The vision : in mid August 2025 Mick Ballard suggested a pairs match fixture. Captains and ex Captains vs a team of barbarians led by AJ. No dates proposed yet but it would probably be best played on a Sunday instead of a scramble or bogey golf day. Is there any mileage in this?

Short notice in 2025 was the obstacle for getting this vision off the ground but it was diaried for inclusion in the 2026 Calendar.

30 August 2026 the inaugural match took place with players detailed in the accompanying graphic.

Teams proved to be most secretive both pre and post the game with only one reported course event subsequently received!

Rash – “Great format today. Barbara’s amazing finish was the difference between us halving and winning the match outright.
Well done captains 🏌️‍♂️”

Bilal – ” Well played Barbara, though Dan did his bit by putting a few points on the board too”

Bilal – “Unluckiest Hedsor Golfer nominee – Trevor:

Bilal – “Rash judiciously interrupted Trev’s green onboarding process on the 7th with spurious comments about unbalanced captains, causing Trev’s ball (which was waiting to be marked) to lose patience with Trev and roll back down to his feet to give him a piece of his mind

Andy Finlan was suitably sympathic, as we’ve come to expect. “

Rash – ” I was merely pointing out the uneven distribution of past captains in their group.
I wish I’d ever said something funny enough to make Andy react like he did to Trev’s ball rolling down the bank.”

Editor Note: in 08:10 tee time team – three former captain’s made up three of the team of four!

Rash – “Trev was not happy”
Howard James – “It was comedy gold! 😂”
Andy Finlan – ” The look on his face was priceless”

As a reader you may well ask what then was the Score? The Captain’s won all of their games and it was agreed by all that it was fun played in the Pairs Match Format and should be regarded as an annual diary commitment. One up to the Captains. Bring it on Barbarian’s in 2027!