The Beve Trophy 2009 - The Story

Team Tonner 5 v 7 Team Rush

Team Rush 2009: (from left) Scott Thomson, Stuart Grieve, David Walker, Steve Law, Darragh Hare, Kevin Rush (c), Brian Lironi, Jim Goldie, Craig Parker, Derek Hoy, Kevin Kealey, Gavin Hughes

The 2009 Beve saw the adoption of the full Ryder Cup format of 24 players with Dullatur Golf Club playing host to greensomes over the Antonine Course and Fourballs on the Carrickstone.
 
Things got off to a bad start for Team Tonner when Stephen McGill was posted missing at the bus pick up point in Charing Cross after spending all night in the casino and deciding ‘just to stay up'. He still managed to hit the best drive of the morning tee shots. A lesson to us all I believe.  The opening greensomes were a tight affair with a couple of games going down the 18th. The points tally at the end of morning was 3-3, with particular highlights coming from the spectacular wedge play from Hare in the opening game, a four down come back from Lironi and Grieve that just came up short and a fantastic come back from Cook and Kealey J to run out winners in the final match.
 
So everything was to play for in the afternoon fourballs over the much longer and more testing Carrickstone. Things started well for Captain Rush when, after being the only player in his group to miss the green at the first, he holed a massive putt from off the green to win the hole. His celebrations were short lived when he realised he had forgotten to put his golf shoes back on after lunch. Non-playing Scott Wilson was dispatched to fetch them. Early on it looked like Team Rush were in control but a strong come back by Tonner, J and Young to even up their game after being 4 down at the turn with them requiring a win to square the trophy score at 6 each. In the end their comeback was in vain as they found trouble with their second shots to the 18th when going for par and Team Rush won the hole, the match 7-5 and become the first ever team to win the Beve Trophy outright. The Pish Cup went to Clark and Davidson for heavy defeats in their two matches.
 
The aftermath was a heavy evening in the Dullatur Clubhouse. Debutant Steve Law played a starring role in the drinking stakes,  necking more beer before the last game finished than any normal person would sink in a whole year. This led to the most famous of Beve pictures - an image that was used as the picture on the 2010 Pish Cup and is reproduced here. Steve performed just as well in the eating stakes, devouring his own steak pie, half of Banger's and the spare fish and chips that the chef made by mistake. The night ended with a number of players heading for a city centre night club and Adam using his golf bag as a weapon to knock the bus driver's glasses off.

Morning Greensomes - Dullatur Antonine

Afternoon Fourballs - Dullatur Carrickstone

Morning Score:
Team Tonner: 3
Team Rush: 3

Afternoon Score:
Team Tonner: 2
Team Rush: 4

Final Score:
Team Tonner: 5
Team Rush: 7