Portal, Walker & Newport Cups

Portal, Walker & Newport Cups

Richings Park Golf Club  

Wednesday 4 September 2024

Having won the Portal Cup last year, a strong GWR side was selected to try to retain it and perhaps win the other 2 inter regional trophies that had eluded us for so many years. With home advantage, what could possibly go wrong? First, Sean Cunningham contracted Covid and had to withdraw, then Alex Gretton had a chainsaw accident requiring stitches in an arm which prevented him from properly swinging a golf club. Into the breach stepped John Graham and Charlie Buttaci, and  both did us proud.

The morning competitions are over 9 holes. We compete for both the Walker Cup  (3 teams of 8 playing individual Stableford, with the best 7 scores counting for each team) and the Newport Cup (combined scores of each team’s captain and secretary or their representatives). The GWR, to a man (even the secretary!), were in great form, the best 7 scores averaging an impressive 21 Stableford points each. This included an awesome 26 points from Chris Apsey. We won the Newport Cup with 39 points, 9 better than runner-up Southern. And we won the Walker Cup by 22 points from both Eastern and Southern tied on 125 points (Southern were declared runner-up because of a better 8th (discarded) score.) Well done, Team!

The Walker & Newport Cups Results Sheet below shows all the scores and the final results tables for both competitions. 

In the afternoon we competed for the Portal Cup, playing 4-ball better ball matchplay over 18 holes. Captain John Wyatt once again led by example, winning 2up with partner Dave Wiggett. John Graham and Charlie Buttaci also won their match, by a margin of 2&1, a great performance by the two late replacements. That just left our other 2 pairs needing one halved match to retain the Portal Cup. But it was not to be - both Stewart Hamilton & Chris Apsey and Tim Shaughnessy & Andy Burnett cruelly lost by one hole on the last green. So near, yet so far!

The Portal Cups Results Sheet below shows all the match results and the final results table. 

For the results of the Portal Cup, the Walker Cup and the Newport Cup  in previous years, please click on 'Booklets' and refer to the relevant Booklet(s) or, if before 2013, click on 'Our Society' and refer to the Society history.

For Portal, Walker and Newport Cup  Reports for previous years, click on the appropriate links below: