Singles Match Play Competition Report (September 2025 – March 2026)

prepared by The Club Handicap Secretary Bilal Hashmi

The Hedsor Golf Club Singles Match Play Competition once again delivered a compelling mix of competitive golf, resilience, and winter endurance, running from September 2025 through to the end of March 2026.

A strong field of 23 members entered, with the draw expertly seeded by the Club Captain, Jay Goodwin, based on starting handicaps. This proved highly effective, producing closely contested matches throughout the competition.

Competition Format:
Matches were played using 100% of Course Handicap (CH), with Playing Handicaps (PH) adjusted relative to the lowest handicap player.

Example:
Player A (CH 16) -> PH 0
Player B (CH 20) -> PH 4

This ensured competitive balance across all matches.

Winter Conditions:
The competition unfolded across a full spectrum of winter golfing conditions—from rain-soaked fairways and biting northerly winds to sub-zero temperatures, with only the occasional appearance of welcome sunshine. Credit goes to all participants for completing their matches under such testing conditions.

Round 1 Highlights:
North Draw: Malcolm Silver, Terry Marston, Jeff Driscoll progressed.
South Draw: Greg Lee, Sam Kirkaldie, Sue Finlan, Nic Manley progressed.

Round 2 Highlights:
North: Mick Ballard, Alan Brown, Ray Wilks, Jules Pearce progressed.
South: Bilal Hashmi, Adam Johnson (AJ), Paul Gilzene, Nic Manley progressed.

Quarter Finals:
North: Mick Ballard and Ray Wilks progressed.
South: Bilal Hashmi and Paul Gilzene progressed.

Semi Finals:
Ray Wilks defeated Mick Ballard.
Bilal Hashmi defeated Paul Gilzene.

The Final:
The final saw Ray Wilks (top seed North) take on Bilal Hashmi (4th seed South) in what promised to be a closely fought contest.

However, Bilal produced an exceptional performance, winning decisively 8 & 6 to claim the title.

Champion:
Bilal’s victory capped an impressive campaign, defeating strong opposition throughout the knockout stages, including AJ in the quarter finals and Paul Gilzene in the semi-finals, before a dominant performance in the final.

Final Thoughts:
This year’s Singles Match Play competition showcased:

• Excellent seeding and competitive balance
• Resilience in challenging winter conditions
• High-quality match play throughout

Congratulations to Bilal Hashmi on a deserved victory, and to Ray Wilks for an excellent run to the final.

Thanks to all 23 participants for making this another highly successful and enjoyable winter competition.

Much of the Competition was played using the Mens Red Tees.