Berkhamsted v LUGS 21 October 2023 at Berkhamsted GC

The annual fixture at Berkhamsted was the quintessential calm against the background of storm Babet and in some aspects dedication to LUGS reached new heights.

Leo was moving house on the day of the match and true to his southern European roots delegated the arrangements to his girlfriend ………..perhaps the fact that he is applying for British citizenship was the mitigating factor.  Meanwhile that stalwart of LUGS golf, Lavelle was in Cairo at 8.00pm on Friday but at Berkhamsted by 7.30 on Saturday morning – perhaps a tad weary eyed but nevertheless in his usual ebullient form.  By comparison the journey that others made from Stoke and Birmingham seemed merely equivalent to a trip to the local high street.

Tradition dictates that the full English breakfast is accompanied by port and brandy but, to our surprise, Kummel was added to the mix.   Perhaps as a consequence, the noise level was at an all time high and I recall the comment from a previous Berkhamsted Captain that “at this match, more is drunk before a ball has been struck, than during the entire day at some other fixtures.”

Despite the heavy rain and strong winds of previous days, the heathland course was dry underfoot and in excellent condition though, unsurprisingly, the greens were a little slower than usual.  The match was closely contested and, with the LUGS final pair still on the course, the home side were looking pretty smug leading 3:2. However, Ed Williams and Mark Wheelhouse achieved victory on the 17^th for the match to be tied.

An excellent lunch followed the golf and we all left Berkhamsted having enjoyed the hospitality of the Club, the camaraderie and the wonderful golf course. We look forward to returning next year.

LUGS		Berkhamsted
Andrew Westmore/Jonathon Lavelle	1/2	Robert Bailey/Peter Haddon	1/2
Leo Faganelli/Henry Scott	3/2	Stuart Riches/Justin Higgs
Sam Campbell/Andrew Cole	1/2	Ben Williams/David Tolmie	1/2
John Magnin/Mike Edwards		Ernest Wade/Colin Howe	3/2
Kaihan Mobed/Thomas Dvorak		Craig McPhail/David Highfield	2/1
Mark Wheelhouse/Ed Williams	2/1	Stephen Wilkinson/Ian Dicken
	3		3

Match drawn 3 all