Pitcher Win for ESN
4-1 WIN IN FINAL - full report
East Sussex National win the Pyecombe Pitcher
Match Result: ESN 4 vs 1 Mid-Sussex Golf Club
Josh Hardy had the honour of holing the winning putt for birdie on the 18th hole at Pyecombe as ESN lifted the Pitcher trophy for the first time since 2019 and for the third time since the inaugural series in 2008.
Conditions were benign at the Brighton course, but it remained a tricky test with only two pairs finishing under par.
It is easy to see why the host venue have a strong scratch team as the course demands accurate ball striking off the tee and controlled irons into both raised and punchbowl greens.
Lead pair Mark Earley and Lee Sexton made a solid start with Lee making birdies on the tricky 3rd and 7th holes. Mark then hit shot of the day to 3ft on the 220 yard par three 13th with a 3 wood to set up a 5 shot victory against a Mid-Sussex pair that had not lost for two years. Score 70 – 75.
Next up were big hitting duo Kieran Doherty and Brett Johnson who overpowered Mid-Sussex’s most consistent player Damon Raikes and his partner Michael Blake. Damon hit a fantastic iron to 3ft on the 8th hole and Brett responded with a shot to the heart of the green. His lag putt set up par and forced a miss from Damon. Kieran hit a fantastic four iron to 8ft on the 13th hole which was only eclipsed by Mark’s 3 wood for shot of the day. A grinding win against a tough pair 73/76.
Ethan Randall and Steve Love encountered a wall of birdies as Mid-Sussex rolled the dice and played two Cat 1s in the key 3rd group out. Plus handicap Sussex County championship semi-finalist Oscar Dobson was easily matched by his 4 hcp playing partner Mark Portlock who birdied 7, 8 and 9 to take the match away from the ESN duo despite a solid round. Score 73/70
The Mid-Sussex line-up gamble did not pay-off due to the effort of the first two ESN pairs and it was left to Josh Hardy and Marcus Opoku to deliver the victory with a 74/79 result against their Mid-Sussex opponents. Marcus got the ball rolling with a great chip on the 2nd hole to leave a short putt for par and Josh brought the trophy home with an up and down for the ages from a heavy lie while short-sided on the 18th hole.
Dean Plant and Stuart Booth went out as the ESN anchor pair but with Mid-Sx front-loading it meant that they were never really threatened in their match. It was all square after 12 holes with though, with some dogged play by the out-gunned Mid-Sx pair. Dean birdied the 18th hole with an 8-footer down the slope for a winning score of 74 versus 78.
A big thank you to everyone who has supported the Pyecombe Pitcher team this year. It has been a long season, which started with a pre-season get together at a very chilly London Club in March.
It’s been an honour to Captain the team and help ensure that ESN’s name is engraved on the trophy once more.
If you are interested in playing for the Pitcher team next season, please let me know via the club V1 app or in person.
Mark Campbell – Pyecombe Pitcher Team Captain.
List of awards and player appearances during the season below:
Awards:
Player of the Season: Mark Earley (pictured 3rd right). Ever present and ever reliable, Mr Consistent and a true team player, Mark was top points scorer with 4.5 points out of 6.
Shot of the Season: Marcus Opoku, 16th Hole at Cowdray. I would describe it in detail here, but I am sure Marcus will be happy to take you through a blow-by-blow account when you next see him . A truly magnificent blind pitch out of heavy rough to a few feet to set up birdie and a win.
Special Mention to Lee Sexton’s approach to 18 West against Littlehampton which set up the win and was extremely classy.
Pair of the Season: Mark Earley and Lee Sexton. Who else? If this pair don’t enter all SGU events available to them in 2025 then they are surely denying themselves some silverware. Undefeated and unplayable.
Up and Down of the Season: If there has to be a season defining moment then this is it, with the match finely balanced at Cowdray and coming up the last one shot down in the 3rd group, Ethan’s approach ran through the back of the green into long wispy grass. A delicate chip was required, Ethan pulled it off and holed the putt for par and a much need half to get 2 points on the board.
Win of the season: Kieran Doherty and Brett Johnson. The big hitting duo beat Piltdown’s best player +2 hcp Luke Crampton and his partner in the semi-final against Piltdown and this was a pivotal victory for the team and the momentum of the match.
Full list of Appearances:
6 Mark Earley
Lee Sexton
5 Marcus Opoku
Josh Hardy
Ethan Randall
4 Dean Plant
Brett Johnson
Ryan Wickens
3 Kieran Doherty
2 Steve Love
Stuart Booth
Mark Campbell
Jon Stern
Steve Graham
Lee Drew
1 Neil Gray
Nigel Webb
Tom Aye-Moung
Lawrie Richards
Jordi Southgate
Ross White
Marcus and Lee Sexton were runners-up for points scored at 4 each.
Match Result: ESN 4 vs 1 Mid-Sussex Golf Club
Josh Hardy had the honour of holing the winning putt for birdie on the 18th hole at Pyecombe as ESN lifted the Pitcher trophy for the first time since 2019 and for the third time since the inaugural series in 2008.
Conditions were benign at the Brighton course, but it remained a tricky test with only two pairs finishing under par.
It is easy to see why the host venue have a strong scratch team as the course demands accurate ball striking off the tee and controlled irons into both raised and punchbowl greens.
Lead pair Mark Earley and Lee Sexton made a solid start with Lee making birdies on the tricky 3rd and 7th holes. Mark then hit shot of the day to 3ft on the 220 yard par three 13th with a 3 wood to set up a 5 shot victory against a Mid-Sussex pair that had not lost for two years. Score 70 – 75.
Next up were big hitting duo Kieran Doherty and Brett Johnson who overpowered Mid-Sussex’s most consistent player Damon Raikes and his partner Michael Blake. Damon hit a fantastic iron to 3ft on the 8th hole and Brett responded with a shot to the heart of the green. His lag putt set up par and forced a miss from Damon. Kieran hit a fantastic four iron to 8ft on the 13th hole which was only eclipsed by Mark’s 3 wood for shot of the day. A grinding win against a tough pair 73/76.
Ethan Randall and Steve Love encountered a wall of birdies as Mid-Sussex rolled the dice and played two Cat 1s in the key 3rd group out. Plus handicap Sussex County championship semi-finalist Oscar Dobson was easily matched by his 4 hcp playing partner Mark Portlock who birdied 7, 8 and 9 to take the match away from the ESN duo despite a solid round. Score 73/70
The Mid-Sussex line-up gamble did not pay-off due to the effort of the first two ESN pairs and it was left to Josh Hardy and Marcus Opoku to deliver the victory with a 74/79 result against their Mid-Sussex opponents. Marcus got the ball rolling with a great chip on the 2nd hole to leave a short putt for par and Josh brought the trophy home with an up and down for the ages from a heavy lie while short-sided on the 18th hole.
Dean Plant and Stuart Booth went out as the ESN anchor pair but with Mid-Sx front-loading it meant that they were never really threatened in their match. It was all square after 12 holes with though, with some dogged play by the out-gunned Mid-Sx pair. Dean birdied the 18th hole with an 8-footer down the slope for a winning score of 74 versus 78.
A big thank you to everyone who has supported the Pyecombe Pitcher team this year. It has been a long season, which started with a pre-season get together at a very chilly London Club in March.
It’s been an honour to Captain the team and help ensure that ESN’s name is engraved on the trophy once more.
If you are interested in playing for the Pitcher team next season, please let me know via the club V1 app or in person.
Mark Campbell – Pyecombe Pitcher Team Captain.
List of awards and player appearances during the season below:
Awards:
Player of the Season: Mark Earley (pictured 3rd right). Ever present and ever reliable, Mr Consistent and a true team player, Mark was top points scorer with 4.5 points out of 6.
Shot of the Season: Marcus Opoku, 16th Hole at Cowdray. I would describe it in detail here, but I am sure Marcus will be happy to take you through a blow-by-blow account when you next see him . A truly magnificent blind pitch out of heavy rough to a few feet to set up birdie and a win.
Special Mention to Lee Sexton’s approach to 18 West against Littlehampton which set up the win and was extremely classy.
Pair of the Season: Mark Earley and Lee Sexton. Who else? If this pair don’t enter all SGU events available to them in 2025 then they are surely denying themselves some silverware. Undefeated and unplayable.
Up and Down of the Season: If there has to be a season defining moment then this is it, with the match finely balanced at Cowdray and coming up the last one shot down in the 3rd group, Ethan’s approach ran through the back of the green into long wispy grass. A delicate chip was required, Ethan pulled it off and holed the putt for par and a much need half to get 2 points on the board.
Win of the season: Kieran Doherty and Brett Johnson. The big hitting duo beat Piltdown’s best player +2 hcp Luke Crampton and his partner in the semi-final against Piltdown and this was a pivotal victory for the team and the momentum of the match.
Full list of Appearances:
6 Mark Earley
Lee Sexton
5 Marcus Opoku
Josh Hardy
Ethan Randall
4 Dean Plant
Brett Johnson
Ryan Wickens
3 Kieran Doherty
2 Steve Love
Stuart Booth
Mark Campbell
Jon Stern
Steve Graham
Lee Drew
1 Neil Gray
Nigel Webb
Tom Aye-Moung
Lawrie Richards
Jordi Southgate
Ross White
Marcus and Lee Sexton were runners-up for points scored at 4 each.