2014 Dacoity Cup Day 3

Dacoity Cup Heats Up on Day 3 (Old Course):
The concluding day of the 2014 Dacoity Cup was even hotter than the previous two. The temperature was soaring and so was the atmosphere! Would England melt?

Despite the pressure on Derek Ives as his England team faced a ROW backlash, all was not well in the Rest of the World camp either, with questions asked about the loyalty of some members of the team who were caught wearing their oppositions badge on their hat. Could they really mount an effective last day charge with "Twat It" Talbot seemingly unsure if he was on the right team?  

Fourball Results:

Ives & Hone 57 beat Van der Merwe & Maloney 45
Derek led from the front, forming a good partnership with Alec. But had Derek done enough to inspire the rest of his team?

Cartwright & Hicks 44 lost to Dunbar & Talbot 50
Coupe & Hay 51 lost to Brownlee & McDougall 60

The answer was no, as the Rest of the World took 2 of the 3 fourballs to close the gap to 11.5 to 9.5. The tension mounted as the singles draw was revealed match by match.

Singles Results:

Hicks 21 lost to Maloney 27 - England 11.5 v ROW 10.5 - look at Derek sweating!

Cartwright 23 beat Talbot 22 - England 12.5 v ROW 10.5 - hear Dave swearing!

Hay 21 lost to Brownlee 31 - England 12.5 v ROW 11.5

Hone 29 beat Van der Merwe 18 - England 13.5 v ROW 11.5 - Alec guarantees at least a tie for England!!

England Retain Dacoity Cup

Coupe 30 beat McDougall 29 - England 14.5 v ROW 11.5 - Pigeon secures the win!!

Ives 28 halved with Dunbar 28 - An honourable half between two skippers who both put themselves in the last match hoping that the whole thing would be decided before then!!

2014 Dacoity Cup Result:England 15 Rest of the World 12

England proved to be the bigger bandits for the second year running...

 

Shot of the Week:

The Rest of the World had one winner though. Johann's brilliant 6 iron second shot to the 17th finished 8 feet past the pin and won the Shot of the Week. If you look really really closely, you can see it here:

So another win for England, who will be defending on home turf next year at The Belfry. See you there!

2014 Dacoity Cup Day 2

Day 2 (Mathern Course):
On Saturday, apart from the 16th Bandit Trophy, there were 9 more points available in the quest for golf's holy grail - the Dacoity Cup. 

ROW skipper Dunbar needed a big improvement from his pairings after they averaged 46 on Day 1. He sent out a pair of Bandit Trophy veterans first in Dungannon Cannon Talbot and Meat Pie McDougall. They played a fast paced, high pressure, aggressive, never say die, in your face, twat it, look for it, hole it, refuse to back down sort of game...and lost by 10 points to the eventual Bandit Trophy Winner Stuart and his partner Paul.

Next up were Coupe and Hone, against Van der Merwe and Maloney. The ROW pair deserved a prize for having a combined name less likely to be a TV cop show duo than any other pair this weekend, but on the course they were no match for the English. It was starting to look like another landslide for England but then...

Although Ken Hicks improved on his Friday form, Captain Ives slumped horribly, and Brownlee and Dunbar took advantage to steal a point for the Rest of the World. The Elgin Marble defeated his opposite number with his new Spanish recruit, salvaging something for the ROW keeping the match score to 8.5 to 3.5 in England's favour. 

A final hour charge on Saturday, clinching a desperate late point to keep slim hopes of a come from behind victory alive, stealing the momentum from previously unstoppable opponents. Sound familiar? Was this the turning point for ROW, the first signs of the Miracle at the Mathern? The Surprise at St Pierre? The comeback in Cymru? (pronounce it properly and it works)The WTF in Wales?

 

Fourball Results:
Cartwright & Hay 65 beat McDougall & Talbot 55
Coupe & Hone 63 beat Van der Merwe & Maloney 53
Ives & Hicks 48 lost to Brownlee & Dunbar 55

So England won 2 out of 3 but could the comeback continue when the singles scores were announced?

Singles Results:
Coupe 35 beat Van der Merwe 22
Ives 26 lost to Maloney 31
Hicks 22 lost to McDougall 25
Hone 28 lost to Brownlee 30
Hay 36 beat Dunbar 25
Cartwright 29 lost to Talbot 30

England skipper Ives suffered another defeat and 3 consecutive matches went the way of the ROW. And in the last match, Cartwright tasted defeat in the Dacoity Cup for the first time ever after 10 matches with a devastating narrow loss to Twat It Talbot, who, scarred by criticism for his lack of fitness last year, had seen his intensive training regime pay off and  confirmed the momentum swing towards ROW.
Score after Day 2: England 10.5 Rest of World 7.5   

ROW had won the day's play 5-4 and although England were still in front there were many doubts expressed as to whether they could gain the 3.5 points they needed on Sunday to retain the cup having only managed 4 on Day 2. Speculation mounted about skipper Ives' position and he was asked about his future as captain in this interview:

  



Derek certainly seemed to be feeling the pressure under the media spotlight. The tough and extremely professional interrogation he underwent appeared to highlight the sudden lack of confidence in his team to withstand a fightback that hadn't until now been anticipated. Suddenly everything was up in the air, the English camp racked by uncertainty. Derek had some serious thinking to do, and needed to find a way to make sure his team were motivated for the final day. What he did next might have a critical effect on the outcome of the Dacoity Cup...

He ordered another round of gin and tonics.

Meanwhile the ROW skipper had a much more relaxed air as he addressed the media:

Mike also predicted a backlash from the ROW team, who he said "had the potential to get enough points to win."  Stirring stuff!! Would it have the desired effect? The world was waiting to find out...

 

2014 Bandit Trophy - St Pierre Chepstow

The 2014 Bandit Trophy

As a scorching hot summer's day turned into a warm starlit night, attention turned away from the Old Course, towards the Mathern, and from the Dacoity Cup to the Bandit Trophy.

 

While there were Dacoity Cup points to be won on Saturday, the match seemed likely to be decided on Sunday, leaving the focus temporarily on the individual honours at stake in the 16th Bandit Trophy. As the evening got longer and the drinks shorter, discussion was of how much shorter the Mathern was than the Old Course. Some said much tighter too. Whose hands would this play into? McDougall and Cartwright fought it out here in 2009. Derek was apparently in great form, getting his handicap down to 13.  Talbot seemed revitalised, but would he really have enough stamina to raise his game when it mattered? Would Coupe's class be too much for the rest? Was Mike Dunbar's  strategy of carrying only a 5 iron, a putter and a hickory shafted mashie niblick the answer? 

 

With six rookies, this could be a difficult one to predict, but Betwhileyouredrunk.com are never afraid to take a view. They made Pete "Pigeon" Coupe the clear favourite after a solid Friday round playing off 5. He had to give everybody plenty of shots, but could they use them well enough?

Of course, ODCOC have a strict no gambling policy, and enforce it fiercely, so no money actually changed hands, but here are the odds anyway:
Coupe              4/7        
Ives                  2/1                                 
Cartwright        3/1                         
Talbot              4/1 
McDougall        6/1 
Hone                6/1  
Van der Merwe  8/1
Hay                  8/1
Maloney          10/1
Brownlee        12/1
Dunbar           12/1

Hicks              12/1
 

A picture paints...well two words really

A steaming sunny Saturday dawned and on the Mathern course, the greenkeepers prepared the ground, the players prepared themselves, and the pro shop staff prepared Mac's buggy. With his record breaking number of extra helpings at breakfast, health and safety concerns were raised, and the usual debate surfaced about the competitive advantages of using a buggy in a Bandit Trophy round, especially in searing heat. To avoid a three shot penalty, Mac was  eventually persuaded to display the appropriate signage on his buggy. 

 

Mac teed off in the first group with Hoss, in a rematch of their 2009 playoff. As expected, Mac  bowed to public expectations and attempted to drive the first green. The buzz of anticipation from the crowd was duly replaced with the rustle of leaves as he mis-hit it into the trees short and right. Mac was unshaken, declaring to the laughing hordes "I'll never drink Cointreau, and I'll never lay up". He then spent the round yawning with boredom every time Hoss hit a perfectly placed shot to the middle of the fairway, short of a hazard (well, both times).

 

Mac and Hoss were accompanied by another former champion in the shape of Dave "Ten Miles a Day These Days" Talbot, who was confident of going the distance this time, and first timer Stuart Hay. The remaining competitors followed them out on to the course, and the annual festival of banditry was underway. 

 

The Bandit Trophy atmosphere was a new experience for some, including Stu, who did well to keep his concentration amid all the banter from the three experienced bandits alongside him. Mac's tactics of non stop conversation appeared to be paying off when at one point on the 6th hole Stu completely forgot in which direction he had hit his last shot  and didn't even know where to begin looking for it. But he came through that mini crisis, ignored Mac's waffling for the rest of the round and turned in a great performance.

Longest Drive

Taking place at the 15th hole, the longest drive was very straightforward this year, with Pete Coupe showing his class, hitting a monster and collecting the prize without much threat from anyone. As they say in Wales: Llongyfarchiadau! ("Bloody well done!")

Nearest the Pin

This wasn't quite so simple.

The scene was the short uphill 11th, with imposing trees encroaching at each side to intimidate the players and snag errant balls. The 112 yard distance gave everyone a chance, but they would have to be straight. The slightest draw or fade, never mind hook or slice, would strike wood.
 

Group 1 teed off with Cartwright hitting a respectable 8 iron to about 25 feet. Not great, but the best of the four. As Bandit Trophy tradition dictates, he pulled out a random item from his golf bag and inserted it into the green to mark the spot - on this occasion it happened to be a scorecard, on which the words "Nearest the Pin" were written. Would anyone get inside it...or guess who had hit the contending shot?
 

Group 2 appeared and all hit into the trees.

Group 3 came through, and Derek Ives hit the green. Crucially however, he neglected to check whether he was nearer to the hole than the marker from previous groups, apparently under 2 misconceptions. Firstly, that if nobody in any of the previous groups had hit the green, they wouldn't have left an empty green and put the marker on the fairway, but would have placed it carefully on the green. Secondly, that in order to determine which shot was nearer the pin, it was necessary to know the name of the person whose ball had been marked.

So controversially, Ives returned to the clubhouse believing he had won the nearest the pin as the only player to hit the green. Debate raged for many hours as to the merits of his shot, the marker left by group one, and whether it should have had a name on it. A committee was formed to try and get a clear ruling on the subject.

The committee in serious and sober discussion

 

The committee's first report declared that what mattered was which ball was nearer the hole.

The committee's second report decided that they didn't give a toss whether Derek knew who left the marker, was his ball nearer?

The committee's third report concluded that they couldn't care less what proper golf societies do, this is the Bandit Trophy.

The committee's fourth report reported that it didn't matter whether it had a name on it or not, it only mattered which ball was nearer.

The committee's fifth report agreed that the whole thing was getting out of hand, we were going round in circles, and it was starting to spoil their enjoyment of dinner.

The matter was finally settled when a member of the public, known only as "Wendy", watching the event at home on television phoned in and confirmed that Derek's ball had indeed been nearer than Paul's marker. Derek Ives was confirmed as the Nearest the Pin winner. As they say in Wales - "Llongyfarchiadau!" ("Make sure you measure it next time!")

Hay makes it while the sun shines

When the results were finally in, it was Stuart Hay, in his first appearance, who ran out the Bandit Trophy winner with a superb round, notching 36 points playing off 25 (for the last time) and pipping the consistent Pete Coupe by a point.

 

Stu was particularly effective around the green and deserved his victory for staying focused and ignoring all the gamesmanship, goading, gloating and verbal jousting going on around him in his fourball. He triumphed in style and without attracting even the slightest suggestion (er...until now) that he had pulled off a handicap coup by scoring a mere 22 points on Friday. A few eyebrows were raised when officials of Betwhileyouredrunk.com were seen passing him glasses of Macallan later that evening, but the ODCOC committee declined to investigate, describing it as a "relief that Derek didn't win again".

Results of the 2014 Bandit Trophy:
1st   Stuart Hay       36 points
2nd  Pete Coupe       35 points
3rd  Alan Maloney     31 points

Well done Stu - great golf! We'll keep a closer eye on you next time! Can you do it again next year off 23?

 

The top three places were all filled by rookies - is this a new world order?
 Nice to see some higher scores than last year. How would they affect the Dacoity Cup?

2014 Dacoity Cup Day 1

The second Dacoity Cup was held from July 25-27 at St Pierre Chepstow in Wales between enlarged (don't worry Mac that's not a reference to you) six man teams from England and the Rest of The World. With teams being six men instead of 4, there were 3 fourballs and 6 singles matches totalling 9 points, on each day, making a total of 27 points available and 14 needed to win the Dacoity Cup. As the holders, England would retain the trophy if they reached 13.5 points. 

Day 1: Old Course

Tension mounted prior to tee off time on Friday as the 12 players prepared to take on the Old Course, a European Tour venue, but the opening day turned out to be one sided with England dominating as they had on the first day last year. 

Old Course 18th Hole (Courtesy of Maloney Images Ltd)

On a scorching hot afternoon, England skipper Derek Ives sent out 2 rookies, Ken Hicks and Pete Coupe, as his first pair, against Rest of the  World skipper Mike Dunbar (Scotland) attempting to lead from the front alongside rookie Alan Maloney (Ireland). Paul Cartwright and Alec Hone then took on Alan McDougall (Scotland) and Johann Van der Merwe (South Africa), before Derek, with Stuart Hay, went up against Vidal Brownlee (Spain) and Dave Talbot (Ireland).

 

The singles match ups, as usual, remained unknown until all matches were completed with each captain submitting his singles order to the Official Dacoity Cup Organising Committee (ODCOC) in secret, to be revealed after play. All fourballs matches are settled by combined Stableford points totals.

Fourball Results:

Hicks & Coupe 55pts beat Dunbar & Maloney 44pts

Cartwright & Hone 52pts beat McDougall & Van der Merwe 44pts

Ives & Hay 52pts beat Brownlee & Talbot 50

Old Course 15th Hole

So England swept the fourballs to take a 3-0 lead despite having 4 rookies in their side. The new boys got straight into the spirit and showed the pride in their country needed to perform in the Dacoity Cup. For the RoW, a pretend Irishman, a pretend Scotsman and a pretend Spaniard didn't get into their stride quite as quickly. Mac and Johann suffered a second straight opening day defeat together.

Singles Results:

Hay 22 lost to Brownlee 26

Cartwright 30 beat Van der Merwe 24

Hicks 19 lost to McDougall 20

Ives 30 beat Talbot 24

Coupe 36 beat Dunbar 22

Hone 22 halved with Maloney 22

The empty glasses tell the story

England won the singles by just 3.5 to 2.5, with ROW suggesting they could make the contest closer than last year. In particular, Mac was delighted to find that his abysmal 20 points was still good enough to gain a point over poor Ken. The final half from Alan the Ballyclare Kid, along with the encouragement from seeing Dave Talbot actually complete all 18 holes, seemed to raise their spirits and give them hope they could take the lead on Saturday.  Were England showing signs of complacency? This photograph appears to show captain Derek Ives celebrating the first day success with six pints of Smirnoff Ice. Was he being premature? Was it suitable preparation for the next two days? Was the pressure starting to get to him?
 

Score after Day 1: England 6.5 Rest of World 2.5

2014 Dacoity Cup Official Preview Part 2

A message from Split Bladder, President of ODCOC:

"On behalf of the Official Dacoity Cup Organising Committee, I would like to welcome you all to St Pierre Chepstow for this year's Dacoity Cup weekend. I know each and every one of you has spent several minutes honing your game specifically for this event. 

 

It is a very busy month for golf in Wales. At the beginning of July the Celebrity Cup was held at Celtic Manor Resort - a team event featuring many individuals not at all famed for their golfing ability.

 

This week, the prestigious links at Royal Porthcawl plays host to the Senior Open Championship, in which many golfers whose best days are 20-30 years behind them try desperately to get their hands on some silverware.

 

The Dacoity Cup weekend combines both of these, with team and individual competitions featuring both amateurs you won't have heard of and at the same time, has-beens.

 

I would like to thank our sponsors for once again supporting the event. Tipples of Hindhead are renowned for reasonable value wines and above average service, and we are grateful to them for the redundant stock they supply for prizes. Betwhileyouredrunk.com are a most reputable and fair betting company who we are proud to be associated with.

 

Finally I wish everyone luck for both their negotiations with the handicap committee and for the golf itself. May the best man win the Bandit Trophy, and may England win the Dacoity Cup!"


Ways to stop Derek Ives winning again

No. 6: "Play through"

 

Spot the difference
Sat in the spike bar after your round waiting for the last slow fourball to come in? We have just the thing for you. You could easily spend hours trying to spot the difference between these action photos of two top golfers. Good luck.



Paul Cartwright



Phil Mickelson

How to win under pressure, by Dave Talbot

So you've played 12 holes in the Bandit Trophy and you've got a good score going. You know if you can keep it going for the rest of your round it could be you holding the Bandit Trophy this year. It's easy to melt under that sort of pressure, so throw away your StrokeSaver, switch off your GPS Device, toss your lucky ball marker into the lake. What you need is a cool head, the ability to be decisive, and a clear game plan you can stick to when things get tight on the back nine with silverware at stake (not to mention the winnings from that bet you placed on yourself with Betwhileyouredrunk.com at 2am last night). 
 

 4 time Bandit Trophy winner and some say a future Rest of the World Captain, Dave Talbot (pictured), the other Dungannon Cannon, knows how to finish off a good round (as long as his leg isn't playing up), so we asked him to draw on his experience of winning and tell you how to navigate your way round the closing holes on the Mathern Course this year.

 

13th - 340yds Par 4

"A water hazard runs across this fairway diagonally from right to left, so you have to decide whether you can make the carry or lay up and go for the green with a longer club. I usually twat it."

14th - 422yds Par 4

"This hole also has a water hazard cutting across at about 230 yards so you have to really twat it. And then the second shot is uphill to an elevated green, so you have to twat that as well."

15th - 394 yards Par 4

"Plenty of open space here, which is why this is the Longest Drive competition hole. There is no option but to twat it"

16th - 362yds Par 4

"The fairway is a lot higher than the tee, up a steep slope, so make sure you twat it."

17th - 373yds Par 4

"It's about 240 to carry the only fairway bunker. If you play to the left of it you can be blocked out by trees on your approach so better to twat it right over the top."

18th - 184yds Par 3

"Nice short hole to finish, slightly uphill to a green protected by bunkers front and short right, and mounds around the back and left. If the pin is at the back of the green, just twat it, but if the pin is at the front between the bunkers you need to be really precise, but I still just twat it anyway."

 

There you go. It's easy to see how Dave has brought home the Bandit Trophy 4 separate times. Let's hope it works for you too. 

Let the golf begin...

So what awaits us in this years Dacoity Cup and Bandit Trophy?
In 1982 Greg Norman drove the 362 yard 10th on the Old Course with a 3 wood and went on to win. On the other hand, amateur Arwyn Griffiths once stood on the 18th tee needing a par 3 to record a course record 63 - he walked off with an eleven.
Will the Dacoity Cup competitors follow in the footsteps of Greg or Arwyn?
I think we all know the answer.

 

2014 Dacoity Cup Official Preview Part 1

Bandit Trophy's second time at St Pierre

Apparently the Crown Jewels were held in the Manor House at St Pierre during the battle of Agincourt. Valuable silverware returned there 604 years later almost to the day, in October 2009, when the Bandit Trophy was held on the Mathern Course. In 2014, St Pierre becomes the second venue to be used twice for the Bandit Trophy. In 2009, artificial Scotsman Alan McDougall beat Paul Cartwright in what became a 9 hole playoff over the Old Course on the Sunday morning when A-Mac, having come from behind to lead at the turn, declared that "Penny is expecting me home by 2, and its rather windy, so I'm off."

Mac has undergone a tough time since being the losing Dacoity Cup Captain at Celtic Manor last year. Shortly after the event, it was reported that he was allegedly caught out by the so called Secret Milkshake in an undercover sting operation. He appeared to be attempting to sell, at vastly inflated prices, various golf equipment he had purchased online after seeing them on late night golf shopping channels on satellite TV.

When asked whether he had regretted buying the Controller Iron for £56 (free post and packing), Mac simply replied "Who can honestly say they haven't regretted what they've paid for on the internet at times? If it was only a golf club then at least it can't keep calling you."

But during our interview, Mac was bullish about his chances of winning again on his return to St Pierre. "The Bandit Trophy is on the Mathern Course again and I know it like the back of my hand" he boasts. Had he heard about the changes to the course since last time then? "Yeah of course" he says, before adding after a slight pause "what changes?". The first 2 holes on each nine have been reversed so the 10th and 11th are now the 1st and 2nd, and vice versa, I tell him. He fails to see the significance. I point out that this means the first hole is now a short par 4 of just 240 yards. "Oh I see" he says, "You're trying to trick me into trying to drive the green aren't you well I'm not falling for that, there's a water hazard or something - I'm not falling for it."

No water hazard I inform him, just a few bunkers. One in the middle of the fairway but he can easily carry that I assure him. "Really?" he says, and his mind seems to drift off for a minute. "It would be quite a start to the Bandit Trophy" I tempt him - "an eagle!". His eyes glaze over for a second before he returns to the present. "No, you are not catching me out" he says, "3 Wood - middle of the fairway, that's the play - nice solid start."

"Dave Talbot would have a go" I tell him. "Probably Derek too. Hoss can definitely reach."

"Its a reckless shot choice they would be foolish to try it" huffs Mac dismissively. "Golf is about the whole round, not one big shot. My class will show through over 18 holes"

"But everyone knows that you're a big hitter Mac, they'll expect you to drive the green."

"Shut up, its too risky."

"Alright Mac if you're not brave enough to take it on then you're right a 3 Wood is the play"

"Not brave enough, don't you dare, I'll show you, I'll show you all, don't you dare suggest I would wimp out I'll get the Driver out and knock it on in one no problem I don't care how many bunkers there are, I'm longer than any of you, I'll take it on and I'll have you eating your words, you watch me, you'll see."

Can't wait to see it.

A Brief History of St Pierre

The Old Course used to be a deer park, but opened for golf in 1962. It was the venue for the Curtis Cup in 1980, the Solheim Cup in 1996, and the PGA Welsh Masters in 2000. The club has also hosted many European Tour events including the Epson Grand Prix of Europe from 1986 to 1991, and the British Masters on eight occasions between 1971 and 1983.

All of these events mean that despite also including Alan McDougall, the list of golfers who have won tournaments at St Pierre is very impressive, with no less than 6 European Ryder Cup Captains:

Bandit Trophy
2009 Alan McDougall -  Scotland
Epson Grand Prix of Europe
1991 José María Olazábal -  Spain
1990 Ian Woosnam -  Wales
Epson Grand Prix of Europe Matchplay Championship
1989 Seve Ballesteros -  Spain
1988 Bernhard Langer -  West Germany
1987 Mats Lanner -  Sweden
1986 Ove Sellberg -  Sweden
British Masters
1983 Ian Woosnam -  Wales
1982 Greg Norman -  Australia
1980 Bernhard Langer -  West Germany
1978 Tommy Horton -  England
1976 Baldovino Dassu -  Italy
1974 Bernard Gallacher -  Scotland
1973 Tony Jacklin -  England
1971 Maurice Bembridge -  England

A Letter From The Host Venue
3rd July 2014

Dear Mr Ives,

                        I am writing in response to your letter of 15th June. Whilst we at St Pierre do not normally involve ourselves in the specific arrangements of visiting golf societies, I was thoroughly moved by your emotional description of your condition.

 

To be so tragically affected in this way is extremely sad, and I must express my admiration for the determined and stoical way in which you appear to be dealing with it in order to continue to enjoy your life, and golf in particular.

 

I had no idea (and nor did any of my colleagues) that it was even possible for anyone to have such a serious allergic reaction to golf balls, and certainly did not appreciate what a devastating impact it can have on those afflicted.

 

How curious that the only known antidote should be a golf buggy. One wonders how on earth this was even discovered. Still, medical science has advanced so far, it seems there is no limit to human ingenuity. Nevertheless, what an amazingly simple and yet bizarre cure.

 

Even more amazing to me was the revelation that the beneficial effects of the golf buggy in neutralising your symptoms (though you omitted to describe exactly what the symptoms are - I assume they are too distressing) are themselves counteracted by the mere presence of any other buggies on the course at the same time as yours. 

 

However, such is our determination to welcome such an esteemed player as yourself (I did read the blog as you suggested), and such is our pride in hosting the Dacoity Cup, that I will accede to your request to make only one buggy available for the entire weekend, and guarantee you personal use of it for the three days you are staying with us.

 

Furthermore, to save the embarrassment of your fellow competitors, (they sound like truly wonderful companions going to such lengths to avoid drawing attention to your terrible allergy) I will be sure to fabricate an acceptable justification for being unable to allow anyone else to use a buggy for those three days. Even Mr McDougall will be unable to use one until he can produce a Scottish Passport!

I sincerely wish you an enjoyable stay,

Atad Gullyball
Manager, St Pierre Hotel and Country Club

2014 Dacoity Cup Teams announced

The teams for the 2014 Dacoity Cup are:

Holders England

Captain - Derek Ives : reappointed after his successful campaign in 2013 at Celtic Manor
Paul Cartwright
Pete Coupe
Alec Hone
Ken Hicks
Stuart Hay


Rest of the World:

Captain - Mike "The Elgin Marble" Dunbar (Scotland)
Alan "Meat Pasty" McDougall (Scotland - disgraced ex-captain after heavy defeat in 2013 and subsequent mail order golf equipment controversy)
Dave "The Other Dungannon Cannon" Talbot - Ireland
Johann "Transit" Van der Merwe" - South Africa
Vidal "Well I lived there for a bit" Brownlee - Spain
Alan "Am I Irish? Ask me twice to be sure" Maloney - Ireland

The Questions:

4 rookies in the England team, only one in ROW - can the more experienced side capture the cup?
Will the England team think of any nicknames for themselves?
Will they be as good as the ones ROW will think up for them?
Which Dave Talbot will turn up?
Can you really play to your handicap using only a 5 iron?
How many meat pasties can you fit in a golf bag?

To find the answers, see you at St Pierre, July 25th.

2014 DacoityCup Schedule unveiled

The Official Dacoity Cup Organising Committee  (O.D.C.O.C.) have confirmed the schedule for this years event, being held at Marriott St Pierre, Chepstow from 25-27 July.

 

The team competition takes place over all 3 days, with a 6 man England team defending the Dacoity Cup against a 6 man Rest of the World team.

The individual contest, for the Bandit Trophy, will take place on Saturday 26th July.

 

The full schedule is as follows:

Friday 25 July 

1pm  - Lunch and opening ceremony. For the benefit of Mac, the ceremony will be recorded so he can watch it on his arrival at 2.51pm.

2.52pm - 18 holes on The Old Course
9 Dacoity Cup matches - see "How it works" below

After play: Check-in at Marriott St Pierre Hotel and Country Club for 2 nights

9pm - Dinner will be served in Morgan's Restaurant, where you will be eating from a la Carte menu. (During busy periods you may be moved to the Zest Restaurant).  You will receive a dinner supplement of £25.00 in your package.  If you eat over this allocation, you would simply pay the hotel the difference.

10.30 Explain Dacoity Cup format to Mac
11.00 Rest of World team meeting as Mac thinks he has worked out the perfect tactics.
11.10 Take turns explaining the format to Mac again
11.30 Argument about handicaps
11.55 Anyone still awake will be harassed by a representative from Betwhileyouredrunk.com, official bookmaker for this years Bandit Trophy.

Saturday 26th July

8.45am Explain format to Mac.

9:20 - 18 holes on Mathern Course.

The 16th Bandit Trophy - Individual Stableford competition. 
9 Dacoity Cup matches

Nearest the Pin Competition on the 11th Hole Par 3 112 Yds: Ball must be on green to win.



Longest Drive Competition on the 15th Hole Par 4 394 Yds: Ball must be on fairway to win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3pm - Mike Dunbar's Magical Trickshot Show - all done using just a 5 iron! 

 

 

 

 

 

8pm - Dinner at Morgan's Restaurant

Presentation of the Bandit Trophy

9pm - Light hearted ribbing of opposition team's chances of winning, with menacing undercurrent of xenophobia and/or celtic superiority (optional, depending on Dacoity Cup scores)
10pm - Same argument about handicaps as last night, only earlier because we have already had a late night and 36 holes in 2 days.


Sunday 27th July

3.45am - Traditional Practice session, sponsored by Derek Ives Late Night Club Hire.

9:16am - 18 holes on The Old Course
9Dacoity Cup matches.
If the Bandit Trophy has been tied on Saturday a play off will be arranged.

By 12:00 - Check-out of Marriott St Pierre Hotel and Country Club

After play, Presentation of the Dacoity Cup to the winning Captain, followed by assorted varieties of gloating, boasting etc.

How the Dacoity Cup works
On each day there will be:
3 Fourball Combined Stableford matches - the pair with the highest combined stableford score wins the match.
6 singles Stableford matches

1 point awarded for each match. Halved matches = 1/2 a point each.
9 points available each day.

For the Fourball/Threeball matches, team captains submit their pairings and order in writing to the organising committee before play. The orders are matched up to determine who plays against who. However, no two players from the same team are permitted to play together more than once during the 3 days.

To create the singles games, each team captain will submit to the organising committee before play, their list of players in order. This draw will not be revealed until after play is completed, when the pairings will be announced, and therefore the results known.

This format is repeated on each day, meaning that a total of 27 points are available, and 14 points are needed for victory. England will retain the Dacoity Cup if they halve the match with 13.5 points.