Denis Moore
Adam Petersen reflects on last year's victory in the Denis Moore:
"25 weeks has now passed since my victory in the Denis Moore trophy. After checking daily to see if the website has been updated with tales of my triumph I have decided to not let myself be disappointed for the 316th time when the page loads up describing Wombat’s victory and decided to write my own match report.
It can be described as a tale of 2 matches, as the married gentlemen took on the single scumbags (or whatever they were called). I recall the key fourball consisted of Bingo & Tickler for the single reprobates and Kish and I for those with honour. The first hole was a sign of things to come, the cobwebs from the driving range magically disappeared and gross birdie put me in the lead on 4 points after 1 and in danger of reneging on my promise to Pies to “not beat 36”.
But the match really got down to business after the 10th, net birdie after net birdie by Kish made sure that the single deviants would (for a change) walk away from a foursome with nothing. By the 15th the atmosphere changed and the man-on-man matchplay started between the gentlemen. Summed up by Bingo to Tickler “It is like being with a couple who have just had a row”.
One out of bounds on the 15th by Kish put me in a comfortable position: 3 points up 3 to play. This soon turned into 1 up 2 to play and the demons started to descend as it switched to 1 down 1 to play:
Varsity squash match 2006 / Missed penalty in the Alliance League Cup final shoot out at Cambridge City / Endless dropped dollies off Stinker’s bowling when batsmen aim for successive sixes - Would I become the Lemming's Monty (not Panesar - the other one) and add to my streak of sporting failure?
However a duffed drive by Mr Cool gave me a lifeline and put me back on level, a glorious 2nd put me in position to take the victory, but a 10ft duff into the bunker swung the pendulum in the direction of the previous winner, a glorious bunker shot to 3ft swung it back but by the time our balls dropped, we were equal.
Some Fergusonesque mind tricks worked a treat as I remarked to Kish that it would be better if it was won by good play, as opposed to one of us hitting over the hedge lining the 1st extra hole. But as I was basking in my brilliance when Kish’s drive sailed in the direction I had subconsciously planted into his head, I suddenly felt guilty so decided to follow him. In the end it all came down to two 4 foot putts. A putt up the slope, as opposed to across, made mine significantly easier and was the clinching factor in my greatest sporting moment since beating Pies to a full Blue (by losing in a minor sport varsity match).
As I remarked in my acceptance speech, I am a hugely popular winner of the trophy (because I managed to join the honourable McKechnie and Williams as being winners of the trophy off handicaps available to grown men, not only juniors or women) and look forward to defending the trophy off my revised handicap of 10.
For the full list of past winners, please click here.
