Barnard Castle-based Ray Pipe and John Matthews added to their success story in team competition as they triumphed in the final of the National Club Golfer Top 100s Matchplay.
Ray and John – who won the Northern Golfer Match Play Pairs in 2023 and 2024 – beat more than 250 other pairs from around the country to win the event and a seven-night trip to the US – which includes two rounds at Bethpage, two rounds in Louisiana and a visit to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.
Darlington residents Ray and John began playing together at Blackwell Grange 30 years ago and joined Barnard Castle in 2020. This season they progressed through five rounds in the regional section of the competition before heading to Alwoodley as one of eight qualifiers and winning three matches over two days.
In the final, they faced a team from Scunthorpe and were 1dn at the halfway point before rallying on the back nine to complete their victory at the 16th hole.
Ray – a former catering company boss who was once a single-figure handicapper but now plays off 16 – said: “It’s fantastic to have found some more success with John.
“You don’t expect these things to come along at the age of 74 and it’s a privilege to experience events like this one and reach the later stages.
“Playing Alwoodley in the finals was a fantastic experience and our preparation, something we take seriously before every match, was essential as the greens were so tough to get our heads around.
“Our opponents in the final had a big crowd with them, which added a bit of pressure, but I think the audience growing on the back nine put them under more pressure than us. We just stuck to our gameplan and managed to get the job done to add the trophy to our growing collection.”
John – a 63-year-old retired police officer who plays off a handicap of seven – added: “It’s great to have some more success with Ray. The event was a fantastic experience all the way through – with some great matches in the regional rounds and at Alwoodley. It took some effort to play well at Alwoodley – particularly working out the incredible greens. We played to our strengths and battled hard as a team throughout the competition. We’re competitive and put in the legwork before we tee off – it’s brilliant when all the work pays off.”
