots downwind making the green reachable in two. Richards, who was having his best day of the week, played first and suffered the dreaded shank which found the right hand semi some 60 yards short of the green. The hearts of the Cornish onlookers sunk again and this was exacerbated when the Dorset pairing found the back of the green with their second some 30 feet from the pin.

Sandy Kirton then struck a very good pitch towards the green and this rolled out to 15 feet from the hole. Again it seemed Dorset were favourites to close the match out. The Dorset putt came up 4 feet short and when Richards made full amends by rolling the Cornish putt in for a birdie 4, the pressure was heaped back on Dorset. To total amazement, and yet with a degree of sympathy, the Dorset player missed his putt and Cornwall had gained the half required for overall victory in the match. Dorset thus remained winless across the week.

Unbeaten Somerset were crowned matchplay champions for the second year running with Gloucestershire second. Cornwall finished fourth above Devon and the luckless Dorset team.

Day 5 Results and Table

The Cornwall Team and Captain Ian Veale and Vice Charlie Phillips are pictured below as are CGU President Mike Ellis (right) and Vice President Andrew Clotworthy.