Winter Pairs Knock-out Final 2025-26
Match Report
The final of the Winter Pairs Knockout was contested between Tony Dienn / Nic Tilsley and Dan Downes / Richard Bates on Saturday 28th March and it turned out to be a closely contested match that swung back and forth before being decided on the final hole.
The opening exchanges set the tone, with Nic and Tony taking early control securing wins on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th holes to go 4 up, before Rich produced a superb birdie to claim the 7th. The remaining holes on the front nine were tightly fought with Nic calmly rolling in a 10-foot putt to secure a half on the 8th before both Dan and Tony made impressive pars from the trees to half the 9th hole meaning the turn was reached with Nic and Tony 3 up.
The back nine, however, saw momentum begin to shift with Rich striking first by winning the 10th. With the pressure building Tony and Nic steadied things with halves on the 11 and 12 before a composed par on the 13th from Tony restored their 3 hole cushion. With 5 holes remaining Dan responded with a well-earned par on hole 14 to reduce the deficit to 2 and, with the tension ramping up, the 15th was halved before Dan and Rich won holes 16 and 17 leaving the match all-square as they stood on the 18th tee.
The final hole delivered plenty of drama. With 3 players finding the fairway off the tee, Dan was unfortunate to lose his ball. Rich’s approach then went astray towards the bypass, opening the door for Tony and Nic. It was Tony who played a smart shot to the front of the green and followed it with a delicate chip to tap-in range with his third. With that, Dan and Rich conceded the hole and Nic and Tony secured a hard-fought victory 1up.
Cover Picture shows the winners Tony Dienn and Nic Tilsley with the Trophy