The most beautiful of West Cornwall mornings welcomed the teams of the Royal Navy and Cornwall Men to West Cornwall Golf Club for the annual fixture which is always an enjoyable occasion between the two sides.

The Royal Navy fielded as strong a side as they have for a number of years, and this served as a true test for the men of Cornwall as they looked to bounce back from a pre-season defeat to the Cornwall Professionals.

The Trevose pairing of Steve Davies & Mark Grootz opened proceedings for Cornwall and they very quickly stamped their authority on the opening foursomes encounter, eventually signing off on a 3&2 win. Parity was restored for the Royal Navy when they claimed an 18th hole victory over George Leigh (Trevose) and Jon Hancock (Newquay); the latter suffering three horse-shoes throughout the morning.

Joe Reynard (Trevose) & Aaron Stephens (Newquay) edged Cornwall ahead with an 18th hole victory of their own before yet again the scores were levelled when Sandy Kirton (Perranporth) & Kieran Faulkner (Looe) lost on the 16th hole against Guy Norris & team-mate Tom Fox. The final act of the morning would belong to Cameron Gurd (Perranporth) who in partnership with Rob MacGregor (Tehidy Park) holed putts of 6 feet on the 17th hole and 20 feet on the 18th to secure a win by the narrowest of margins, allowing Cornwall to lunch with a slender 3 - 2 lead.

Davies would once again lead the line in the 10 singles matches, but it was Leigh in match two who chalked up the first point of the afternoon with a handsome 6&5 victory, which Davies then added to, winning on the 18th hole with an assured performance.

In both matches three and four Grootz and Hancock respectively would battle hard for halved matches; the former winning the final three holes in the process. Momentum was building for Cornwall, and this was maintained by Reynard who signed off on a 14th hole win, leaving the score 7 - 3 in favour of Cornwall, with the winning number of 8 now within touching distance, and it wasn't long before Stephens provided Cornwall & Captain Ian Veale with the point that would secure the win when he sealed his match on the 16th green.

Some consolation was to follow for the Royal Navy when they shared the final four points, leaving an overall score of 10 - 5.  Faulkner won 2 up. Gurd battled hard having been five-down through 6 holes to eventually lose on the 16th hole. Kirton shone with four birdies from the 9th hole to win 5&4 before MacGregor succumbed on the 16th hole.

Both Veale and the President of the Royal Navy Golf Association, John Clink thanked West Cornwall Golf Club for their usual all round hospitality and heaped praise on the annual fixture which serves to kick-start the season for both parties.

Matchsheet