Kevin Diss is the new Cambridgeshire Seniors Matchplay Champion after defeating Terry Ryan by 1 hole at Ely City Golf Club. In the inaugural Seniors Championship Kevin came from 1 down with three to play to win a tense thriller in sunny but blowy conditions.
The standard of both players iron play was superb with both players setting up many birdie chances throughout the match.
Terry got off to a fast start winning the first but after a hybrid to 20 feet and a two putt birdie Kevin drew level at the par 5 fourth. At the sixth an excellent 4-iron to 12 feet saw Terry regain the lead. After a superb pitch to 3 feet at the seventh Terry might have expected to go 2 up but Kevin holed a 20 foot downhill putt to halve the hole in birdie threes. On the ninth another laser like iron inside 10 feet saw Kevin draw level after the front nine.
Terry again went 1 up on the difficult eleventh with a solid par but Kevin’s birdie two at the 12th and birdies from both players at the 13th saw the match level once again. An excellent 5 iron to 8 feet on the 15th was good enough for Terry to go 1 up again but Terry’s wayward drive at the 16th let Kevin back in again to square the match.
After some scrappy play at the 17th saw Kevin go 1 up for the first time in the match. With the difficult 18th playing straight into the wind Terry was left with a 12 foot putt for par to take the match into extra holes however his putt just slid past the hole to leave Kevin the first Cambridgeshire Seniors Matchplay Champion. Congratulations to both players for producing a keenly contested final played in the true spirit of the game.