Needing a win in the last game of the season to qualify for the Final, it was all on the line for the Growling Frog Scratch Pennant Team on Sunday. With road wins hard to come by, playing away at ladder leader East Malvern didn’t make the task any easier.
Four matches were decided early, two to each team, and with the other pairs evenly balanced it always looked like this was going down to the wire. In the top group Luke Audley was up, and given his strong form all year looked unlikely to lose. But skipper Warren Hanna had been behind all day, and was in desperate trouble three down with five to play.
When No 8 Simon Stoker rolled in a ten footer for birdie on the 16th he secured a 3&2 win in the tie-breaker ‘ball’ match, so it appeared we needed at least a half from Club stalwart John Bozinovski. He narrowly missed a birdie putt to level the match on the Par 5 15th, then both players completed solid pars under pressure on 16 and 17 to leave Boz still 1 down with only the long 191M Par 3 18th to go. He pulled his tee shot left of the green, in a nasty spot, and his opponent hit a beautiful shot onto the green. It seemed like it was probably all over. But John continued to pile on the pressure, hitting a great chip in close. His opponent was up to the task though, completing his two putt for a half and winning a hard fought match 1 up.
Meanwhile, a couple of holes behind, Luke had won 3&2, leaving the overall score 3-3 with one match still going. We need a half for victory ‘on the ball’ and a trip to the Finals, a simple equation but not an easy one, given Warren is now dormie 2 down with 2 to play and staring down the barrel.
On the 17th he hit a good looking second shot from the tree line on the right, but it spun back to the front of the green. His opponent was short in two but had been chipping well all day. If he could get up and down, Warren would have to hole a long putt to keep the match alive. He couldn’t, and a solid two putt was good enough to win the hole.
One down, one to play, the whole match… the whole season, resting on the Captain’s shoulders.
He steps up and hits a nerveless three iron to the front of the green, putting all of the pressure back on to his opponent, who pulls his shot to the left and ends up in a similar spot to the one Boz had been in earlier. A tricky chip at the best of times, he can’t get up and down and Warren completes his two putt to secure the decisive half and a famous win.
A gutsy performance by Warren, and a great team win away from home. Much credit goes to the East Malvern boys, who played in great spirit and showed their class despite the tough loss.
Well done to the whole squad (Luke Audley, Wayde Barling, Damian Blythe, John Bozinovski, Aaron Delia, Warren Hanna, Mick Lowrie, Luke March, Mark Stapleton & Simon Stoker) for a great season in a tight Division, and on to the Final against Altona Lakes at Werribee in two weeks time…
Four matches were decided early, two to each team, and with the other pairs evenly balanced it always looked like this was going down to the wire. In the top group Luke Audley was up, and given his strong form all year looked unlikely to lose. But skipper Warren Hanna had been behind all day, and was in desperate trouble three down with five to play.
When No 8 Simon Stoker rolled in a ten footer for birdie on the 16th he secured a 3&2 win in the tie-breaker ‘ball’ match, so it appeared we needed at least a half from Club stalwart John Bozinovski. He narrowly missed a birdie putt to level the match on the Par 5 15th, then both players completed solid pars under pressure on 16 and 17 to leave Boz still 1 down with only the long 191M Par 3 18th to go. He pulled his tee shot left of the green, in a nasty spot, and his opponent hit a beautiful shot onto the green. It seemed like it was probably all over. But John continued to pile on the pressure, hitting a great chip in close. His opponent was up to the task though, completing his two putt for a half and winning a hard fought match 1 up.
Meanwhile, a couple of holes behind, Luke had won 3&2, leaving the overall score 3-3 with one match still going. We need a half for victory ‘on the ball’ and a trip to the Finals, a simple equation but not an easy one, given Warren is now dormie 2 down with 2 to play and staring down the barrel.
On the 17th he hit a good looking second shot from the tree line on the right, but it spun back to the front of the green. His opponent was short in two but had been chipping well all day. If he could get up and down, Warren would have to hole a long putt to keep the match alive. He couldn’t, and a solid two putt was good enough to win the hole.
One down, one to play, the whole match… the whole season, resting on the Captain’s shoulders.
He steps up and hits a nerveless three iron to the front of the green, putting all of the pressure back on to his opponent, who pulls his shot to the left and ends up in a similar spot to the one Boz had been in earlier. A tricky chip at the best of times, he can’t get up and down and Warren completes his two putt to secure the decisive half and a famous win.
A gutsy performance by Warren, and a great team win away from home. Much credit goes to the East Malvern boys, who played in great spirit and showed their class despite the tough loss.
Well done to the whole squad (Luke Audley, Wayde Barling, Damian Blythe, John Bozinovski, Aaron Delia, Warren Hanna, Mick Lowrie, Luke March, Mark Stapleton & Simon Stoker) for a great season in a tight Division, and on to the Final against Altona Lakes at Werribee in two weeks time…