Cumbria Seniors team travelled to Clitheroe Golf Club on Monday to play the Lancashire Seniors team, who are the reigning senior league champions, in the second NCGU Senior League match of the 2026 season.
The weather was good, mostly sunny and warm all day, with Clitheroe Golf Course presented in a stunning and beautiful condition, with fast greens for the days golf.
The nine holes of Greensomes started at 10am with Digger Gray and Jim Stothers leading the CUGC team again, followed by Grant Dougherty and Nev Johnston, Bob Richardson and Craig Postlethwaite, Greg Waters and Bob Nixon, making their CUGC senior team debuts.
Richard Addyman/Merv Evans brought up the rear our big hitting pairing of Mike Turner/John Berry.
The Greensomes matches were evenly matched for most of the morning, until the first three results to be posted all went to victories for the home team Lancashire.
Greg Waters and Geoff Nixon continued their great form from the last match at Windermere to secure our first victory of the morning two and one.
This left two matches still to be concluded, both the two CUGC teams were one up playing the last hole, and we had a chance to end the morning session three – three, but sadly both team succumbed to Lancashire wins on the last hole, meaning both games finished all square.
Therefore, the score was four – two to Lancashire after the morning Greensomes had concluded.
The team did not need a talk at half time, lunch was eaten very quickly, and players were eager to get back on the course and start to win holes and get the deficit back.
Lead pair of Digger Gray and Jim Stothers fought hard to take the Lancashire lead pair and strongest duo as far as they could in the match but fell short when the match ended at the 16th Green.
Next up was ‘The Twins’ Grant Dougherty and Nev Johnstone who gelled well to secure our first afternoon win on the 18th green, one up.
The third pairing was senior team stalwarts Bob Richardson and Craig Postlethwaite in a game where holing putts was key, but the majority of holed putts seemed to come from our opponents, Bob and Craig battled on regardless and secured a valuable halved match.
At the back of the field big hitting duo Mike Turner and John Berry were really taking control, from a fast start they never looked in any difficulty and kept the standard of play high throughout their match, winning very handily four and two.
This made the overall match score in live scoring at seven – seven, and all to play for.
Greg Waters and Geoff Nixon never got ahead in their match, but from a position of three down, their fight back begun on the back nine, with our pairing starting to win holes, despite playing against the hottest putters on course (Ian Crowther and Allan Harrison) who were holing putts from everywhere.
A stunning up and down on the 17th hole from Greg, with the very firm and fast green running away from him to the water hazard ditch, a class bunker shot coupled with a magnificent eight foot breaking hard left putt, meant they would go up the last one down with one to play.
Following behind them was debutants of Richard Addyman and Mervyn Evans, who despite being a holes down early in their match fought back to get ahead on the back nine.
However, the Lancashire pairing were putting on the pressure to the lads, and got the match back to all square with two to play.
The pivotal moment came on the 17th par three hole again.
Having watched Greg’s heroics from the tee, Richard hit a stunning iron shot just beyond the flag which due to the severe gradient on the green sadly trickled to the edge of the green leaving Richard with a 15 foot putt.
With many of his teammates watching and crossing their fingers that he would two putt to remain all square and take the match up the last, Richard produced a ‘world class’ putt to win the hole with a stunning birdie two, to put our pairing one up with one to play.
The team took cognisance of what may happen with the last two pairings both playing the last hole, if Greg and Geoff could win the hole and Richard and Merv hold on to their lead, the team could actually win the match 10 – eight.
Greg and Geoff played the 18th tremendously, only to be hit with another holed birdie putt from the Lancashire duo, with Greg sitting virtually stone dead with his approach shot.
Sadly Greg did not get the chance to hole the putt as the Lancashire putt meant a one up success to the home team.
The stress level once again went to the debutant pairing, Richard and Merv, who were under pressure not to lose the last hole which would have made their match all square and ultimately a win for Lancashire.
Merv very nearly chipped in for his birdie from the back of the green, hitting the hole.
Richard’s birdie putt also went agonisingly past the hole, leaving the Lancashire pair with a putt to win the hole for half the match and ultimately a Lancashire win, as Cumbria team held its breath, the putt never looked like going in and a huge sigh of relief came from all the CUGC players and support team watching.
The match ended in a draw, Lancashire nine, nine Cumbria, and probably the correct result as both teams deserved to get something from the match.
The highlight of the match at Clitheroe GC came the previous day on Sunday when players were playing their practice round, and Nev Johnstone had a hole in one on the 200-yard 14th hole with his five iron.
Another impressive performance from the CUGC Senior Team battling and fighting hard right up until the end of every match, and with great camaraderie and togetherness in the team, next up is Northumberland Seniors in July at Dunstanburgh Castle.
