After a five year hiatus, the Six Counties event consisting of 6 teams of 12 players from Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Gloucester took place in sunny but windy conditions at Stover Golf Club on 30th May. This event was a suggestion from Devon Golf Captains as a means of getting together with our neighbouring counties for a day of fun and competition, with the concept of it being a follow-on from the West of England Challenge which was hosted by Saunton Golf Club for several years.
The suggestion was warmly received by all the counties involved with the next five years already planned with Dorset hosting in 2025, Cornwall in 2026, Wiltshire in 2027, Somerset in 2028 and Gloucestershire in 2029.
With some of the new holes at Stover still needing the final finishing touches to be applied before opening soon, an interim course was played. This offered the opportunity to experience a mix of old and new holes so home advantage was deemed to be less than it might have been in the past. The club was delighted to receive many compliments on the design and condition of the course.
The format was better ball pairs with the best five scores out of six to count. Player registration and results processing were handled efficiently by Brian Waggett and Mike Badcock.
The scoring on the day was high with Dorset coming out on top with a total score of 195 points, an excellent average of 39 per pair, Somerset was 2nd with 189 followed by Devon with 185 points.
The Devon team comprised Malcolm Jordain & Richard Pascoe, Steve Arnold & Ian Black, Graham Heaman & Dave Smith, Bob Beeson & Jeff Laing, Lew Easter & Brian Mushens and Neil Hayman & Phil Webb, with Neil, playing his home course, and Phil, who is enjoying a good run of form, taking the prize for the best pairs score with 44 points.
Dinner, served by Stover’s attentive catering staff, was followed by an address by the Stover Captain, Steve Arnold, and the prizegiving was hosted by Brian Waggett.
We look forward to next year’s event at the Dorset Golf Resort on 19th May.







