Royal edge home

'A BIT close for comfort,' was how Royal Guernsey captain John Herschel described his team's 4-3 win over La Grande Mare in last evening's Hampshire Seven-a-side Guernsey section final. With four new faces in the team from the one that swept aside St Pierre Park in the last round, Lloyd Gaudion's horses-for-courses approach as captain so nearly paid off.

The low handicappers of Mike Kynes, Johnny Adamson, Neil Black and Roland Mills all ensured tough contests for the home side on the L'Ancresse links.

First match out saw Hedley Ablitt win at the last against Laurence Graham, while in the match behind Kyne, a two handicapper and La Grande Mare debutant, was playing against Bobby Eggo.

With the links being far from familiar to him and with only four shots in hand, Kynes was playing some excellent golf and was one up stood on the 15th tee.

Eggo, himself, was on a run of two straight birdies and following a seven iron out of the right side rough to 3ft at 15, Eggo converted his third birdie on the bounce and returned the match all-square with three to play.

Kynes, however, did not falter and a birdie three at the 17th in effect earned the Irishman a well deserved one-up victory.

Adamson has only played L'Ancresse a handful of times and he also impressed in putting La Grande Mare's third point on the board.

'I love links golf,' said Adamson after his 3 and 1 win over one of the Royal stalwarts, Nigel Vaudin.

The top three matches out had all borne fruit for Gaudion, but before Adamson's win had arrived the match had, in effect, been decided as the Royal Guernsey swept up the tail.

John Le Lievre continued his 100% winning singles record for the Royal with a par at the 13th against a frustrated Greg Allison.

A change of putter seemed to be doing the business for the Royal's David Nicolle as he beat Ricky West on the 15th green.

And despite Neil Black doing his best to turn around a halfway three down deficit against David Rowlinson, a lost ball at the 16th proved Black's downfall.

The match was level at 3-3 with one match remaining.

That match saw the defending island champion Mick Marley beat South African golfer Roland Mills comfortably, Marley finishing the match two under par gross for the day.