📅 Date: Thursday, 10 September 2026 📍 Venue: Hedsor Golf Course 🕘 Time: Morning 🏆 Result: Hedsor defeated Huntswood 6-0
Hedsor welcomed our friends from Huntswood for the return fixture at our tight and testing nine-hole parkland course.
The competition was played as an 18-hole Four-Ball Better Ball match-play event, with all six matches starting from the first tee. The weather was fine and pleasantly warm, providing excellent conditions for a day of friendly but competitive golf.
On this occasion, Hedsor made full use of home advantage and produced an outstanding team performance to record a comprehensive 6–0 victory.
Match 1 — Bilal Hashmi & Rashid Mumtaz v Steve Bersey & Graham Smith
Bilal and Rash found themselves under immediate pressure against Steve and Graham, who opened with a par and a birdie to put Huntswood 2 up after just two holes.
Rash responded perfectly on the 3rd, making par for a nett birdie to reduce the deficit, and that proved to be the spark Hedsor needed.
Over the next eight holes, Bilal and Rash won five and halved the other three to move into a commanding 4-up lead by the 11th.
Then came a remarkable spell of putting from Huntswood.
Steve and Graham birdied the 12th, 14th and 15th, holing putts from near the green, just off the green and, in one case, actually off it. Between them, those three putts covered somewhere in the region of 80 feet.
Fortunately for Hedsor, Bilal had won the 13th, meaning the pair arrived on the 16th still 2 up.
Rash then produced the decisive blow. His drive finished just off the green and he calmly completed the hole in two more shots for a nett birdie, sealing a 3&2 victory.
It was a high-quality contest throughout, with the strength of play reflected in the fact that not a single hole was won with a nett bogey.
Match 2 — Andy Finlan & Nic Manley v Kevin Woodley & Peter Dash
Andy and Nic produced one of Hedsor’s most convincing performances of the day, eventually winning 6&5.
The pair lost the opening hole and Nic admitted afterwards that he had started slowly, leaving Andy to hold things together during the early stages.
Hedsor levelled matters on the 4th before taking complete control.
From the 7th hole onwards, Andy and Nic won six consecutive holes, rapidly turning a close contest into a comprehensive victory.
Naturally, the post-match discussion centred not on the quality of the golf but on which of the two had carried the other.
Both, unsurprisingly, claimed the burden had been entirely theirs.
Match 3 — Alan Brown & Pam Lane v James McIntyre & Clive Hopkins
Alan and Pam enjoyed a closely fought opening against James and Clive.
The match was all square through five holes, with both sides having recorded two wins. One of the early highlights came from James, who holed an excellent long putt from off the green for birdie on the 5th.
Hedsor then began to take control.
Pam made par on the 6th before Alan followed with another par on the 7th to move the pair 2 up.
Pam then made excellent use of her additional strokes on the 9th to extend the advantage to 3 up at the turn.
Further wins followed through Pam’s 6 on the 11th and Alan’s 5 on the 13th, moving Hedsor to Dormie five.
The 14th was halved in pars, confirming an excellent 5&4 victory.
The match was played in a fine sporting spirit, with the Huntswood pair commenting afterwards on how much they had enjoyed the particular challenges presented by the Hedsor course.
Match 4 — Peter Hillyer & Robert Hope v Sam Stevens & Ian Smith
Peter and Robert defeated Sam and Ian 3&2 in another highly enjoyable contest.
Hedsor moved ahead after the 3rd hole and, although the match remained competitive, never surrendered the lead.
Both Ian and Sam contributed birdies during the round, but Peter and Robert dovetailed particularly well on the back nine to maintain their advantage and eventually close the match out on the 16th.
Peter was particularly complimentary about his partner’s contribution, telling Robert:
“You played fabulously today.”
Just as importantly, all four players enjoyed the game, with Peter describing Ian and Sam as excellent company throughout.
Match 5 — Merv Ford & Greg Lee v Martin Rogerson & Jay Cooper
Merv and Greg got off to the ideal start by winning the opening hole before the next five were halved.
Some of those halves required considerable resilience, particularly on the 3rd and 6th where the Hedsor pair recovered from difficult positions.
Merv then took control late in the front nine, winning both the 7th and 9th with gross fours for nett threes, sending Hedsor to the turn 3 up.
Huntswood responded strongly.
Jay won the 10th with a long putt for gross par, before Martin birdied the 11th to reduce Hedsor’s advantage to just one.
The 12th was halved before Merv restored some breathing room with an excellent third shot over the trees to win the 13th.
Martin immediately responded with another birdie on the 14th, but Greg won the 15th with a gross par and then holed another good putt for par on the 16th to maintain the advantage.
Martin refused to give up, winning the 17th, before the final hole was halved to give Merv and Greg a hard-earned 1-up victory.
Greg later highlighted the remarkable quality of Martin’s back nine, noting that he had played aggregate scratch golf from the 10th through to the 17th.
Match 6 — Ray Wilks & Andrew Fairclough v Nick Pardoe & Fred Harrod
Ray and Andrew completed Hedsor’s clean sweep with a 4&2 victory over Nick and Fred.
Andrew made excellent use of his additional strokes early in the match, before Ray joined the party with a couple of timely hole wins of his own.
By the turn, Hedsor had built a healthy 4-up lead, which quickly became five.
To their credit, Nick and Fred then mounted a determined fightback and began reducing the deficit.
Any hopes of taking the match deeper into the closing holes were effectively ended on the 15th when Andrew holed a monster putt to match a Huntswood birdie and preserve Hedsor’s advantage.
Ray then made par on the 16th, which proved enough to close out the match 4&2.
Another thoroughly enjoyable contest played in excellent company.
Final Result
The six matches produced a clean sweep for Hedsor:
- Bilal Hashmi & Rashid Mumtaz — won 3&2
- Andy Finlan & Nic Manley — won 6&5
- Alan Brown & Pam Lane — won 5&4
- Peter Hillyer & Robert Hope — won 3&2
- Merv Ford & Greg Lee — won 1 up
- Ray Wilks & Andrew Fairclough — won 4&2
Hedsor 6 — Huntswood 0
It was an exceptional team performance, although the scoreline perhaps does not fully reflect the competitiveness of several of the individual matches.
After the Golf
Following the final match, both teams gathered in the clubhouse for lunch, drinks and the usual post-match analysis of good shots, missed putts and opportunities that became considerably easier with hindsight.
Lunch consisted of a welcome selection of sandwiches and desserts, kindly procured by Andy Finlan, and was thoroughly enjoyed by players from both clubs.
Despite the emphatic result, the fixture was played throughout in the friendly and sporting spirit that has become a hallmark of matches between Hedsor and Huntswood.
Our thanks go to everyone from Huntswood for making the trip and contributing to such an enjoyable day, and to all those at Hedsor who helped make the fixture run smoothly.
A 6–0 victory will certainly be remembered by the Hedsor team — although we suspect Huntswood may arrive at the next encounter with revenge firmly in mind.
Report prepared by Club Secretary Bilal Hashmi with contributions from each team.