MALCOLM BROWN COUNTY CAPTAIN REPORT
The big day arrived not without its challenges, a Sunday morning fire alarm at 2.30 am, which led to the hotel being evacuated and the team standing in the car park till 3.30am until the fire service gave the all clear perfect! So to little Aston, as always we were well prepared and I spoke to the team about looking beyond what was in front of them and tried to focus them and break the day down to two simple parts, we spoke about winning your own point’s and not to rely on anybody else to do the job, take responsibility! In the morning and in the afternoon. The morning foursomes was a nervous affair the boys were clearly struggling a bit, I put that down to them realising what was at stake and maybe there own expectations, we were down in 4 matches so I had to work overtime on the boys trying to free them up and reset there expectations, in the end Jack and Liam got back into their match and looked like winning until Lady Luck came into play for the opponent’s on the 18th but fortunately they were 1up, in the end it was a tremendous halve. Next up was Jordan and Matt, earlier they were down by 3 at one point but they started to find their feet and fought back hard to take the match 2-1, this was superb and much needed. Mark and Ash were out of sorts and they were struggling to get back into their match and lost 3-1. Mike and Jacob played some lovely golf but the guys who they were up against were killing them with some short game wizardry, I witnessed two chip in’s and some monster putts which eventually got the better of them losing 2-1. Then it was down to Cole and Jake, earlier their golf was patchy and their match was on a knife edge, we as a team were down 2 1/2 1 1/2, Cole and Jake looked down but some how they pulled their match back to gain a fantastic halve which felt like a win to all of us, it felt at lunch that we were in front and the momentum was definitely back with us even tho we were 3-2 down. In the afternoon singles and more challenges to follow, we had 8 matches on the course when the rain we got was a full on monsoon, the course was flooded in less than 5 minutes unbelievable now we were in trouble, 3-2 down in the match meant if we didn’t get some single matches completed the foursomes result in the morning would stand as the result!! Their guys wanted to leave the course it was caios, my buggy was on melt down I was everywhere, eventually I got to their captain and I started to negotiate a plan to get the boys back playing if and when the rain stopped, all that said it took 20 mins for the rain to stop and another 30mins for us to get started again and to their credit they agreed to start on a semi flooded course with a set of captains rules to follow. As it turned out the rain did us a favour as we were down in a lot of the matches on the course, that reset ignited the boys to another level, Jack for example was a couple down when he decided to hit 6 birdies, 4 of them on the trot to win 5/4. He started a fight back that only champions can do, Jordan followed that up with a 3/2 win in his final appearance for the county more on that later! Jake fought hard but eventually he lost 1 down, this match was really close and full of birdies. Now for Liam, he was determined to get us a point he always looked in control of his match but you never know it only takes a bit of bad look and momentum changes, it got a bit nervy but that said he held his nerve to win one up after being dormy 2 up great work Liam. So we are now 5-4 and it starts raining again, the course had dried up a bit and it would take a little more, but not much so to my relief it stopped after 10mins and it was still playable JUST, Next up was Ash it wasn’t his day the more he tried the worse it got, unfortunately he eventually went down 4/3 but that didn’t stop him supporting his team though, which is what we are all about. 5-5 now but up next was the gentle giant that is Jacob, he took control of his match with some seriously solid golf in testing conditions easily winning 5-4,well done Jacob now we back to 6-5 up. Up next Mike white cool as you like, always looks chilled out to the point of falling over, he was in total control of his match early on, his opponent tried hard to get back at him but no chance winning 2up after being dormy 3up. Now we were close 7-5 up one more point needed to get victory on the day, but winning the league was not guaranteed. Mark the princess Porter was up and in full control playing some top golf and he eventually closed his match out 5/3, this meant we had won the match regardless of the other results but we needed more wins to make sure our goal difference was too much for second placed Warwickshire. I should have known Cole was a definite point in the bag when Dean Reddington agreed to caddie for him! Those two together are a serious force on a golf course, Cole smashed his opponent winning 6/5 to cap off a great season for him. Last but not least was Matt Hogg he was up early but late on this opponent came back at him with some lovely golf and a few birdies, so to the 18th Matt was 1 up on the green in two as was his opponent but somehow he managed to 3 putt on that green and he came off with a half, “rumour has it he was overcome with emotion and the tears in his eyes hindered his putting, not that he would admit it”. So after all that we were 9-1/2 -5-1/2 winners. Shortly after it was confirmed the league was ours not that we thought Warwickshire could win 14-1 and rob us of the league but, you can’t celebrate til it’s official. CHAMPIONS!!! It’s been over 12 years since this team has won the midland golf unions top league, I can tell you these guys deserved it, they deserve so much credit not just for their quality of golf they played, but for the way they represented the Notts golf union members, they were impeccable throughout the season. Our members should be so proud of these boys, they built a team spirit that was inclusive to everyone around it, and most of all to any player who came into the team, they created a solid bond that even when players were not selected, the guys not picked supported them regardless on and off the course. All these guys needed was someone who believed in them, they needed a bit of guidance, some structure and a lot of cuddles! They had the talent in abundance, it’s been a pleasure to be their captain and watch them grow as individuals and as a group. On a sad note this was Jordan’s last county match as he is turning pro, Jordan has come through the ranks from being a junior, I wish to thank him for his commitment and contribution to Nottinghamshire golf, I also wish Jordan all the best as do all the union and his team mates. A massive thank you must go to the union for their support this year, you have invested in this team and myself and I would say we have re paid you with interest so thank you, thanks again to Colin and Mandy Bee, Richard and Rob for their personal support this year, me and the boys really appreciate all what you have done for us. Finally looking forward to next year and the fresh challenges that being champions will bring, so get ready boys these guys will be coming for you!!! County Captain Malcolm Brown