In 2005, centenary celebrants Worcestershire lost the Midland League, with virtually the last putt on the last green. Could the same sort of drama happen again in 2006 with Warwickshire's firsts playing Staffordshire?
Staffordshire could not win the title but with the way the Leagues are set-up, each County selects courses for dates and are then given the team they will play. This meant the Staffordshire team would be coming to a course (Handsworth), many of them would know very well as it sits on the border between the two counties.
Nick Clifford, Warwickshire seconds captain (and Hands-worth member), was sitting on a 5 1/2 - 1/2 lunchtime lead for his team and knew of the firsts being 3 1/2 - 1 1/2 ahead.
"I still thought that, with the guys Staffs have, they would make life very difficult for us.'
That Staffordshire did with only Andy Sullivan being able to rescue half a point from the first three singles by finishing with two birdies in the last three holes [2014] and both Matt Cryer and Ben Stafford losing on the last.
The only Warwickshire player well up was Paul Randle and he duly converted his low scoring into a 4&3 win. Every other match was either square or a hole in Stafford-shire's favour.
Staffordshire went ahead with wins for Andy Ellis and then Dean Porter. Back came Warwickshire with Dale Marson eagling the 18th for his win. That left three matches on the course, each county up in one and with one match all square.
Past County captain Bill Nicolson won the 'all square' match but next year's Warwickshire captain Gareth Jenkins was suddenly in real trouble. One up with five to go, Jenkins could only watch as Tony Cheese holed across the 14th for one birdie, made another at the next, then took that match on the 17th.
That left Warwickshire's youngest player Rory Kirwan to find the win Warwickshire needed for the title, as Notts had beaten Derbys 9-6, over-taking Shropshire & Hereford on individual points difference, despite Shrops thumping Worcestershire 11-4.
Kirwan lost on the 17th, so putting Warwickshire in third place in the firsts League. The seconds league though was always Warwickshire's, after five of Clifford's top six duly won their singles, leaving that team unbeaten. One half of Warwickshire was celebrating, but not the firsts.
