OAGS European Tour 2015
12 October 2015
The OAGS European Tour was the brainchild of Bob Coombes (SHE1944-47)and the first Tour was to Le Touquet in 1995. Bob organised the Tours every year until 2009 when he passed over the onerous task to Tim Stranack (SHE1952-56). Tim sadly passed away in 2012 and although he had made all the arrangements, the Tour that year had to be cancelled because Brittany Ferries sailings were suspended due to a strike. Since then, John Yule (SHE1966-71) has taken over the reins and is probably the most competent, charming, efficient and unflappable organiser you could ever hope to meet.This year, it was a wet Monday afternoon on 5th October that a sturdy group of 9 OA golfers set off in 4 cars from Liphook Golf Club in torrential rain (no golf there then!) for the night ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo. The intrepid explorers were:Robert Aram (P1950-55)Robert Buckley (P1946-50)Ian Eggleden (SHE1958-63)Neil Melvill (K1965-70)Peter Mobsby (SHE1952-57)Richard Morris (SHE1962-67)Nigel Prevost (SHO1949-54)Clive Simeons (SHO1952-56)John Yule (SHE1966-71)After a very good dinner and a short sleep, we drove to Dinan, a delightful medieval Breton market town where we would spend two nights in the Hotel D’Avagour on the top of the ramparts – well, we did actually have rooms. It was only 11 o’clock so we left our overnight bags and drove to Golf des Ormes for a (dry) round of golf, then back to Dinan for dinner at La Fleur de Sel. On Wednesday, we competed for the Prevost Salver, a beautiful piece of silver presented in 1998 by Nigel Prevost (SHO1949-54). It was a foursomes format played at Pleneuf Val Andre, a seaside course with stunning views. The quality of golf this year was astonishing with two pairs scoring 36 points and the other two amassing an impressive 39 points. After a countback, rookie tourer Richard Morris (SHE1962-67) and 83 years young Robert Buckley (P1946-50) emerged the winners from Neil Melvill and Ian Eggleden. The Salver was presented to the winners by Nigel Prevost (SHO1949-54) after dinner at the appropriately named Monsieur Robert restaurant.After checking out on Thursday morning, we drove to Dinard to play another beautiful seaside course and then on to Ouistreham for dinner before boarding the night ferry. We arrived at Portsmouth the next morning at 6.45, weary but satisfied that another OAGS Tour had been successfully completed.Thanks again to John Yule.