Rossall School, Halford Hewitt Campaign 2022

The Halford Hewitt golf tournament took place between 7th and 10th April 2022. 

Founded in 1924, the Halford Hewitt Cup is competed for by the Old Boys of 64 English and Scottish Public Schools with each fielding 5 foursomes pairs, making 640 competitors in all, making it the largest amateur golf competition in the world!  It is played at Royal Cinque Ports (Deal) and Royal St George’s (Sandwich) Golf Clubs.  More details on the Tournament can be found at www.halfordhewitt.org.

This year the Rossall team welcomed back David Tonroe (flying in from Savannah, Georgia together with his caddie and son, Duncan!) and Jimmy Jones who were available to play in the 2022 campaign.
Also in the team again, following his debut in 2021, was a very welcome Josh Fallows, fresh from winning the President’s Putter at Rye only a few weeks before, together with Matt Allen our lowest handicapped player currently playing off +3.
The whole team this year was as follows:-
Matt Allen, Christian Butler, Josh Fallows, Robert Fox, Will Goodwin, Jimmy Jones, Noel Muscutt (Captain), Nick Roberts, Jeremy Smith, and David Tonroe.

The Rossall side were all very grateful again this year to our stalwart supporter,Chairman of Governors at Rossall, Chris Holt, who stayed and dined with the team throughout and spectated enthusiastically in all the matches. It was also great to see past prolific Rossall Hewitt player, Geoff Henney and his wife, Sue, coming down to support in the first round of the main event, together with Jimmy Jones’ brother Richard, all cheering Rossall on!

This year Rossall were drawn to play on the Friday at Royal St George’s. This allowed for a friendly match to be arranged against Wrekin on the Thursday at Rye, allowing Josh to return to the scene of his President’s Putter victory! A fine lunch in the Clubhouse preceded the match which was unfortunately curtailed to only nine holes due to an average windspeed in excess of 45mph! We were all well and truly blown away by Rye! The match was a friendly affair which everybody enjoyed and, notably, one of the Wrekin players, quite incredibly in the conditions, managed a hole-in-one at the short 7th!

Full of confidence, the team proceeded to an early morning start versus Marlborough on the Friday morning in the 1st round. The crazily high winds of Thursday had subsided, being replaced by a moderate sea breeze. Leading the team out at number one was Matt Allen and Robert Fox who played magnificently, reaching the turn in 30 strokes, and, shortly afterwards, winning their game by a margin of 9 and 7 at which point they were five under par! Nick Roberts and Will Goodwin were playing in the third game unfortunately losing against a strong opposition pair. Their defeat was followed shortly after with a further surprising defeat from David Tonroe and Jeremy Smith by another strong Marlborough pair, with David and Jeremy finally succumbing on the 16th hole. The match was now 2-1 to Marlborough. Our next result came from the 5th pair, Noel Muscutt and Josh Fallows, who were involved in a gritty battle versus a very experienced Malborough pair. Managing to hole several clutch putts along the way, they managed a victory on the 17th green, meaning that the match was now even at 2-2. Match number two was the only game still alive involving Christian Butler and Jimmy Jones, and therefore destined to be the deciding encounter. They unfortunately lost the 18th hole to bring their match back to all-square. Yet again Rossall was involved in a nail-biting sudden death affair! Fine play by both Rossall and Marlborough on the 19th and 20th, with both making solid pars, meant the match proceeded to the third extra hole. A fine 3 iron from Jimmy Jones to 10 feet at the, par 3, 21st hole, with Marlborough missing the green long and right, meant that the momentum was swinging in Rossall‘s direction. The opposition took 3 to get down, but unfortunately this was matched by a three putt from our Rossallians keeping the match alive to proceed to the fourth extra hole. Malborough made a solid par and, after finding our second shot coming to rest on a treacherous part of the fourth green (the valley of sin!), the Rossallian pair were unfortuantely not able to match Marlborough’s four, and the match had swung to a Marlborough victory in that game, meaning a win too for Marlborough in the match overall, and Rossall were out of the main event sadly somewhat prematurely.

All very disappointing, but, after a quick turnaround lunch, six of the team had to, on the same afternoon, drive down to Prince’s Golf Club to play in the Prince’s Plate. This competition was for all who fall in the first round. Our opponents this time were a very strong Rugby team. Having picked our heads up following the morning’s events, a resolute Rossall team managed to prevail with a victory 2-1 over Rugby. This all made for a much better mood at dinner that evening! The following morning Rossall needed to beat Felsted to advance in the Plate competition. On paper we believed we were the stronger side. However, the Felsted team, having lost four players from the original Hewitt side and reduced to 6 for the Plate competition, proved to be much better than expected and, this time, Rossall were on the wrong side of a 2-1 match scoreline, at which point the 2022 campaign had come to an earlier than anticipated end. Notwithstanding this, the team feel confident with the group of players that are now available for the future. It is expected that some further strength in depth and young blood, will arrive from the Rossall Golf Academy in the coming years and all agreed that the Halford Hewitt and general Rossall golfing future will be bright. 

Floreat Rossallia!

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