For those LUGS that were around back in 1988, there was a sense of déjà vu as we arrived at Sandwich for this fixture. In 1988, the LUGS arrived at Luffness for their first ever outing against a mature society in the SUGS. In 2026, it was LUGS that was the mature society hosting the WUGS (the Welsh Universities Golfing Society) for their inaugural match.
Though the LUGS already had an impressive early season fixture list in place, Peter Dyson spotted the absence of a game against the Welsh on the day preceding the England Wales rugby fixture. As revered and respected at Porthcawl as he is at Sandwich, Peter was able to nudge his western counterparts into assembling a WUGS side to add to the evolving UGS roster.
The WUGS, wonderfully captained and assembled by Don McCutchan, marked their inaugural fixture in memorable fashion, edging out the LUGS 8–6 in a closely fought contest on these great links which, in spite of the biblical rains of January, still played impressively hard and fast.
Peter Dyson’s team cleverly blended youth and experience as we continue to widen the reach of the LUGS to all generations of Purples. While dates of birth may vary considerably, the shared sense of experience as we all, in our time, battled over the great courses in and around London quickly creates strong common bonds. Similar bonds also built palpably among the WUGS during the day. Many were meeting for the first time and, though excited to be playing at this great venue, there was a certain anxiety over how it would all play out; by lunch, the anxiety was fading – by dinner it was replaced by enthusiasm for the cause. Let’s see whether and how they progress.
Match-wise though the morning began under drab skies, conditions ultimately proved far kinder than feared, allowing for an excellent day of competitive golf along the Kent coastline. Seasoned veterans were paired alongside their younger counterparts and, though shoulder turns varied by as much as 45 degrees, some decent golf was played all round.
WUGS made a strong start, narrowly taking the morning matches 4-3 to establish an early advantage. Would the splendid lunch and a kümmel or two give LUGS an edge in the afternoon?
No! The LUGS responded with post prandial resilience, pushing their Welsh counterparts all the way in a series of tightly contested encounters, several of which finished on the 18th green. However, WUGS once again edged the session by the same 4-3 margin, sealing an overall 8-6 victory.
A fine dinner followed and many new friendships were made. We wish the WUGS all the best for whatever their future may hold. Our sincere thanks go to Peter Dyson for his organisation and for the spectacular hospitality from our wonderful hosts at Royal St George’s.
| LUGS | WUGS | |||
| 1 | Neil Falconer/Nicola Calder | W | Rhodri Lewis/Oliver Pughe | |
| 2 | John Paddy/Ian Raisbeck | Halved | Joe Brunt/Gareth Hughes | Halved |
| 3 | Andrew Westmore/Joe Park | Barry Ross/Max Hill | W | |
| 4 | George Yeandle/Bryan Jenkins | Peter Hill/Ian Oakes | W | |
| 5 | Stewart Tucker/Andrew Berryman | W | David Jones/Donald McCutchan | |
| 6 | Richard Gullan/Kaihan Mobed | Blair McHarg/Tom Wright | W | |
| 7 | Tom Fahy Jonathon Lavelle | Halved | Peter Dyson/Jim Harrison | Halved |
| Morning Score | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1 | Neil Falconer/Bryan Jenkins | Barry Ross/Joe Brunt | W | |
| 2 | George Yeandle/Nicola Calder | David Jones/Blair McHarg | W | |
| 3 | Andrew Westmore/Andrew Berryman | W | Ian Oakes/Oliver Pughe | |
| 4 | John Paddy/Jonathon Lavelle | Rhodri Lewis/Tom Wright | W | |
| 5 | Stewart Tucker/Joe Park | Peter Hill/Jim Harrison | W | |
| 6 | Richard Gullan/Peter Dyson/Tom Fahy | W | Donald McCutchan/Gareth Hughes | |
| 7 | Kaihan Mobed/Ian Raisbeck | W | Stuart Lloyd/Max Hill | |
| Afternoon Score | 3 | 4 | ||
Result: WUGS beat LUGS by 8-6
London University Golfing Society 