The Conares Golf Society League was at its Semifinal stages and four societies rolled out their best four players to try and grab a 2017 Final spot at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club. The scoring was the same as the League rounds with 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and team total of 4 points securing the vital Final spot.
After a week’s delay due to the stormy weather the UAE has face the players were eager to get down to business and secure their places in the 2017 final. In the top half of the draw Indian Expats and Sport2Business two had huge battles in the quarter finals and knew it would be all hands on deck to get through to the final. Game one saw two formidable forces of Vivian Verma and Mukti Rai go head to head with Jorg Mueller and Shiraaz Joosub. In the early stages of the match Vivian and Mukti got off to the best possible start with a Birdie on the second hole from Vivian giving them the early lead, a lead which grew at the close of the front nine with a Birdie on the 8th hole from Mukti.
Pressure grew
The Indian expats found themselves two up after nine holes and in a commanding position heading into the closing nine. At the start of the back nine the match turned dramatically as the Sport2Business team won the first three holes of the back nine to swing the momentum and take the lead in the match. On the 15th Vivian managed a steady par to draw the match level with three holes to play. As the pressure grew the remaining three holes were all halves in Pars and the game finished with a tie with both pairs taking home a well-deserved point for their team.
All but over
Game two between the Indian Expats and Sport2Business saw A.E Ravi and Arun Tuli take on Michael Lennon and Peter Donaldson. The Sports2Business team before the match looked to have their game faces on and they didn’t disappoint, they came out swinging and took an early lead on the third hole. A lead they would further develop to three up over the front nine holes. Despite A.E Ravi and Arun Tuli best efforts they couldn’t claw their way back from the deficit and after a further lost hole on the 13th the match was all but over.
Michael and Peter both made steady Pars on the 15th hole to close the game out and with that the defending Champions Indian Expats 2017 campaign came crashing to its knees. Sport2Business have been in great form all season and will prove tough opposition to their opponents in the 2017 final.
High spirits
Bidding for a place in the Final with Sport2Business were the Happy Hookers and the Kegs Dubai. Following their playoff win in the Quarter finals the Happy Hookers were in high spirits and were going to provide tough opposition. However following the Kegs giant killing display over the unbeaten Naboodah team in the Quarter finals they too were in a confident mood. With two teams in such fantastic form the match wasn’t going to fail to deliver.
In game one Martin Kirby and Richard Semple took on Marc Maccallum and Simon Williams from the Kegs. The Match was greatly contested by both teams and the momentum swung both ways in the early stages of the game. Towards the end of the back nine the Kegs started to develop a slight lead and tipped the match in their favour. Martin and Richard fought back and but were eventually beaten on the 17thgreen, They were now reliant on their team mates in game number two to give them a chance of getting into a playoff.
Showdown
In Game two Terry Smith and Jonathon Webb took on Chris Redley and Ken Newell of the Kegs in what was sure to be a showdown to be remembered. Terry and Jonathon on the day played exceptionally well and took a three up lead after the front nine.
Going into the back nine despite Chris and Ken’s best efforts they couldn’t get themselves back into the game as Terry Held steady with a great run of holes at the start of the back nine. The Keg won the match convincingly in the end 4&3, cementing 3 points for the Happy Hookers and forcing a playoff for the place in the Final.
Marc MacCallum and Simon Williams lined up for the Kegs against Terry Smith and Richard Semple. The first hole of the playoff was tied as both teams got off to a cagey start. The Second hole brought about some misfortune for both teams but saw the match come to a conclusion with Kegs taking victory on the second hole of the playoff. The Kegs have been a part of the Golf Society League since day one but as yet have never taken the Championship, the team are in high spirits and all players seem to be in great form. Could 2017 be their year?
