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8-0
2008 Four Counties Championship - Bristol & Clifton GC - Sat 19th and Sun 20th April. This Century, Warwickshire are now 8-0 in the annual round-robin competition between ourselves, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Gloucestershire. It was an impressive feat to equal Gloucs record consecutive wins two years ago, then to establish a new benchmark. The team that stops our County will feel different to any that have gone before but in 2008 (a year with an '8' in it) the record went further, despite all the pressure.

There was another 8-0 this weekend, an individual match score which no-one could recollect happening before. That was our first match against Staffs on Saturday afternoon and all credit must go to that team for, having slept on the score-line, then came out and halved with Worcs then beat Gloucs yesterday afternoon.

The half against the other unbeaten side did us few favours in the permutations for the end result - we still had to at least halve with Worcs to keep the 'streak' going.

The 8-0 result came about because our Top 3 of Rob Bardsley, Phil Wastell and Michael McCormack all converted dormie one leads on Bristol & Clifton's very tight 18th hole. The rest of the team were all more comfortable winners with four birdies from Will Bailey the most notable scoring.

Against Gloucs, the team won 6-2 with some special golf. Tom Ibbertson holed from 131 yards on the 4th whilst there were consecutive eagles on the 14th from Wastell and McCormack - Wastell driving the hole with a 292 yards 3 wood and McCormack holing from just short of the green.

Jamie Carney didn't play to his own high standards all Sunday - but would come away with two big wins - whilst Chris Freeman and Tom Ibbertson were both keeping on track for 100% records.

The afternoon started with Rob Bardsley, never having been behind in any match over the weekend, keeping that record going by establishing an early lead. Behind him other were doing the same, including Andrew Geraghty taking over at our anchor-man position from Chris Freeman.

Those leads though were disappearing as Worcs came back at the start of the final nine.

Having been three up, Bardsley was taken to the 17th, the McCormack to the 18th before the first of the four points needed were posted.

Jamie Carney soon supplied Point 3 then it was a tired Freeman who will go down as the man who scored the crucial point - despite being 6up at the turn, he eventually won on the 16th.

It was then up to our final two of Ibbertson and Geraghty to make it a win, both 'out in the country'.

'We had a team talk from Adrian Ridell before start of play,' said a very happy Boys Team Manager John Simpson, 'He said they looked and acted like a team - and they played like one!'

It only remains for the team to push onwards to hopefully more Midland and National success - and for Rob Bardsley to continue his own incredible win record which now stands at 17-0!

Pictures and full match scorecards have been added in County Men | Teams | Juniors | Scores and | Pictures

David Morgan on 2008-04-20