Ryde GC A-Level series

[<<] [>>] by Roy Tillcock at Ryde
8 Jul 2018 (GC)

Two record breaking 30 degree days and a multi-paced green and brown patchwork surface provided competitors in this year's over-subscribed event with plenty of challenges.

The top four seeds in A block all made it through to the knock-out but B block headed by an undefeated Stephen Custance-Baker was an otherwise extremely close affair. Both Peter Balchin and David Hopkins failed to make the cut in favour of lower ranked Ryde players.
An early start on Sunday ensured best-of-three for the knock-outs could be achieved though a cautious manager played it safe by using cumulative time-limits for the Quarters. Unusually all B block qualifiers were eliminated at the first hurdle with wins for Roy Tillcock, Steve Leonard, Chris Roberts and Chris Sheen; the latter defeating Custance-Baker by two games to nil.

In the Semis Tillcock beat Leonard in two and Roberts defeated Sheen in three to set up a repeat of the 2013 final. Home advantage and an inconsistent Roberts enabled history to be repeated in two games with a Tillcock victory and Roberts collecting his third runner-up medal at Ryde in as many years!

John Sim (also Ryde) won the Plate event on the eve of his eightieth birthday.

1st Roy Tillcock (10 pts); 2nd Chris Roberts (6); 3rd Steve Leonard (4); 4th Chris Sheen (2).