University Golf Club cruise to historic BUCS title

Following a dominant season, the team sealed the title with a stunning performance against Newport on Friday 1 February at the historic Celtic Manor near Cardiff.

Scholar Nick Wildman led the way with a consistent long game and outstanding chipping enabling him to comfortably overcome his Newport rival by the 15^th and give the University of Exeter the advantage from the outset.

Second man Danny Vallis quickly began to follow suit, gaining a three up advantage early on. Despite a challenging comeback from Newport Danny’s revitalised short game and exceptional putting on the 17^th put the University of Exeter two up from two and an incredibly strong position for the league.

Despite an unfortunate loss for Ben Leigh on the 17^th in match three, the team continued to show their strength. Club captain Laurie Potter continued his unbeaten streak for the league securing a decisive six and four victory; leaving the University of Exeter needing just half a point from the last two matches of the competition.

The first did not quite go according to plan with 1^st year Joe Davis struggling after a trip to the river and facing defeat on the 16^th, but medical student Chris Fleming sealed the deal in the last match, winning a close round that went down to the 17^th making the final score Exeter 4 – 2 Newport overall.

The monumental effort put the University Exeter at the top of the league table for the first time since 2007 having come second for the last two years. A fantastic 23 points from 10 matches saw the side lose only one match for the whole season and has put the Golf Club at number one in the national rankings.

Captain Laurie Potter commented: “Winning the league for the first time in 6 years is a massive boost for the team showing that the hard work and graft over the winter months was worth the effort. Finishing top of our league also puts us as a 'top 4 seed' in the BUCS knockouts, allowing us an easier route to the final where our quest for BUCS glory can hopefully become reality!”

Golf is one of the university’s focus sports offering golfers dedicated training and support throughout the year.

Performance Golf Manager Craig Townsend said “This is a fantastic achievement by the golf squad. They have worked extremely hard for this from pre-season during September in Scotland to training hard every Monday morning at 7.30am in the gym.

 Each player has improved as the season has progressed and with 10 players competing for the six man team each week rivalry has been fierce. They all love beating each other so it makes winning against other universities that bit easier! A huge thank you must go to Jon Langmead and Andy Lamour for the coaching and motivation on a weekly basis. The team are only half way up the mountain and will continue to strive for further honours. “

The BUCS competition sees 161 institutions compete in over 50 sports. The University of Exeter is currently lying fifth in the overall standings.