CLUBS & SOCIETIES
OLD ALLEYNIAN GOLFING SOCIETY
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Loretto School beautifully summed up the ethos of our golf when they recalled their spring meeting, where the inclusion of handicaps allowed their players to play the same course on an equal footing despite their ages ranging from 18 to 80. There is no other sport that can boast that. We welcome all golfers of all ages and abilities to play competitive golf against old foes Alleyn's, Whitgift, Tonbridge and more on an equal footing and on great courses. The Halford Hewitt 2022 Our first round was against Gresham’s at Royal St. George's Golf Club. A late start time allowed us to practise on the putting green before making final preparations on the practice ground. These preparations seemed to be paying off when four of the five matches were going our way at the turn. A large group of 16 SODs (Supporters of Dulwich), including Dr Joe Spence, were standing on the dune on the right of the 10th green, sharing smiles and encouraging words. Then came Gresham’s fight back. The top pair of Roger Kelly (81- 88) and Chris Sealey (10-15) held their ground against our rejuvenated opponents, who kept the match alive by holing long putts at the 16th and 17th, only to miss another at the 19th and allow us a narrow victory. Dr Spence waited to watch Roger Kelly sink the winning putt, before leaving the match balanced at 2-2 to catch his train, entrusting our secretary with his umbrella. As it always seems to, it came down to the last pair on the last green who just couldn’t repel the valiant fight back from their opponents, who won five of the last six holes. We lost 3 -2. The Hewitt yet again showed why it is such a great tournament, and why you should never give up. Dr Spence was enthralled and saw that golf can make a great team sport; he hopes to return in 2023. Grafton Morrish 2022 We had not qualified for the finals of the Grafton Morrish for over 10 years, but the change of venue to Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club made a difference. In only our second attempt at this fabulous course, we managed to qualify with a real team effort. The proven pairing of Freddie Neden (10-15) and Jonathan Swinney (77-84) led the team from the front, the rookies Ed and Guy Tilson (11-16) slotted into the middle pairing, and the pairing of Hugo Avshu (01-12) and Felix Suther-Jones (11-16) brought up the rear. All pairings roared to the turn with good scores and the more difficult back nine, coupled with some tough pin positions, made the scoring harder. A combined scratch stableford foursomes score of 83 points was good enough for third place and a guaranteed place in the main event, which was to be played at Hunstanton in October. The same team played the finals and narrowly lost the first round to Shrewsbury. We then went into the plate competition, losing in the next round by a single point. Better luck next year. This tournament really highlighted the emergence of our young golfers, with younger members making up five of the six players captained by Roger Kelly, a Cambridge Golf Blue. We last won the Grafton Morrish in 1971 under the Captaincy of the late Tony Brewer, in whose memory we played for and won the Brewmaster Bowl against his club Royal Cinque Ports in February. The winning team included his brother Jeremy.
The winning team at Royal Cinque Ports Rear row: Freddie Neden, Roger Kelly (Capt), Matt Flint, Jeremy Brewer, David Rutnam Front Row: Jonathan Swinney, Felix Suther-Jones, Jonny Waugh As well as these two annual tournaments, we enjoyed two great days at Royal Ashdown Golf Club where we played the club for the Bob Deakin Bowl, which Bob Deakin (42-45) himself presented to the club upon their narrow win. The club side boasted several OAs in their team and were captained by Chris Litterick (60-68) against our own Captain Will Lewis (54-65). We all enjoyed resting on the Old Alleynian bench by the 10th tee while Mrs Litterick and Mrs Lewis provided the players with refreshments. The second of these two matches was the under 35s, captained by Hugo Avshu, versus the over 35s, captained by Chris Smith (71-80). There was a slight shortage of under 35s, so the youthful partnership of Duncan Anderson (64-71) and Nick Donald (73-80) won a point for the under 35s. Sadly, in September, the Queen Elizabeth II competition at Royal Burgess in Edinburgh was postponed for a year as a mark of respect for our late Queen. We also played matches against Sevenoaks, Shrewsbury, Sedburgh, Loretto, Cranleigh, St Pauls and Uppingham. Next year our Captain will be Mat Flint (78-83) and our Youth Captain will be Hugo Avshu. We hope that any golfers out there who have not yet joined us contact us through our website or via email – you would be most welcome. We have a Youth policy to assist younger Old Alleynians under 30 to play subsidised golf with no membership fee. We are also looking forward to 2025, which will be the centenary of the OAGS. We have the original committee meeting minutes dated 11 February 1925, when the subs were half a crown and life membership cost two guineas. It also voted the Master to be President, so Dr Spence was voted President some decades before his birth. Remarkable foresight. We look forward to hearing from you. Honorary Secretary Duncan Anderson (64-71) oags2013sec@gmail.com www.oags.co.uk
OAAFC ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB 2021-22 was a big season for the OAAFC. After two covid disrupted seasons we were able to complete a full fixture list, with over 90 different OAs playing at some point throughout the year. We even played an inaugural 4th XI match: a thrilling 3-3 draw with their school counterparts at the College in January. In all, we finished the 21-22 season with our three regular sides recording their best ever league positions. The 1st XI secured a third place finish and a record points total in the Arthurian League Premier Division; their first full season at that level. After a slow start, the side went on a long unbeaten run, and ended the campaign as the team to beat in the division. Playing an excellent brand of attacking football, with a good mix of youth and experience, it is no surprise that Andy Moss’ (04-11) side are amongst the favourites for the title in 2022-23. The 2nd XI also finished third in their first season in Division 2, having been promoted in each of the previous two campaigns. Squad evolution had seen some previously key players become 1st team regulars, but skipper John Harvey (04-11) was able to integrate some new exciting young talent to have a fantastic second half of the year. This included a great run to the Junior League Cup (contested by teams in Division 2 and below) final, and they will be looking to go one better in the coming year. The 3rd XI finished mid-table in their first season in Division 3, after two promotions in the three years since their foundation. As ever, several debutants have come through the 3s to play huge roles in the club, and the excellent team chemistry and camaraderie has gone from strength to strength following the succession to the 3s' full-time captaincy of Cole Sullivan (04- 09). However, the highlight of the year was the club’s first overseas tour, to Madrid in August. Eighteen OAs enlisted for a proper football tour in the sweltering Spanish heat with matches against top class opposition and at lovely facilities. Ultimately, we won 4-3 on aggregate, and the football across the two games and in training was excellent, accompanied by full commitment to the vibrant Madrid social scene. The tour was an unforgettable experience for a great group of players across a remarkable nine different year groups, with OAs from the class of 2005 up to the class of 2017. George Edmund (08-15) Secretary OAAFC
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