Club Matches
Club Matches
Ballantyne Trophy Final
The Final of the NAPGC Ballantyne Trophy was played at Winter Hill Golf Club, near Maidenhead, on the Saturday of NAPGC’s 2026 Finals Weekend. The Ballantyne finalists, Richmond Park B and Wycombe Heights C, tee’d off at 1pm on a sunny, warm, but breezy day, following the teams playing for the Hawtree and Siemens trophies. The Winter Hill course was in great condition, showing very little sign of the multiple summer heat waves that have affected so many courses, including Richmond Park.
The teams and handicaps are shown on the tee sheet (link below). Richmond Park’s first pair of Richard Back and Joe Gonclaves were ‘running late’ and arrived just 10 minutes before their tee time. Neither had played the course before but competed in a close match which finished with a “1 down” loss. Richmond Park’s second pair of Nick Rogers and Aiden Hurley also had a close match throughout but closed it out with a “2 & 1” win. Richmond Park’s third pair took the lead on the 5th hole and built a 4up lead after 9 holes. This lead was pegged back to 3up after 11 holes, 2up after 13 holes, and just 1up after 15 holes, however pars on the 16th, 17th and 18th resulted in a “1up win” at the finish. So Richmond Park retained the Ballantyne Trophy for another year with a 2:1 win. Although extremely competitive, the matches were played in a very good spirit and the Wycombe team were very gracious in defeat.
Ballantyne – National Semi Final
The Richmond Park B team played Tilgate Forest A at The Oaks and claimed a 2:1 win, to take them to the NAPGC’s Finals Day being held at Winter Hill golf course on Saturday September 12th. Our opponents in the final will be Wycombe Heights A.
Our first pairing of Richard Back and Peter Harrison held their own through the front 9 but slipped to a 3&2 loss on the back 9. Our second pairing of Nick Rogers and Aiden Hurley increasingly consolidated their position throughout their match and closed it out with a 6&4 win. Our third pairing of Richard Owen and Gerard Ouattara also gradually pulled ahead during the front 9 and, although they lost the tricky 12th (their only loss), closed out the match on the 14th for a 5&4 win.
Ballantyne Area Final
Richmond Park B played the 2026 Area 2 Final against Easthampstead Golf Club at Hoebridge and won 2:1 to move on to the National Semi Finals of this competition, for the 3rd year in a row.
The Hoebridge fairways were brown, hard and running after all the dry weather but the greens and bunkers were in good condition. It was another baking hot day and the match was played in a very competitive spirit.
Our first pairing of Paul Green and Iker Lanzagorta had a close match, losing on the 18th hole (1 down). In Game 2, Nick Rogers was partnered by Richard Back; not the greatest day for Richard but Nick could do no wrong and the match was closed out on the 17th hole, 3&1. Our 3rd pair, Aiden Hurley and Richard Owen, were ‘nip & tuck’ with the opposition but moved ahead on the 10th and 11th holes and the match was closed out 3&2 on the 16th hole.
Siemens Bowl
Richmond Park’s third‑round tie against Wycombe Heights A brought with it a sense of déjà vu. Two years ago, the same fixture halted our progress, and on Saturday the hills of High Wycombe once again proved a peak just a little too lofty for RPGC to scale.
Away Team — Close, Competitive, but Outscored
Sean, Cuneyt, Julian and Adrian headed west down the M4 — with the customary wave to Heathrow — before climbing into the challenging terrain of Wycombe Heights. The away matches were tight, competitive affairs: one win, one loss, but with the margin of defeat outweighing the margin of victory. It was the kind of away performance that kept hope alive, but didn’t quite tilt the numbers in our favour.
Home Team — Nerve, Effort, and Another Split Result
With Wycombe Heights teeing off significantly earlier, the away team waited anxiously for news from home, where David Grace, Tony K., Robin Thomas and Richard Hanna were battling to overturn the deficit. Once again, RPGC produced one win and one loss — admirable effort, plenty of fight — but the losing margin proved just a touch too heavy to rescue the overall result.
The Verdict
In the end, the arithmetic fell the wrong way. 144:133 points. Wycombe Heights remain a stubborn obstacle in this competition, and for the second time in recent years they brought our Siemens Bowl run to a halt. Still, as ever , there is always next year !
NAPGC Ballantyne Round 3
The Richmond Park B team played their 3rd round match against Portsmouth on a very windy and occasionally wet day on the Duke’s course. All the games were close against determined opponents, however Richmond Park won 2:1 and move to the Area Finals next.
Our first pair of Richard Back & Peter Harrison were looking good at 2up with 3 holes to play but Portsmouth birdied the 16th, 17th and 18th to win 1up. Our second pair of captain Richard Owen & Angus Robertson went 1 down on the first and couldn’t get back to evens until the 8th hole, courtesy of a Par by Angus. Richard then won the 10th, 11th and 12th, and Angus won the 13th, so 4 up with 5 to play. Richard then halved the 14th and 15th holes to give the team a 4&3 win. Our final pair of Iker Lanzagorta & Aiden Hurley also went 1 down on the first and stayed 1 or 2 shots down until Aiden won the 14th to make it All Square. The team then won the 16th and 17th holes to give a 2&1 win.
NAPGC Ballantyne, Round 2
Following a concession by Addington Court in Round 1 (couldn’t raise a team !) the Richmond Park B team played Tilgate Forest B at Richmond Park (Duke’s) on a hot Saturday afternoon and won 2:1, to move to Round 3 (for the 3rd year in a row). The match was played in a friendly, but very competitive atmosphere, and was anyone’s match till the 17th hole of the final group’s game.
Richard Back and Peter Harrison were Richmond’s first pair out and took complete control early on, finally winning out 7&6 with 3 birdies on the front 9 and a level par score for the 12 holes played. Our second pair (Richard Owen and Gerard Ouattara) went 2 down after 3 but were back level after 5 holes. However, the Tilgate captain, playing off 13, only dropped 3 shots to par on the front 9 and so they were back to 2 up after 9 holes and the match was closed out on the 16th green as a 4&2 loss. Our third pair out (Iker Lanzagorta and Nick Rogers) had a close match all the way, level after 14 holes but securing a 2&1 win on the 17th green.
NAPGC Siemens Bowl
Richmond Park’s progress in the Siemens Bowl has rarely been straightforward, and our opening two rounds of the 2026 competition offered further evidence that this competition seldom grants comfort. It serves only to show that perseverance, more than anything else, carries teams forward.
Hennerton 3rd May — A Narrow Win in Heavy Conditions
The opening tie against Hennerton was shaped long before a ball was struck. Torrential rain the previous day had left the course soft underfoot, the greens holding but unpredictable, and the fairways offering little run. It was a day for patience rather than panache.
Away from home, Alex and Sean produced a measured performance, edging their match 40–39. It was the sort of away result that matters in this format — not spectacular, but valuable. Alongside them, Julian and Cuneyt, it was a match that never quite broke free, settling at 43–43 — an impressive result for both teams, and an outcome for a contest defined by the smallest of margins. Back at Richmond Park, conditions were marginally kinder. Tony and Richard controlled their match from the outset, winning 40–33, while David and Jonno were edged out 35–32 in a fixture that turned on a handful of putts.
Once the arithmetic was settled , Richmond emerged with a narrow but deserved 155–150 win — a reminder that we had been tested, and had just about done enough to come through.
Brent Valley 30th May— Heat, Pressure and a Strong Away Showing
If Hennerton was a study in resilience, Brent Valley was a test of endurance. The heat was unrelenting, the air heavy, and the fairways firming by the hour.
Alex and Sean, again on the road, found themselves 3 points down at the turn, their opponents adapting more quickly to the pace of the greens. But as the temperature rose, so did Richmond’s resolve. The pair steadied, then surged, turning deficit into a 4‑point victory as Brent Valley faded late on.
Cuneyt and Tony were more assured, winning 43–36 with a performance built on consistency and some impressive shot making.
At home, Julian and Rob delivered a masterful 10 point win, while Jonno and David held their nerve for a narrow 2‑point success.
The final margin, 153–130, brought a sense of tired relief more than anything else, though a win by thirteen points in this competition is no small feat. It reflected a long, draining day in which Richmond simply kept going and were rewarded for it.
Wycombe Heights Awaits — 4 July
We now move on to Wycombe Heights, where the challenge will be different again. The margins will tighten, the pressure will rise, and the competition will demand more of the same resolve that has carried us this far.
NAPGC Ballantyne Trophy
Richmond Park entered two teams in the 2026 competition and the “A” team played their first (Round 2) match away at Bird Hills golf club. This is a 4 ball better ball matchplay format competition with 6 players (3 pairs from each team).
Our team captain Russell Stewart reported on the match, as follows:
“It has to be said that the course was in excellent condition and has undergone significant investment recently. The course benefits from improved drainage and tree surgery to open up airflow across the course and present a much dryer course in winter and during wet spells. A number of the greens are two tier and generally the course was interesting and enjoyable to play.
The RPGC A team players made up the following pairings – John Perkins & Russell Stewart (captain) , Alan Treacy & Craig Johnstone, with the last pair being Alan Boyd and Simon Russett.
Our first team out dominated their game losing the honour on only 1 of the 18 holes and eventually winning 5&3.
The second team were not so fortunate and the home advantage was exploited. Some long putts and taking advantage of handicap advantage, the Bird Hills team won 3&2.
Unfortunately it was a similar result for the last pairing who lost 4&3. The home pairing also clicked with one of them confessing to have played his best round since last year.
Our hosts were very friendly and the games were played in good humour, on a beautiful day for golf.”
Kelso Hamilton 2026
RPGC entered 2 teams for this year’s men’s pairs better ball competition organised by Surrey Golf and first round matches were played on Saturday March 21st and Monday March 23rd. In the first match Richard Owen and Gerard Ouattara played away at Shirley Park golf course and after a very close match lost on the 18th hole (1 down). In the second match Adrian Wells and Julian James played away at Farleigh golf course and also lost (3 & 2).
Surrey Fives 2026
Richmond Park entered just one team in this Surrey Golf singles matchplay competition in 2026. The team was captained by Brendan Sullivan and, for the first round match against Horton Park, comprised Brendan, Peter Abbott, John Perkins, Kevin Prendergast and Billy Jackson. Although we were drawn ‘at home’, the match was played at Horton Park due to the ‘greens maintenance’ at RP. This loss of home advantage proved pivotal, as we lost 4 – 1, with only Brendan winning his match.