1st team v Norfolk

Some matchdays arrive carrying a little extra weight. This one, for reasons both personal and practical had a gravity all of its own.

Our venue, the stunning Collingtree Park Golf Club, stood in at short notice and delivered a top- class test of golf. The course was immaculate, the welcome warm. But from the outset, the day had a sense of the unpredictable and not just because of the weather forecast.

After two narrow defeats in our opening fixtures, we were still chasing that elusive first win of the season. Availability issues had left us stretched; club championships, last-minute withdrawals, and a few “indefinite sabbaticals.” The end result? I found myself playing for the Northamptonshire first team for the first time since 2019, somewhat poetically, against Norfolk, the county I captained last year.

It's fair to say that role changed me irrevocably and returning to play against that badge stirred something I’m not entirely sure I can articulate.

Morning Foursomes: Interruption, Intensity, and Grit

We set off under uncertain skies; dry, but on borrowed time. The rain arrived on the first hole. By the second green, the thunder was ominous. We played on, no siren, but by the fifth, with lightning in the air and the greens beginning to flood, common sense prevailed. I told my group I wouldn’t hit another shot. Norfolk’s captain agreed. We brought the players in.

We briefly considered scrapping the foursomes and going straight to singles, but the league rules gave us no such flexibility. A call to the administrator confirmed: foursomes must be completed. If singles can't finish by 8pm, the morning result stands. If any match is still live at 8pm, it’s halved.

So, at 11:30am, we had lunch. By 12:15, the rain had passed and we were back out, now staring down the barrel of nearly 30 holes in a row. It wasn’t ideal, but this group is made of tougher stuff than that.

Foursomes Results

Match 1: Jensen Parfitt & Ryan Genner beat Matt Strudwick & Sean Rafferty (5&3)

Before the weather halted play, our pair were already 3 up and never looked like losing their grip. Jensen, composed and confident on home turf, made the course look simple. Ryan putted with a touch of genius. They picked up where they left off and closed things out clinically. In truth, it could have been more.

Match 2: Fraser Carnihan & Torin Little beat Callum Rana & Brandon Hobley (1 up)

An intriguing mix of youthful fire and seasoned calm, this was a pairing that clicked. Fraser set the tone; clear-headed, composed, the steady hand. Torin, wildly gifted but still maturing in foursomes play, delivered in flashes. He drove the green at 10. He took on shots most wouldn’t but then did was he was told. The match ebbed and flowed, but our pair edged ahead late and clung on at the last to get the job done. Hard-earned and well deserved.

Match 3: Liam McNeela & Chris White def. Scott Sealey & Tom Rutherford (2&1)

This was a grind. Liam and I got off to a strong start birdie at the 1st both before and after the delay but struggled to convert it into a cushion. The key moment came on 14. After I hit a poor tee shot, Liam somehow manufactured a 15-footer from under a tree. Norfolk were four feet away and looking

like they were about to go 2up with 5 to play. I holed, they missed. A match-defining swing. We rode that momentum to the finish, winning the next two holes to win the match. I can’t say enough about Liam; his character, his calm, his sheer class. He dragged me along.

Match 4: Max Faulkner & Jordan Darnell halved with Nic Sperrin & Scott Wright

Solid, composed, and always just ahead, Max and Jordan looked to be cruising. But golf can be cruel. They were pegged back at the last, conceding a narrow win with a tough finish. Still, a half point on the board and a performance full of promise.

Lunch score: Northamptonshire 3.5 – Norfolk 0.5

And just like that, we had a foothold. The rain could fall again, the lightning could return, in fact, rain as much as you want! We were well in control.

Afternoon Singles: More Rain, More Holes and a Captain’s Catharsis

With foursomes finished, it was straight into the singles. No time to reset. Just refocus, rehydrate and go again. I had to write the order blind, without a single match completed, and every player now had a marathon of golf ahead. Not easy. But we were here to win.

Match 1: Jensen Parfitt beat Matt Strudwick (3&1)

Jensen was flawless. The kind of round where nothing looks rushed and every shot seems easy. The course fits him like a glove. Calm. Commanding. Unbothered. If you want a blueprint for how to deliver on home soil, it looked like this. Inevitable.

Match 2: Torin Little beat Sean Rafferty (2&1)

Torin delivered in full. He holed a long putt at 17 to close it out, and did so with a cheeky wink to our president, Catherine, who’d been quietly watching. He played with confidence, handled his business, and somehow even convinced his opponent to hand over his driver to Norfolk’s captain during the round. Maximum points returned. Maximum swagger. Exactly what I’d hoped he’d be.

Match 3: Fraser Carnihan halved with Brandon Hobley

Fraser took control early but couldn’t quite put the game away. Brandon’s putter came alive late, and while a half-point was perhaps fair, Fraser may feel a touch frustrated not to have converted the win. Still, unbeaten this season and that speaks volumes.

Score now: Northamptonshire 6 – Norfolk 1

Just half a point needed. But we weren’t done yet.

Match 4: Liam McNeela lost to Callum Rana (1 down)

This one got away. Liam, running on fumes after 30 holes, fought to the end, but a few missteps on the greens cost him. It’s a reminder of how brutal this format can be and how small margins become decisive late in the day.

Match 5: Ryan Genner beat Scott Sealey (2&1)

Clinical. Ryan wrapped up a perfect day with another impressive display. Calm under pressure, efficient through the turn, and unshakeable down the stretch. He sealed the team victory and once again proved what a key figure he is for this group.

Match 6: Jordan Darnell beat Tom Rutherford (5&4)

Jordan came flying out of the blocks and never looked back. Confident, sharp, and ruthless; this was as dominant a win as you’ll see at this level. A statement performance and a real highlight.

Score now: Northamptonshire 8 – Norfolk 2

The job was done. The rest was pride.

Match 7: Max Faulkner lost to Nic Sperrin (3&2)

Max had a nightmare start, 3 down through 3, but clawed his way back into the game with some outrageous up-and-downs. Ultimately, the early deficit proved too much. Gutsy stuff, and there’ll be many more to come from Max.

Match 8: Chris White lost to Scott Wright (3&2)

For 11 holes, I was in control. Birdies at 9 and 11 had me 2 up. But my opponent responded with birdies at 12 and 13 and then I proceeded to three-putt my way home.

Golf, eh?

It’s hard to describe how it felt to put the badge back on. Part pride. Part pain. I’m not the golfer I once was. The swing is different. The putter, stubbornly uncooperative. But it mattered to me. And when the team needed a name on the sheet, I said yes. It may be a while before I do it again, but I’ll carry the memory, and the bruises, for a long time.

Closing Thoughts

To President Catherine Tildesley and Team Manager Rob Fredericks; your unwavering support, especially on days when the road is a little steeper, is never taken for granted. Thank you, truly. You help hold the whole thing together.

To Norfolk: I hold a lot of respect for the players, the captain, and everything that county means. You don’t just play the game the right way, you carry yourselves with dignity, and I wish you well going forward.

To my Northamptonshire side: thank you. For making this feel like home again. For grafting when the day got long, wet and heavy. For playing with heart, discipline and resilience. You gave me something I really needed.

I’ll be honest. I’ve found this game hard for a while now. It takes a lot out of you, especially when your relationship with it shifts in ways you can’t always explain or control. Sometimes it feels like the more you care, the more it slips through your fingers. But then, occasionally, golf gives you something back. A win. A moment. A glimpse of the player, the person, you once were, or maybe still are underneath it all.

Sunday was one of those days.

Leadership can be lonely. Playing again reminded me just how fragile confidence can be. But also how much this team, this badge, still means to me. And that’s enough to keep going.

Golf is rarely about perfection. More often, it's about persistence. It’s about accepting the rain, the mud, the mistakes and still turning up with a bit of purpose. Whatever has gone before, we always have the chance to start again.

That’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t just test you. It offers you redemption.

Onwards.

Chris White
Northamptonshire 1st Team Captain.