LUGS v PUGS 10 March 2023 Sandwich
‘Mon dieu qu’il fait froid!’
So went the cry of many of the PUGS as they battled against the elements on what has to go down as one of the coldest and wettest mornings in east Kent for many a year. And while it is an exaggeration to describe the LUGS as ‘men of steel’, they certainly dealt with the conditions rather better than the Mediterranean loving Frenchmen, reversing the 8-0 defeat in our last fixture with a fine 9.5-2.5 win.
Of course, the most important part of the day was to reconnect with the PUGS, last seen in 2019 when thoughts of a global pandemic were fanciful. Led by the ever exuberant Frederic-David Cahen (known to one and all as ‘Kiki’), the PUGS brought class, sophistication and excellent humour to Sandwich and it was a joy to see both old and new friends for a fixture that, we hope, will now cement itself in the LUGS calendar.
Unlike their rugby team though, they didn’t exhibit the ‘street fightin’ man’ mettle you need for the cruel winds coming in from the north. Never has a side wanted an early lunch as much as Kiki and co!
And did we look after them at lunch? Well, you might argue that serving them a Chardonnay made in Kent was unnecessarily mischievous; but good manners are timeless and they drank the ‘Roman Road’ from the Simpsons Estate with good grace. As hands and feet began to thaw and blood returned to cheeks, laughter and bonhomie drowned out all other sentiment and the St George’s lunch did what it usually does – make you glad to be alive.
The rain had gone by the time we got back to the tee and we all managed a full eighteen of the magnificent golf course without any obvious signs of frostbite. Kiki partnered the marvellous Stephane and, with a gritty eight footer on 18, managed a point for the PUGS. Unlike against the SUGS, LUGS were otherwise able to dominate the afternoon fixtures, securing a first win of the season for the society.
Laidlaw Purves stood proud over us as the teams enjoyed a fine evening in the dining room. The club, as ever, made us feel both at home and very lucky to be in such an historic place. We think Kiki’s promise to sack his entire team for poor performance was made in jest; we certainly hope so. And, while their golf may have demonstrated more pre-season rustiness than free flow, the spirit and great fun brought to the fixture by each and every PUG was very far from poor!
Kiki presented us with a beautiful history of the St Germain club (along with the club tie) and generously invited us back to that club next year. And while Reykjavik in early January may be the venue that gives us the greatest chance of victory, we were all immensely grateful to receive that offer.
Peter Dyson – our absent captain (who else would choose Rome over a rainy Kent?) – deserves great credit for putting together a new look LUGS team full of a number of golfers making their LUGS debut. To a man, they were all great additions to the society and we hope to see them in this and other fixtures over the coming years.
Morning
| LUGS | PUGS | ||
| Richard Gullan/Scott Beattie | Halved | Romarin Billong/Lennart Brag | Halved |
| Stewart Tucker/Jeremy Smith | Halved | Gilles Laurent/Martin Lemery | Halved |
| Stuart Lloyd/Josh Collingwood | 2up | Nicolas Aubert/Laurent Barbara | |
| Jon Lavelle/John Paddy | 1up | Stephane Marletti/Kiki Cahen | |
| Andrew Berryman/Kaihan Mobed | Halved | Jean-RenéHegoburu/Laurent Ortiz | Halved |
| Neil Falconer/Ian Raisbeck | 2/1 | Edouard Dullieux/Laurent Gautier | |
| 4.5 | 1.5 | ||
Afternoon
| LUGS | PUGS | ||
| Stuart Lloyd/Stewart Tucker | 2/1 | Jean-RenéHegoburu/Laurent Ortiz | |
| Jeremy Smith/Scott Beattie | 6/5 | Nicolas Aubert/Laurent Barbara | |
| John Paddy/Ian Raisbeck | 6/5 | Gilles Laurent/Martin Lemery | |
| Andrew Berryman/Richard Gullan | 3/2 | Edouard Dullieux/Laurent Gautier | |
| Kaihan Mobed/Jon Lavelle | 2/1 | Romarin Billong/Lennart Brag | |
| Neil Falconer/Josh Collingwood | Stephane Marletti/Kiki Cahen | 1up | |
| 5 | 1 | ||
LUGS beat PUGS by 9.5 to 2.5
London University Golfing Society 