On 4 and 5 May, the annual Baltic Exchange vs. Cardiff Exchange match was held at the iconic Royal Porthcawl golf course.

James Pendered reports.

With the home team captained by Richard ‘Inksy’ Inkin and the Baltic led by Malcolm ‘Wiggo’ Wiggett, expectations were high for local knowledge to give Cardiff the edge and win back the trophies.

Whilst the temperature was rather cool, it remained dry for the whole weekend. That said, the wind certainly made a hard course even tougher in the morning for the foursomes, which ended being halved, meaning the Baltic retained the Jubilee Cup.

The match now hinged on the 12 afternoon singles matches. With the wind dying down a shade and the sun making a welcome appearance. Cardiff flew out of the traps, winning the first two matches, only for the Baltic to win the next two with Trevor Marsh and Jeremy Brewer. Inksy got the better of skipper Wiggo whilst Penders overcame a resolute Madders. The next two matches were split, with a win for each team, so the overall match was being halved with four games to go. Amazingly, nobody was able to manage a win. Consequently, with the last four games being halved, the Baltic retained the silverware for the singles as well.

An excellent dinner was held at the club where the two main cups were awarded to Wiggo by the Cardiff captain and the Sunday pairings were drawn, where a Cardiff and Baltic player partner each other for 18 holes of greensomes. As ever, this produced some interesting pairings on paper (and before the wine). The evening finished with Will Thomas entertaining the group with some impressive tunes on the piano, ably supported by a vociferous crowd.

There were some jaded figures on the tee for the Sunday foursomes, but the competition was as intense as ever. After a poor start, Robert Atkin and Jim Stewart scored an impressive 20 points on the inward 9 for a total of 35 points and third place. The long-hitting Will Thomas was paired with Malcolm Walker and they scored one more to come second on 36 points. The winners were Liam Penny and James Pendered on 37 points, the last of which was courtesy of holing on the 18th from around 25 feet.

An excellent weekend was had by all, as ever, BEGS is very grateful for the hospitality and friendship from CEGS and we all look forward to next year’s match!