East Brighton Golf Club

On a glorious August Sunday East Brighton hosted what, we assume, was the first fixture between the club and Sussex Martlets for several decades.

The archives are a little sketchy on when this match was last played but we think the late 1940s or early 1950s.

The day started with an excellent buffet brunch in the historic Oak Room before the players took to a course that was in top condition after being refreshed by the previous week’s welcome rains.

Match One saw Robert Forster and Steve Hartridge put to the proverbial sword (5&4), despite Robert playing par golf for much of the round and finishing an excellent five over par. A highlight of this match saw East Brighton captain Neil Lancaster holing a 180-yard fairway wood on the difficult uphill ninth hole.

Match Two saw Charlie Hartridge and Mike Stewart battle to a tied All Square result in a contest that was tight throughout, with no team being more than one hole ahead at any point.

Match Three produced a high-quality contest that saw all players scoring in the low 80s or better. The Martlets pairing of Steve Pook and guest player Gary Barnet navigated the hills of the first three holes to go 3 up only to see the East Brighton pair win 4 holes on the trot and edge one hole ahead. In a seesaw game, the Martlets responded to halve the 13th & then win the 14th & 15^th. EBGC still had a chance to halve the match on the 18th, with a long eagle putt which came up short, before Steve Pook rolled in his putt for eagle to secure the 2 up win.

Match Four saw Kevin Bartlett and Michael Phillips share the points with the East Brighton pairing in another match that remained locked all the way until the last hole.

In Match Five despite their long hitting, William Forster and Stuart Ritchie made little leeway against a strong pairing that included East Brighton’s senior captain Mike Lewis and lost 4&3.

The overall match result was East Brighton 3 Sussex Martlets 2.

Over drinks in the club’s bar nearest the pin prizes were handed out for the five short holes before the day concluded around 6pm with heartfelt thank you’s and a promise to return next year and establish the East Brighton date as a regular fixture on the Martlets’ calendar.

Steve Hartridge

Match Manager