The Prince Arthur Cup

This is by far and away the most prestigious competition for Livery Companies. Whilst there are now just over 100 Companies, only 54 of them are allowed to enter a team of 4 each year. Relegation is a permanent fear. With 216 golfers taking part every year this is believed to be the largest amateur tournament in England. The magnificent trophy was displayed at last year’s Sporting Dinner.

Non-golfers will not understand the format – bogey foursomes over 36 holes – so let me just say this is arguably the most difficult format to play, with the result that a plus score is a dream and the bottom score is usually anything from -30 to -50. The winning score is usually only just in plus territory.

In 2005 when weather conditions were atrocious the winning score was -12!! (we were -22, a great performance).

This year there were some new faces in the team, partly as a result of injuries to some of our regulars. The team comprised Patrick King, Mark Savill, Adam Walker and Keith Baker. Weather conditions were perfect, light wind, cloudy in the morning and mostly sunny in the afternoon. This resulted in some very good scores with the winners (the Spectacle Makers) coming in at +8, believed to be a record high.

Our first pair of Patrick and Mark was wonderfully consistent, -1 in the morning and -1 in the afternoon, which caused a small increase in their bank balance from the second pairing of Adam and Keith, who struggled a little to find consistency. However, they managed -5 in the morning and, aided by some lunchtime lubrication, improved to -2 in the afternoon.

A bit like fishermen, the after-play chat was all about “the one that got away”. So, overall, our final score was -9, which is the Company’s best known result for several years and significantly better than even the only occasion on which the Company won the trophy (in the late 1940s)!!

We have a good spirit amongst our golfers and the desire to be a member of the Prince Arthur Team grows each year as a treasured privilege. Many Livery Companies even have a selection competition, so let no one rest on their laurels!!

Thank you Team for a great performance in 2010.