Essendon Country Club – Women’s Ovaltine Scratch League Champions 2023

ESSENDON COUNTRY CLUB ‘A’ TEAM – WOMEN’S OVALTINE SCRATCH LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 2023, PICTURED WITH LORNA HALL OF HERTFORDSHIRE GOLF

The end of season Women’s Ovaltine Scratch League Finals Day took place yesterday afternoon (Sunday 15th October) at Sandy Lodge Golf Club. Four divisional finals took place with 5 a side singles matches played off scratch to determine our winning clubs. In Division 1 Essendon A played against defending Champions Bishop’s Stortford A, in Division 2 Knebworth played against East Herts A, in Division 3 West Herts played against Harpenden B and finally in Division 4 The Melbourne Club took on Letchworth B. 

The matches were played in glorious autumnal sunshine, albeit in much cooler temperatures than the previous few weekends. 

The course, always one of the most enjoyed and revered in the County, was playing very well and the greens in particular were running at a good pace and true roll. 

The top match in the Division 1 final was between the respective Team Captains, Jackie Foster of Bishop’s Stortford and Elaine Ratcliffe of Essendon. Jackie was freshly returning from Scottsdale, Arizona, where she played in the US Women’s Senior Amateur Championship. Jackie had qualified through her excellent win in the British Women’s Senior Amateur Championship at Woodhall Spa earlier in the year. Jackie qualified through in the strokeplay stages but was defeated in the Round of 16 of the matchplay stages. On this day however it was ex Curtis Cup Captain Elaine who won the match and take the point for Essendon. The 2nd match out went to the 19th hole to be decided which went the way of Riya Chandaria of Essendon and when Janine Cicchirillo added a third point for Essendon in the forth match the tie was effectively over and Essendon had won the Division 1 title for the first time in their history. Its been an excellent week for Essendon after Sarah Marley & the aformentioned Riya won the Powell Cup title, the knockout Foursomes event played across the season, as part of the County Finals Day event the previous weekend at Berkhamsted. 

The Division 2 title was won by East Herts A , Division 3 by West Herts and Division 4 by The Melbourne Club. 

Congratulations to all those who took part in the event by qualifying through and we look forward to the 2024 season of the Ovaltine League, after a hopefully short winter abeyance.