| The Royal Society of Saint George |
| Jakarta Branch |
 |
The competition venue was Riverside, and as the English line looked across at the Scots there was many a below-the-belt comments like, “hope
the Yanks thrash your asses tonight at the footy”. As history has told, the English did get a moral kicking, but this was far from our thoughts as we
lined up on the first tee.
The games remained virtually rain-free, with only a smattering toward the end. The course at Riverside, as ever, presented a challenge, both for
its terrain and bunkers which are seriously to be avoided. The result of the matches was eight points to two to St. George's, which obviously
reflected the professionalism and golfing expertise of the team.
As a member of the team, I would like to thank our skipper Jeremy Dyer, Geoff Thompson, Norman Bunter, Kevin Millward, Keith Potter, Steve
Curtis, David Foster, Julian Wilson and Anthony King.
Our commiserations to the runners-up, who, I am sure, will come back strongly next time. Skipper Greg Beal, Ray Massie, Ronny Steele, Scott
Younger, Greg Lynch, Andrew Bradley, Mark Aitken, Tom Kerr, Rick Bowler and Ray Grant.
The handing over of the Cup and the traditional dram was followed by a small prize-giving for the Stableford competition which was won by Brian
Cameron. After a few more beers, the proceedings adjourned to the Satu Lagi Bar at the Kristal Hotel to watch England draw with America in the
World Cup opener. I wonder who the Scots were cheering for.
The next match, to be organized by the Java St. Andrew Society, will be in November.
Rex M. Whistler
President RSSG Jakarta.
A Rather Sad Tale of a Thompson Cup Residing in England.
For those few who have missed the cut and thrust of the auld enemy versus the Scots, I can report that the English gave them a serious drubbing on
12 June when the two sides met for the spring meeting and, as the song goes, “sent them home to think again”. It’s all good banter really and the
matches are played in the best of spirit. As Elaine Cameron the honorable JSAS Chieftain was quoted as saying, “Spirit is the operative word”.
For those few who have missed the cut and thrust of the auld enemy versus the Scots, I can report that the English gave them a serious drubbing on
12 June when the two sides met for the spring meeting and, as the song goes, “sent them home to think again”. It’s all good banter really and the
matches are played in the best of spirit. As Elaine Cameron the honorable JSAS Chieftain was quoted as saying, “Spirit is the operative word”.
The Thompson Cup was presented by Peter Thompson the President of the Royal Society of St
George in 1974, but no records exist of the early years. The 'New Era' can be traced from 1986
when it was engraved after each match. A glance at the cup, which looks somewhat the worse for
wear having survived a total of 48 matches over the years, suggests that many a good dram has
been sipped from its battered brim. A further statistic, if you are interested in such things, is that, in
that time, the cup has been won by the English a total of 25 times, and 19 times by the Scots.
There have been 4 recorded draws.
What purports to be a relatively serious golf competition, in reality is an excuse for good-natured
abuse between the Scots and the English in the name of a Cup and the bragging rights for a few
months. Seeing some of the golf played this last weekend, I use the word “golf” reservedly.
As President of the Royal Society of St George, it is, of course, below my standing in the community
to actually captain this rabble, so the dubious honour, and one might say the “cudgel” has been
taken up by Jeremy Dyer. I am pleased to say that Jeremy’s first outing as Captain was a
resounding success. However, the English did not get it all their own way, with serious support for
the Scottish team coming from “Chiefy Elaine” and her supporters, who cheered things along with a
few Bloody Marys
The Scots were also under new management, and obviously thought their need to return to form
could emulate the successful Ryder Cup team from the USA by appointing an American, Greg Beal,
as Captain. It turns out that actually he is a very likable chap for a Yank, although his choice of
protagonists is obviously a work in progress. Somehow even the cunning use of loud bagpipes on
the first tee, and Ronnie Steel camouflaged as a golfer and trying to drag the English to submission
with such utterances as “See you, Jimmy, tha's no a handicap, son”, did not detract from the
English win.