Pymble v SRGC @ Pymble GC 9th March

Sunday morning saw our squad head to Pymble GC to contest the last round of the sectionals for Division 1 and thankfully despite the weather forecast the rain held off on the morning and throughout the matches although with the elevations across the course in which our caddies had to walk it would have been no surprise if some where hoping for a wash out.

The squad organised a bus trip for the final game and so off we set at the spritely time of 5:30am sharp and team were in good spirits not only for the challenge to try and consolidate 2^nd position within our section but possibly more so for the bust trip back and to the club on conclusion of the days play, there’s nothing like a bus trip for a team to bonding session and we were also all very aware of the importance of the day and ensure at worst that we avoided relegation.

Jack Gillet was again handed the honour of the reserve match @ Pymble and this was another big test on an away track and against his opponent who played number 7 the previous week, Jake wasn’t simply playing another reserve or development player such as himself for this match up and really acquitted himself well throughout. Jacks opponent was more experienced and having been a few down early on the back 9 but did fight back to go down by 2, we know that Jack will take enormous experience away from the last 2 weeks of competitive play and also for the time within the squad this season and learnings from the senior members, we are all excited to see Jack click up another gear next year and are sure he will be raring to go when Pennants rolls around again.

Game 7 – Sean Sammons was rewarded for his win last week and the leadership group was also keen to provide another opportunity of an away game experience, and we couldn’t have been prouder of the way Sean dealt with the occasion and the fight he showed on the day. Sean’s game was mostly level throughout and things were becoming tense by the 16^th and needing something special Sean delivered, from approx. 140m he stiffed his iron shot to approx. 2 feet almost dropping into the hole and went 1 up, if it wasn’t shot of the day it had to be top 2 and from this point there was no way Sean was going to be defeated and he went on to record a great win and making it 2 on the trot. The team where immensely proud of Sean and like Jack we can’t wait to see what the future holds, massive congratulations to Sean, this had set the scene early and given SRGC the early skin and just what we were hoping for.

Game 6 – Kirk Buckly again came to play, there had been some soft remarks from internal and external sources that Kirk was potentially hiding down the order but for the squad he was positioned exactly where we needed him and he certainly wasn’t arguing with that. Kirk had added pressure on the day as he was positioned to go through the season undefeated (was sitting at 4.5 from 5 matches) and be the only squad member to do so. Kirks match was similar to Seans (as were most throughout) and whilst missing an opportunity on 16 to go 1 up Kirk found himself out of position and short of the green on 17 but hit an absolute pearler to within 5 feet and sunk the putt to put the pressure back on his opponent, subsequently Kirks opponent 3 putted to go 1 down and now playing 18. The scene was set for a final win and Kirk stepped up and found the green from the tree and sealed the victory with a regulation par. This really was deserved from our most consistent player and from a really proud team member who has led from the front all season. Well done Mate as we all couldn’t be prouder of your performance this year!

Game 5 – Daniel Brooker was again in a tough match against Pymble’s captain and the contest throughout was poised through to the back 9 and was looking positive for Dan for most of the way who was playing some good golf, Unfortunately for Daniel his opponent started to heat up on the back 9 making 2 birdies in a row early and seemingly having the luck that Dan has desperately missed out on all season. The wind also was starting to pick up by late morning and the local knowledge and bounce of the ball just didn’t go Dan’s way, eventually going down 2&1 the overall score was still 2-1 SRGC’s way but again all matches were poised by this stage and where closer than we would have liked.

Game 4 – Ryan Cadle having shown great form at home and in all recent training sessions was keen to bring home a win for the team, Ryan was playing Pymble’s arguably longest hitter and with the conditions now affecting the course and making play at least 2 clubs longer was making the odds just that bit harder for Ryan. This match was going down to the wire and there was a strange pattern emerging that the rest of the games might be decided on 18 and true to form there we were with Ryan now on 18 but needing to win the hole for a half. The 18^th at Pymble is approx. 160m up a fairly steep incline and with a 2–3 club wind now hurting off the left, Ryan would possibly like his tee shot over again and to his opponents credit, stepped up and hit a great shot to within 10 feet and went on to birdie the hole and take the match, we were all hurting for Ryan as we know how much the squad means to him but know he will put in the work and be back for another tilt next year.

Game 3 – Daniel Beattie like the previous matches was in the balance coming down the stretch, on reflection we know all the players had an opportunity or two they would have like to have again but also to Pymble’s credit they were holding their nerve and unfortunately for us were building momentum, in particular as the crowd was starting to swell around the 18^th green. Daniel like Ryan was now standing on 18^th tee needing to win the hole for a half and found the green with a regulation tee shot slightly inside his playing partners, unfortunately for Daniel his player made par and this saw another win going to the Pymble side and they now had a 3-2 advantage with 2 games remaining.

Game 2 – Harrison Wilde always in for the fight and again playing 2 and without a lot of weekly practice was again another good chance throughout this match, as per the previous matches it was mostly close throughout but Harry did get a few shots back in the middle of the round but in customary fashion clawed back to be chance over the last coupe of holes. In what was becoming erringly repetitive Harrison also found himself needing to win on 18 to save his match and whilst both teams were mostly gathered on the elevated 18^th green awaiting the players to tee off there was a strong sense that Harry could get it done as the overall games now across the season and relegation was seemingly a factor. Both players found the green albeit Harry with a slight advantage, Harrison’s opponent was first to putt and from the moment the ball left the putter face it was tracking towards the hole and from approx. 25 feet found the bottom of the cup and that’s what can happen in match play! Harry made a valiant attempt only to watch the ball agonisingly roll past the edge, but as the same in recent weeks it was a great effort from H to fight back and put himself in a position to almost win, unfortunately for our team Pymble had now taken and unassailable lead 4-2.

Game 1 – Mitch Norbis was also in a seesaw battle with his same opponent as last week and again home track advantage was seemingly playing a factor, we weren’t to learn until post-game that Mitch had cracked his driver face on around the 4^th hole and was now teeing off for the rest of the round with his 3 wood, again, this match was to be pivotal right up until tee shots were hit on the 18^th tee. Mitch had unfortunately gone 1 down on 17 and was to now hit second with his opponent safely on the green, Mitch stepped up and proceeded to hit the best of the day on 18 to approx. 6 foot. Mitch had the chance to square the match by making birdie, it unfortunately just seemed like one of those days and he also proceeded to just shave the hole like the players before and went one down on the last, this concluded a very entertaining and hard fought day with Pymble now securing a solid victory 5 games to 2 having been defeated by us at home the previous week 4 ½  to 2 1/2 , this ½ point would prove to be very important when the final seasons tally were compiled.

Needless to say the day was made enjoyable despite the disappoint of the overall outcome by being hosted by such a great bunch of competitors such as the Pymble team, our squad was treated to a great lunch and hospitality and some laughs to round out the day along with one particular funny speech by one of our co-captains which helped to take the sting out of the overall outcome. Our club managed to finish in 3^rd position overall out of the 4 teams by a mear ½ point with Pymble finishing on 18pts and SRGC on 17.5pts, This was always going to be a tough year given we had last years overall title winners (Concord) in our group and from the outset we were realistic that anything higher than a relegation match would be a successful year but with a goal to finish outright 2nd, our guys showed real grit in all of there matches and with a touch of luck and a few putts falling our way we could have really given it a shake but it has really demonstrated what a talented group we have now and to build on next year and beyond.

The team boarded the bus, turned on the beat box and made some rousing speeches to acknowledge the effort that was contributed by all, most notably Kirk Buckley on 4.5 wins for the year, Mitch Norbis on 3 and Sean Sammons who was 2 from 2, The Managers were applauded for their time and effort for season and this was reciprocated to the Co-Captains, the Leadership group and most importantly to the teams Caddies, without our caddies and overall members support we would be the poorer and it really is appreciated by all involved in our 2025 campaign.

A final thank you to the Club, our sponsors and all involved in what was an exciting season, we hope you have all enjoyed the weekly reports and the quality of golf displayed by our team and our opponents whom we have hosted, the squad looks forward to another positive year next year and hopefully going one better and to make a finals series! Go Stonecutters in 2026 and we all look forward to seeing you now out there on the course.

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