The Rolls of Monmouth Golf Club Men's team, led by club captain, Mike Maguire, crushed the visiting Ross-on-Wye Golf Club team four and two on Saturday 2nd March in the opening fixture of this season's campaign.

As the sun broke through to create perfect playing conditions on a rapidly drying golf course, Maguire and his rookie partner Adrian Clark set the scene for this stunning victory with a four and three rout of the Ross opening pair comprising team captain Terry Jarrett and club captain elect, Phil Wilson.

Ross played their ace in the second game out by fielding low handicap and in-form pairing of Danny Gear and Steve Wallbank against veteran stalwart, Tim Barker and new partner and team rookie John Griffin.

Having sustained a serious back strain earlier in the week, Griffin needed ongoing medication and regular massages from his partner to survive the 18-hole onslaught. Despite a brave fight the Rolls pair lost narrowly somewhere on the course.

The middle order pairing of Byron Light and Russell Webb comfortably overcame Ross' former county golfer James Morgan and his partner Clive Whitson by a score of four and three, which didn't truly reflect the gulf in class between this talented pairing and their opponents.

Surely the tie of the fixture was between Alastair Beedie and long-standing member and former squash ace, Peter Woodrow.

Playing against the Ross team's seasoned campaigners, Gwyn Morgan and Harold Beach, who have played in this annual fixture for many years, The Rolls pair found themselves three holes down with only four to play. Staring almost certain defeat in the face, Beedie and Woodrow dug deep into their reserves of pluck to win the last four holes and pull off a sensational one-up victory.

Luke James, who flew in especially from Florida to play with partner Paul Mitchell, started badly when his driver head fell off before a blow was struck.

Suffering from jet lag and having only the lightweight tropical clothing that he was wearing on his return to the UK, James struggled to hit his peak.

With Mitchell yet to find the sort of form that once made him a feared adversary on the fairways, the pair battled hard but fell at the final hole to Andy Peterson and Steve Philips.

Current club four-ball champions, Roger Lord and vice-captain and team coach Geoff Walsh, featured in the anchor game against Colin Bennion and Kevin D'Lonra of Ross.

Walsh opened with a birdie three at the first hole to settle the nerves of his partner. He then stepped back into a coaching role while Lord dominated the opposition single-handed for the next few holes.

Walsh returned to the fray very occasionally and at the notoriously difficult 16th he put the Ross pair out of their misery with a net birdie to round off a four and three triumph.

Walsh said he was over the moon with the result, which justified his tough selection process but warned that he was taking just one game at a time and the next match, the local derby at Monmouth Golf Club, may require a different tactical approach.