In early April, the Old Tridents Golf Society once again assembled a team to compete in one of the greatest amateur golf tournaments in Britain, the Halford Hewitt, hosted at Royal Cinque Ports and Royal St George’s.

This year saw eleven OTGS players travel to Kent for the tournament, with optimism high following positive performances in recent Hewitt and Princes Plate campaigns. Tuesday and Wednesday were devoted to practice rounds, allowing the team time to reconnect and acclimatise to the firm, fast-running conditions typical of championship links golf, before a first-round encounter against Framlingham.

Played in stunning weather, Royal St George’s was presented beautifully, with clear skies, light winds and fast fairways placing a premium on accuracy, course management and nerve. Trent produced a spirited performance, battling through a tightly contested opening round against Framlingham before bowing out in a hard-fought second-round encounter with 2024 winners Eton.

Round 1 – Trent vs Framlingham

The opening match against Framlingham set the tone for an intense contest, with both sides trading blows throughout the morning on a demanding links test.

In the top match, Dom Leckie and Captain Alex Sowter found themselves involved in a close battle but were eventually edged out, losing 2 down. Trent responded immediately through Mike Coupland and Robert Cox, who showed great composure and control to secure a 2&1 victory and restore parity in the tie.

Momentum then swung firmly in Trent’s favour thanks to a dominant performance from Ian Birch and Adam Prime. Playing with authority throughout, they controlled their match superbly and closed it out emphatically with a fine 5&4 victory. Adam Hinchley and Gareth Maber continued the strong run of form, digging deep in another closely fought encounter to record a determined 2-up win.

With the overall match finely balanced, Toby Williams and Brendan O’Neill battled gamely throughout and ultimately halved their match, ensuring Trent did enough overall to secure victory and progress safely into the second round.

Round 2 – Trent vs Eton

Round two presented a formidable challenge against 12 time winners, Eton, once again contested in excellent weather conditions that allowed Royal St George’s to provide a stern but fair examination.

Coupland and Cox were unable to repeat their first-round success, eventually succumbing 3&2 despite a determined effort. Leckie and Sowter responded superbly, showing great resilience and patience to grind out a narrow but important 1-up victory and keep Trent firmly in contention.

Birch and Prime, so impressive the previous day, were put under sustained pressure in a high-quality match and were edged out 2&1. Hinchley and Maber continued their excellent form, however, producing another strong performance to secure a 2&1 win and keep the tie finely poised heading into the closing stages.

Ultimately, Eton’s depth proved decisive. Williams and O’Neill fought hard but were beaten 3&2, swinging the overall result in Eton’s favour and bringing Trent’s Hewitt campaign to an end.

Summary

While the result did not fall Trent’s way in round two, there were many positives to take from the tournament. Victories across both rounds highlighted the team’s competitiveness, depth and fighting spirit, with several partnerships delivering consistently strong performances under pressure at one of the game’s great venues.

The next event for the Old Tridents Golf Society is the Grafton Morrish Qualifier in May, where a team of six will attempt once again to qualify for the main tournament, to be held in Norfolk later in the year.

LtoR: Adam Hinchley, Ian Birch, Rob Cox, Toby Williams, Jon Carter, Gareth Maber, Brendan O’Neil, Mike Coupland, Alex Sowter (C), Dominic Leckie, Adam Prime