The OUGC Blues Team enjoyed a very successful first half of the 2011-12 season, which saw them maintain a record of seven wins, three halves and two losses against some very good opposition.

Prior to the run of regular fixtures getting underway, the Blues took on the local county seniors side to get the team back into the competitive groove. BB&O fielded a good team that proved too strong for an out-of-practice University side – the eventual score line read 6.5-3.5 to the County with notable Oxford wins from Hon. Treasurer Samarth Ghorpade and freshman Matt Reynolds.

The first fixture of the season proper was a trip to Woburn to play the club side that historically fares very well indeed against the University. However, the Blues came out all guns blazing, taking the first three foursomes games in the morning and subsequently converting a 3-2 lunchtime lead into a convincing 9.5-5.5 victory. The following day, the Blues traveled to Denham GC with a 8-man side that included four new players. The trial of ‘youth’ paid off with all four freshmen (Shorkey, Burnik, Reynolds & Wilson) winning their singles matches in an afternoon session that wrapped up a 7.5-4.5 win for Oxford. This is particularly impressive in light of the lunching baptism of fire laid on by the club for all those first-timers.

The weekend of 2nd Week in the Oxford golfing calendar is the first stay-away weekend of the season when the Blues travel to Birmingham. The team kicked-on from a victorious first weekend and recorded a third straight win at Little Aston. Again, a quick start with wins from Slowther-Ghorapde, Gems-Mercurio, Reynolds-Burnik and Kafafian-Hind moved Oxford into a 4-2 luncheon lead, which set up a 12-6 victory after another strong singles performance. Unfortunately, the University failed to make it four-in-a-row at the start of the season as they only managed a half at Blackwell against the Wigorns GS. A morning session moulded around the Rugby World Cup Final left the Blues with a substantial deficit at lunch, although not even the hospitality of the very generous hosts could negate the determination of the University side, as took the afternoon foursomes 4.5-1.5 to secure the half. Whilst Matt Reynolds continued his very impressive start to the season, the Blues could have actually sneaked the match in the last game had anchor pairing of Royle-Davies and Hind not surrendered their lead to ‘Muddy’ et al. An altercation with the clubhouse roof and a large tree stationed over the green prevented victory and facilitated a half in both that game and the match overall.

The two trial rounds held at Huntercombe GC in the first two weeks of term were won by Jim Merucrio and Gaber Burnik, each in tricky conditions and each with a score of 73. With the team beginning to take shape, the University hosted their one ‘home’ match of the season against the Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society. This titanic battle takes the form of a large dinner on Saturday night sandwiched by four rounds of golf. With a strong Society side assembled by Captain Guy Leach, the University had their work cut out but fell agonisingly short, losing 16.5-15.5. It could have been oh so different had Chemist Rob van Wijk in the final group not been so entranced by the tree just 50 yards from the 18th tee. In the ensuing chaos, the opponents’ double-bogey proved good enough to pull back a half and to take the overall match for the Society. This was despite the best efforts of 2011 leaver Tim Hoolahan, who showed his continuing loyalty to the Dark Blues by graciously handing all four of his matches back to the University. Against the odds, Hugh Upcott Gill did not follow suit…

Oxford bounced back from the previous weekend’s disappointment with a great win at Royal Ashdown Forest. Afternoon wins from Gems-Shorkey, Crummey-Reynolds, Slowther-Wilson and Ghorpade-Kafafian overturned a morning deficit to take the match 6.5-5.5. The following celebrations were funded by Mr. Christopher Gems Esq., who for the third consecutive season has voluntarily assumed the role of OUGC dietician, closely monitoring the team’s matchday consumption (and with great success). The team then traveled over to Ashford, Kent to hosts Margaret, David and Kitty Bonsall, who laid on a debaucherous evening, for which all were very grateful. Maybe the plentiful offerings of our hosts proved too great a temptation for Oxford, who failed to take victory at Rye the following day. Good afternoon wins from Ghorpade-van Wijk and Crummey-Kafafian secured a half overall for a lethargic student side.

Saturday of Week 5 witnessed the Blues’ third half in five matches. A draw at St George’s Hill, however, represents a very good performance and it looked as though it would be better still with two games left on the course and the University 9-7 to the good. However, the remaining players failed to build upon the work of Mercurio, Ghorpade, Slowther, Burnik, Reynolds, Crummey and Kafafian, all of whom won their singles matches in a good post-lunch display. No such mistakes were made the following day, however, as Oxford visited The Wisley GC under the auspices of Bo van Wijk. The all-action, simultaneous fourball-singles format proved an exciting one with the final group of Hind-Mercurio bringing home the bacon for the University, with 3/3 points in the group producing a 10-8 scoreline overall. It was a fantastic day all-round, and the Blues were particularly honoured to have Oxford alumni Hugh Grant in opposition. Unfortunately, he performed much better on the course than in the Leveson Inquiry, dispatching life-long fan Crispin Royle-Davies 7&6.

The much-anticipated Wales weekend arrived later than normal at the end of 6th Week, although the change of date proved to be of no advantage to Oxford as they went down 12-6 over three rounds. The 2010 Varsity venue was in fantastic condition and was a pleasure to play all weekend, despite the University losing all three sessions. It could have been a different story had the Blues managed to win any of the 9 matches that went down the last hole. This disappointment clearly catalysed an awakened University team the following weekend as they stormed to two good victories in Somerset. On Saturday, the Burnham and Berrow club side was overturned by a margin of six points to four, including a 7/6 victory for Samarth ‘Eggy’ Ghorpade and Brian ‘Tin Tin’ Wilson. This ruthlessness must have rubbed off on teammates overnight as the University romped home in their final fixture of the term 8-2. Stand-in Captain Alex Gems led from the front with four points on the weekend, a feat matched only by David Crummey at Huntercombe four weeks previous.

The strong record so far is indicative of the high calibre of players present in the Blues Squad this season. The forced and unforced rotation policy in place throughout Michaelmas Term partnered with this strong record suggests a strength and depth in the Squad this year that bodes incredibly well for the term ahead, and ultimately March’s Varsity Match.