Cornwall Men's team lost their opening Channel League fixture of the 2018 season away to Gloucestershire yesterday. Having led at the halfway mark, a spirited fightback from the home team saw them emerge 8-7 winners at Minchinhampton GC in what was a very tight encounter.

Whilst playing in short sleeves during a practice round which was bathed in sunshine on the Saturday the Cornwall turned up on Sunday's match day to find overcast conditions coupled with a brisk and cold wind.

Setting the pace for County Captain, Ian Veale, in the morning foursomes was the pairing of Joe Cruse & Matt Richards who raced into a 3-hole lead. Resistance for Gloucester came in the shape of Nick Day & Alex Ireland who looked like they might just snatch the first point of the day when Cruse faced a 12 foot putt on the 18th to finish all square; the putt made all the more harder by the fact that the greens had been tined and dressed in the week prior to the match, which saw many a putt missed during the day from much closer a range.   On this occasion Cruse managed to make the putt and the point was shared.

Veale paired experience with youth in the next foursome as Richard Jasper teamed up with George Leigh, and a successful duo they turned out to be as they played with a calm assurance in defeating Josh Denley & Mike Day on the 17th.

Sandy Kirton and debutant Jack Irwin would bring home the third point with a solid performance which culminated in a victory on the 15th green over Joe Harvey & Harrison Ottley-Woodd, and things got even better for Veale as the elder statesman of the team, Rob MacGregor and partner Joe Reynard, the Cornwall junior County Captain tidied up their match to claim a point on the 16th green, beating Andy Rudge & Andrew Hale.

Another Cornwall debutant, Jamie Crocker teamed up with Aaron Stephens in the final foursome match and they combined well to grind out a halved match with Jake Phillips & Tom Workman.

Cornwall would take lunch with a 4 – 1 advantage; would it prove to be enough in an away Channel League match when the afternoon singles often favour the home county?

Veale put his faith in the 15-year-old Leigh - pictured above - by sending him out at the top of the singles order, and he would do battle with Ireland. It was a game of the highest quality with Leigh bagging his second point of the day with a win on the 18th green, in the process showing maturity beyond his years and a level of golf which bodes well for the future.

Cruse played the ever-impressive Nick Day, and despite Cruse opening with four birdies the quality and patience of Day would see him play his way back into the match, eventually sealing the point on the 17th green.

The following five matches would then be settled on the 18th hole, with Gloucester fairing rather better than their visitors for the weekend! Whilst Richards won the 18th hole against Rudge to gain a half point the following three games would go the way of the home county……. Phillips edging out MacGregor, Workman accounting for Kirton, and Hale defeating Irwin. After such a handsome lunch-time lead the match was now on a knife edge, and with further news that Harvey had defeated Crocker on the 16th, which was matched by Stephens beating Denley on the 15th the overall score stood level at six-and-a-half points each.

Two singles remained, and yet again both games would appear on the 18th tee. Jasper arrived at the 18th 1-down having seen his opponent, Ottley-Woodd birdie the 17th but following a poor tee shot from Ottley-Woodd, Jasper secured a half point with a solid par (7 – 7).

Reynard became the fifth Cornwall player to occupy the 18th tee with his game standing at 1down, thus needing to win the hole for Cornwall to escape defeat. It was not to be as Mike Day would eventually win the 18th hole for a two-hole victory and a remarkable turnaround for his county to snatch an 8 – 7 victory.

Veale said “I am desperately disappointed to see the team lose today having built such a great platform after the morning foursomes………. that said I can’t fault my players as there were some fine performances, and with seven of the ten singles matches going to the 18th the match really could have swung either way”.      He continued “there are many positives to take from the day and I look forward to seeing the team bounce back when we play Gwent in two weeks’ time at St. Enodoc”.

Veale also took the opportunity to thank Nick Datson of Datson Consulting Limited for his generous support in becoming the official ball sponsor for Cornwall’s Channel League campaign in addition to St. Austell Brewery for providing on course liquid refreshment for the team.

Result sheet