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The Warwickshire take back their trophy
The Warwickshire Cup Final - The Warwickshire GC - Saturday April 5th. With another convincing performance, the Warwickshire GC team took back the trophy that bears their name, and was actually donated by the Club some nine years ago. It was a case of the two 'form' teams reaching the final as neither Coventry Hearsall or The Warwickshire dropped more than a point in making it through to the final, from the initial 24 entries in the Counties Winter Inter-Club competition.

Coventry Hearsall had never reached the final. This time they disposed of last year's winners Copt Heath 3-0 in the semis and faced a Warwickshire GC team minus its Captain Sam Dodds and 2007 Warwickshire Open Champion Rory Kirwan, both of whom were playing the opening event of the golf season in the UK, the Berkhampstead Trophy.

Ian Stranks took over as Captain and partnered himself with County Captain Gareth Jenkins. They were three up with four to play, only for Hearsall to take three of the last four (including a birdie at the 17th) for a halved match.

'We holed about 80 yards of putts', said Mark Davies' partner Liam Mallin of their recovery.

It was needed because news was filtering back that neither of Hearsall's other two pairs were doing very well.

The Ibbertson brothers, very much part of our County Juniors for the next two years, were in Match two. They were up against two players who have just left a very successful Junior career, in Dan Baskott and Ben Bernamont and a couple of years more experience told.

Having taken one back with a birdie at the 15th, the Ibbertsons' lost the 16th by messing up round the green then lipped out on the 17th before Baskott holed for a match win by 3&1.

That left Hearsall Captain Pete Clarke and his partner Sam Foster to try and get back a 3 hole deficit. Foster and Mark Davies (in Match 1) were literally just of the plane (at 6.30am that morning), not so 'fresh' from warm weather training for their University, Exeter. Gary Cooper and Wayne Tibbatts were having nothing of a recovery and won on the 16th.

The trophy was presented by The Warwickshire's Ladies Captain Rosemary Holbing, to a delighted home club team who have now won twice and were finalists in the past three years.

A selection of pictures has been added to the Gallery in County Men | Knockouts | Warwickshire Cup | Pictures
David Morgan on 2008-04-05