The 2011 Inter Service Championship was held at The Berkshire Golf Club, a beautiful course on the outskirts of Ascot. This year the Men were to play the Blue course, and the Ladies the Red, a reversal of the same fixture in 2008. A large selection of photographs is available for viewing in Gallery....

Prior to the welcome dinner on the Sunday night, a team meeting was held to discuss tactics and pairings. The RAF had a strong squad, and with the addition of new girl, SAC Beth Shippin, a former Yorkshire County player, we had five members of the squad off single-figure handicaps. As reigning champions, the Ladies were determined to hold onto the trophy. Meet the team....

On the Monday, everyone had the luxury of a practice round, which was utilized fully. Si Burdett, the Ladies’ coach, was on hand to assist with advice and tips. Strokesavers were marked up accordingly, with club selection and even wind direction. This proved invaluable as many of the tee boxes and greens were elevated and, from the middle of the fairway, you could be sheltered from the strong wind with the danger of mis-clubbing. The fairways were in great condition but the greens had recently been hollow-tined and so were not running as true as they should have been. This was to prove testing for all teams. It was also noted that the heather bordering most of the fairways and in front of the tee boxes, was only lucky if you managed to steer clear of it! Practice round complete, the squad returned to the hotel, windswept, but in a positive frame of mind for the next day.

The first day put the RAF out against the Navy, with the pairings and order as follows:

• WO Sue Simpson (15) and FS Alex Mournian (16)
• Flt Lt Ali McDermott (19) and SAC Beth Shippin (8)
• Sqn Ldr Karen Swanston (7) and Flt Lt Sarah Purdy (8)
• Sqn Ldr Rachel McAlpine (5) and Sgt Michelle Burgess (5)

The RAF started out strongly, getting into their stride early. The wind had dropped slightly, but it was still testing. On the 6th, Rachel was distracted by a wasp as she was addressing the ball. Taking her caddie’s advice, she stepped away from the ball and re-started her pre-shot routine. It worked a treat, as she watched her 8 iron bounce onto the green and into the hole for an eagle! Big smiles all round. By the end of the morning’s play, the RAF were 4 up and so went into the singles confidently. The Navy were not going to give up easily though, and so the afternoon’s matches were strongly contested - an indication of which is that all of the matches were alive until at least the 17th. Fortunately, the result was in our favour, with a final score of 10½ to 1½. The Men didn’t manage to beat their Navy counterparts though, so there was no team dinner that night, as they had to go out the following day to play the Army.

Wednesday saw the Navy play the Army, and was an opportunity for us to get a bit of practice in, and also to look at how the Army had configured their team. During the afternoon singles matches, some of the Ladies caddied for the Men’s team, gaining valuable knowledge and strengthening the already solid bond between the Ladies and Men’s teams. At lunchtime in the Ladies’ match, the points were shared two apiece. Into the singles play and, yet again, the matches went down to the wire, with the Army just edging it 6½ to 5½. That evening was the team dinner which saw Beth officially welcomed into the team and being presented her RAF colours. Ali was bade a fond farewell upon leaving the RAF for pastures new after her sterling work as RAF Ladies’ Golf secretary for the past 3 seasons.

The final day - and there was all to play for against the Army. The pairings and order from the first day remained and we were up for a good battle. There was an incident, however, on the very first hole, in the final match (Fi Gray & Becky Mercer vs Rachel & Michelle). On taking her practice swing, Fi struck a branch and a shower of pine needles fell down. Rachel asked Debs, the referee, for a ruling. After delving into the books, it was deemed to be a foul stroke, and the hole was forfeited. Sometimes the rules of golf seem harsh but waiving them so as not to cause an upset is also not an option! Alex wasn’t having the best of mornings, playing with a badly twisted knee. At the end of the foursomes, the Army were leading 2½ to 1½. Despite some painkillers, Alex was in too much pain to continue and reluctantly pulled out of her singles match. So it was seven vs seven players left in the fray. The Men, who had played all their matches, volunteered to caddy for the Ladies who required it, and the final matches began. Then there was to be another twist, as 20 minutes before teeing off, Rachel was informed that her opponent Bev Dickson, was ill with a stomach upset and would be unable to play. The rules state that in such a situation the match is halved. This led to the unfortunate situation of the current RAF Champion not being able to represent her Service and caddying for Michelle! The score line was then 3½ to 2½ with only 6 matches in play from which the RAF needed 3½ points. The tension throughout the afternoon was high, as news of the other matches drifted in. Beth lost despite playing some excellent golf and Ali lost 2&1, after fighting back from five down. Sue won 2&1 and Michelle won 3&2. Unfortunately, though, Sarah and Karen could not prevail so the final score was 7½ to 4½, and the Army retained their title.

Full results....

Obviously everyone was hugely disappointed with the result, but pleased with the performance and attitude of the whole team throughout the competition. Thanks go the the organisers, the guys for caddying, and of course our coach Simon. Finally, not forgetting Michelle, who kept the team motivated and upbeat during the week, and even more determined to bring back the trophy next year at Woodhall Spa.

Photos....

Words: Claire Protheroe