By DENNIS FULLER
EMERALD GOLF
WHEN the members rolled into the Emerald Golf Club last Saturday, they found the big tap had been turned on and had been running all night.
The greens looked perfect for water polo and not golf, so the game was cancelled.
As the handicap pennant team was playing the final the following day at Werribee, four of the eight players played a round of golf to set themselves up for the fight.
They were playing Royal Park, which is a team that had made them struggle during the matches thus far.
With captain/manager, 17-year-old Broc Reynolds at the fore, they set to work with a will.
Dave Aitken lost 1 down, Philip Crossley lost 5/3, John Keys lost 2/1 and Peter Clowes lost 4/2.
But leading the charge for victory were winners Peter Glasscock 7/5, Mark Starick 3/2, Steve Town 1 up and Broc Reynolds 2/1.
This left the two teams level with four wins apiece and the decision was made that Reynolds and his opponent should play until there was a decision.
Reynolds, the youngest captain/manager in the competition, stepped up and took on the challenge without flinching.
They squared the first hole and then, after two great shots from each, were level in the middle of the fairway.
That is when Reynolds stood resolute and while his opponent pulled his approach to the left, he put his third shot onto the green some 10 metres from the hole.
The pressure showed on his much older and more experienced opponent when he duffed two shots in a row, while Reynolds, calmly and methodically, stared his down to putt and rolled the ball to within 10 centimetres from the hole to take the win. This was a great win for the young tyro and his team.
Players in his team and opposition were fulsome in their praise for Reynolds as he showed talent, dignity and poise way above his age.
Reynolds made the point that he was only part of the team and that it was indeed, a full team performance over the entire season.
This pairs up the win by the seniors recently to prove that a small club, with the right leadership and commitment can take on the larger clubs and win.
