Back Row [left to right] , Richard Cowley (LI 1963-67), Lincoln Bolsover (SU 1991-94), Richard Graham (B1 1981-85), Rags Ashton (PR 1984-89), Tom Macfarlane (TU 1996-2001), Justin Rhodes (C1 1984-89), Paul Spence (B2 1974-79), Jim Hewer (CO 1998-90).

Front Row [left to right] , David Niven (C3 1970-73), Richard Juckes (B2 1964-68), OMGS Captain , Alan Catchpole (C2 1946-50), OMGS President, James Hopper (C1 1957-62), non-playing Captain, Angus Murray (BH 1983-88).  

After our success in the Veteran Darwin Competition last June, this year it was the turn of the Halford Hewitt team under the expert Captaincy of James Hopper (C1 1957-62) to give us great excitement.

After a number of years of under achievement in the Halford Hewitt, it is good to report that Marlborough went through to the semi-finals in 2010, only to be defeated narrowly by Clifton who went on to defeat Charterhouse in the final .

This year’s team was a mixture of experience and youth. Youth was served by Tom Macfarlane and Lincoln Bolsover being joined by two new players , Jim Hewer and Richard Cowley , whilst we still had long serving Hewitt veterans such as David Niven, Angus Murray and Bob Carrick available. Our strong core players of Rags Ashton, Paul Spence, Richard Graham, and Justin Rhodes made up the team.

Before losing to Clifton in the semi finals we had victories over Wrekin, Sherbourne, Greshams and Dulwich. All these matches were won by the margin of 3 ½ to 1 ½ - the halved matches all being declared halved once 3 matches had been won. There are no weak teams in the Hewitt these days so each victory was a strong achievement with all team players enjoying success along the way.

There were many notable performances. Our first pair of Richard Graham and Angus Murray were undefeated throughout and Paul Spence and Lincoln Bolsover clawed back to win against Clifton to make our chances of reaching the final tantalizingly close. Sadly our final pair of Tom Macfarlane and Jim Hewer went down at the last hole following brave putts holed by Jim Hewer at both the 16^th and 17^th to keep the match alive and on tenterhooks.

The team developed strong self-belief and confidence which count for a great deal at the Hewitt. The omens are very good for the years ahead now that we have very genuinely strong players who mould together well. It is 1972 since Marlborough last won the Halford Hewitt and on this year’s performance we may not have much longer to wait before ultimate success comes our way again.

Otherwise we have had another great and active year under Richard Juckes Captaincy with our usual array of matches meetings and tournaments, and thanks to Malcolm Cornish’s hard efforts we have a first class web site – do visit us at www.omgs.memberlodge.com

Adrian O'Loughlin

The Halford Hewett Championship is always played on two of Kent's finest golf courses namely The Royal St George's Golf Club and The Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club. The Halford Hewitt is organised by the Public Schools Golfing Society. 64 schools enter their best 10 players (mostly old boys but lately some girls have been playing) who must be members of their Old School Golfing Society. They team up into pairs and play five knock-out matches until a winner emerges after 4 days of very competitive golf. The Halford Hewitt Cup is a hugely sought after event to win and has been competed for annually for over 80 years.

A combined OMGS/beak team took on pupils in a four ball better ball match at Marlborough Golf Club on Thursday 29th April. The result was a halved match, which was a very fair result and the School Team played very well indeed against accomplished opposition. The day finished with a lovely Reception and Supper at the Master's Lodge and the OMGS Captain, Richard Juckes and the School Captain, Liam Dempster both made excellent speeches to round the evening off.

The Old Marlburian Golfing Society was established in 1925 and has thrived ever since.  We have a very active membership and an impressive fixture card that is testament to the enthusiasm of all the OMs who have contributed to the society over the years and continue to do so.  The current Officers and Committee members are listed on the Contacts page of the main OMGS webpage.  In the Contacts area, there is also a list of the Team Managers, who organise all our fixtures.

Any Old Marlburian golfer who is a member of the Marlburian Club can apply for membership of the OMGS.  Please complete the Enquiry Form or contact the Secretary or Captain. Please link to the official OMGS website for these forms and contact details: http://omgs.memberlodge.com

We are very grateful to the many golf clubs that so generously host our fixtures and without which the society could not exist. There is a page containing a list of all these clubs together with contact details and directions for getting to them.  We have also provided links to other web sites that may be of interest.

Brushed silk OMGS neck ties and bow ties in the OMGS colours are available from the Secretary - cost £21 including P&P.  We also have a new stock of OMGS sweaters.  The sweaters are 100% lambswool, tartan green V-knecks with the ‘bishop’s mitre’ logo (as on the back of the new fixture card).  They are available in small, medium, large, extra large and extra, extra large and cost £40 including P&P.  Sweaters can also be purchased to order in a different colour - navy, charcoal, bordeaux, light blue and camel, and as a crew neck – all for the same price but please note that it may not be possible to change it if it doesn't fit!  Contact the Hon Treasurer if you want to place an order or get more information.