And it started off so well…..

 

Despite a downpour of biblical proportions the previous evening, Sprowston Manor woke to warm sunshine and bright green playing surfaces. The latter was all thanks to the sterling efforts of the greenskeepers who by some miracle managed to turn the course from sodden state to perfectly playable in just a few hours. Indeed, the only problem the first players teeing off had was having to squint into the rising sun as they played the opening holes.

Then it started. Light rain by 9, heavier rain by 10, deluge by midday. Did it bring our dedicated Trilby Tourians down? Not the ones who played well. The rest ploughed on with the closest approximation to smiling faces they could manage. Did it affect the quality of play? Surprisingly not. If anything the rain concentrated players’ minds and there were some pretty decent scores being recorded.

But what, you ask, is Sprowston Manor like? Very nice. It sits in parkland and the course (which encircles the hotel) has narrow, tree-lined fairways and greens with wicked drop offs to punish the over hitter. Many players found the 7^th a challenge; strange because it’s actually fairly innocuous looking par 4 featuring a left-curving dog leg, heavy rough on one side and ponds on the other. For some reason, this seemed to be the hole that stumped the most players, with many losing balls in the rough and plenty more veering into the water. It’s always the quiet ones…

Further down the course the landscape seems to open up a bit with the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th feeling more like open countryside. Actually, on the 12^th it was not only nice weather for ducks but very nearly dinner time too as one group of players found some of the birds forsaking the lake to attack the balls landing on the nearby fairway. They actually lost some time as they chased away the feathered would-be ball thieves.

 

Back at the clubhouse the weather failed to dampen the spirit of those finishing at the 18^th as they ate, drank and joined the fun by the leader board. As always, a jovial William Hunt welcomed finishers with either derision or praise and even offered one  (a Mr L Day) who gave up after scoring just 6 on the first 12 holes, the phone number of Dignitas. Cruel but funny.

Thankfully the rain eased for the play offs and the patient, if damp, crowd were rewarded with two Trilby Tour firsts. We can’t say what they were until the day is aired on Sky Sports but they made for a memorable, emotional final stage. Well done Sprowston Manor, you took the worst the British summer has to offer and turned it into a triumph of a day.

 

And that’s it! 3 months, 10 venues, 1400 players and we now have our final line up. Next week it’s down to the Bucks for the 2011 final!

 

Dave Lee