Old St Beghians’ Golfing Society It is great to report that Old St Beghian golfers have resumed competitive golf over the recent period. The rescheduled Halford Hewitt took place in early September in the Kent sunshine, and the Queen Elizabeth in Edinburgh resumed once again, on the weekend following the Hewitt. Enjoy the photos with this report. The golfing events we take part in are special, with all golfers competing and wearing the St Bees badge with pride. Throughout the pandemic period I have reported how the ever-growing nucleus of the Society manages to keep in regular contact. It is clear to see that this is benefiting the tournaments we now play in, with team-spirit rising and great partnerships starting to flourish. Halford Hewitt 2021: Mon 6th – Sat 11th September 2021. Most of the team members arrived on Monday evening, returning to our usual lodgings of Knowlton Court, near Chillenden.  With the Hewitt taking place in September this year (instead of the usual April) there were some slight changes to the logistics of the competition, with both Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds plus the opening round of the Hewitt taking place at Royal Princes Golf Club. And Princes did not disappoint; the weather wasn’t too bad either.
Tuesday and Wednesday Practice Sessions:
1st Green at Royal Princes – Foursomes practice (above)
16th Fairway at Royal Princes – Sunset goals (above)
We were delighted to welcome Adam Burdett to the society for the first time. Adam joined for the Wednesday afternoon practice round session, playing foursomes with Charlie Crummey. This is an example of how OSB golfing is open to all and if you are interested in joining us, please feel free to make contact.
	7th Tee at Royal Princes, with the 13th Green at Royal St Georges in the background (Left to Right: Tom Wright, Andy Deall, Jeff Ellis and Gareth Edgar).
Wednesday Evening Team Announcement
The Team - First use of the Blazers (Front, left to right: Ben Wilson, John Currie, Gareth Edgar, James Doggett. Back, left to right: Charlie Crummey, Adrian Peckitt, Tom Wright, Jeff Ellis, Andy Deall, Cameron Wood and Andrew Goodwin).
St Bees were drawn against Bradfield (not to be confused with the town in North Yorkshire) in the opening round of the Hewitt. The team was announced on Wednesday evening by captain Adrian Peckitt. As you can see, the new blazers didn’t disappoint.
Thursday Hewitt 1st Round vs Bradfield at Royal Princes Golf Club. Jeff Ellis and Ben Wilson were St Bees’ first pairing. The 7 and 6 defeat was justified when both Jeff and Ben learned mid-round that they were playing against Jamie Gallacher, son of Bernard Gallacher (10 times European Tour Champion, 23 Professional Wins). John Currie and Tom Wright were paired together for the first time, and it will not be the last time as the pairing ran out 3 and 2 winners, with some steady regulation golf.
The regular partnership of Andy Deall and Adrian Peckitt were next out. After a promising start, the duo struggled on the back nine, finishing short with a tight 2 and 1 defeat. Cameron Wood was playing in his first Hewitt and was paired with Gareth Edgar. Despite an opening 3 and 2 defeat, this was just the start of bigger things to come for this pair. The final paring was Andrew Goodwin and former Hon Sec, James Doggett. It was great to have James back in the team, a definite strength, they finished with a 1up victory. Sadly, this meant that we just finished short with a 3-2 defeat, but nevertheless it was a promising day for the Bees, showing we can compete against teams of high talent and backing. It was a real pleasure to spend an hour with the Bradfield team in the clubhouse after the event, analysing all the games.
	St Bees pairing of Jeff Ellis and Ben Wilson (left), alongside their Bradfield opponents (right).
Friday Plate 1st Round vs Bishop’s Stortford at Royal St Georges Golf Club. The reward of a round 1 defeat was a Plate round fixture at Royal St Georges (host venue for the 2021 Open Championship). This was all in the Thursday planning.
There are only three pairings required for the Plate rounds.  John Currie and Tom Wright were first out. After an even start, the St Bees pair lost four holes in the middle of the round. Despite a resurgence, the match finished on the 15th green, with a 4 and 3 defeat. I’ll talk about the 2nd match shortly. For the 3rd match, Andy Deall and James Doggett cruised to a 5 and 4 victory. A straightforward St Bees’ win! So back to the 2nd match, featuring the St Bees pairing of Cameron Wood and Gareth Edgar. The match was tight throughout, with St Bees managing to be two up with two to play. Their opponents battled back in the remaining two holes to force a sudden death playoff. The 19th hole was a nervous watch for all St Bees’ supporters. The hole was halved.
	Royal St Georges Clubhouse.
On the 20th hole, St Bees found the fairway bunker off the tee but smartly played safe and patiently. The match was decided on the green, where Gareth Edgar held his nerve and holed his putt, which in turn put considerable pressure on the opposition to hole their putt for a halved hole. Their putt slipped by and St Bees could finally celebrate! A 2-1 win!
Live scenes from the 20th hole.
Time to put the blazers on in the George’s clubhouse.
Saturday Plate 2nd Round vs Harrow at Royal Princes Golf Club A Saturday outing for St Bees proved to be the final day of a great Hewitt. An unchanged team tested a strong Harrow outfit. All matches were close but the opening two matches were closed out by Harrow on the 17th. John and Tom (last out) managed to obtain a concessionary half. 2 ½ - ½ defeat. This was a fantastic week of golf and OSB socialising. Thanks to everyone who attended. We will go again in April 2022 for another Hewitt instalment.
Queen Elizabeth Coronation 2021: Fri 17th – Sat 18th September 2021. St Bees fielded six team members against Edinburgh Academicals, at Royal Burgess. The team fell short of progressing, with a 2-1 defeat. Cameron Wood and Tom Wright’s 4 and 2 victory obtained the St Bees’ point.
6-man QE team – Top: Rodney Atkinson, Cameron Wood and Tom Wright. Bottom: Mike Stamper, Nigel Costeloe and Andy Crummey.
With a free day on Saturday, Nigel Costeloe and Andy Crummey hosted a round at Gullane. The weather once again was in our favour. It provided another great OSB memory on the East Lothian coastline.
Cameron Wood and Nigel Costeloe on the 6th Green at Gullane (above).
The view from the 7th Tee looking towards Gullane Sands and Muirfield (above).
Remembering Adrian Bagott (1942 – 2021) Adrian was a keen golfer and supportive member of the OSBGS. An obituary and tributes may be seen elsewhere in the Bulletin, under ‘Obituaries’. Please click here to view obituary.
Future Golf Dates Halford Hewitt 2022 at Sandwich – 5th-10th April, 2022. OSB Internal Social Dates - TBC.   Tom Wright (Hon. Secretary)    Contact Details: Michael Coffey, President – Michael@golfclubsec.co.uk. Tom Wright, Secretary – tomosbgolf@hotmail.com.

 

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St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.

         Tel: (01946) 828093      Email: osb@stbeesschool.co.uk      Web: www.st-beghian-society.co.uk