Many GGCC members will have played at Surbiton and experienced the lunches, which are always a welcome feature. GGCC were back at Surbiton on 5th May to play the preliminary round of the Murphy Shield competition. For those unfamiliar with that, it’s a GC competition between teams of 4 – a double and two singles matches in the morning and four singles in the afternoon. The combined handicap of the four players in each team must be not less than 12 and no player may have a handicap less than 2. So the optimum mixture of handicaps is 2, 3, 3, 4 or 3, 3, 3, 3.
As it happened, Surbiton had 2, 3, 3, 4 and GGCC had 2, 3, 3, 5 – so pretty well balanced. Surbiton took an early 2-1 lead, winning the doubles and one single. Then – lunch. And after that there was no stopping GGCC. We won all four singles matches in the afternoon by two games to nil, leaving the final score as GGCC 5 Surbiton 2.
Thanks to Surbiton for their hospitality and the friendly spirit in which the match was played (and of course for the lunch). We are now through to the last 16, where we will face Compton at home.
Team: Jan Honeysett, Peter Adams, Julie Tremble, Mike Huxley