Harey Cup 2014 - day 2

The morning after the night before. The previous evening was a distant memory for (most of) the touring party when the sun crept over the mountains to signal the second day of the Harey Cup.

How would today's golf compare to Friday? Would anyone be suffering after-effects of a hard night of drinking/lack of sleep/both? Thankfully, at least, the weather was perfect for the whole day, allowing us to focus on the game in hand.

In Match 1, James took on Charlie. Having witnessed some fine golf from him the previous day, James was wary of overconfidence around delivering a point for Team Spy. As it transpired, Charlie managed to lose balls on the opening two holes, handing James a lead which ultimately would not be relinquished. Wayward golf from James around the turn, coupled with a glimmer of Charlie's Friday form, briefly threatened a comeback, until one visit to the foliage too many, followed by some par-3 trouble, meant handshakes on the 14th green on a 5&4 win for James.

In Match 2, Richie clearly suffered the after-effects of a late night (or was it an early morning?) on Friday &, unfortunately, Phil's new putter was not enough weaponry alone to prevent a defeat to Nick & Mark. Nick did continue his opening tee shot form, carving one wildly away from its intended line to hand an initiative to Team Spy but, once the hangover had fully subsided, the superior golf from Team Tom led to handhakes on the tough par-3 15th for a 4&3 win.

In Match 3, there was a similar late night/early morning contributing factor to the end result, Andy & Geoff coming from 2 down stood on the 15th tee to beat Simon & Tom 2-up. With the benefit of hindsight, Simon's pre-golf glass of red might not have been the best warm-up method to employ. That said, Geoff found his form on the back nine, shooting level par gross which is tricky to beat, hungover or not.

So, a day which had a distinct possibility of bringing the two teams level ended up with a vital 4-2 lead for Team Spy and one hand on the coveted Harey Cup. One wonders if the smell of victory will turn into a whiff of overconfidence...?

I am the Part-Time Golfer