eWith both sides struggling to turn out 12 players in the post-Brexit frenzy, this annual match ended up with 11-a-side for the first time.

Flaming June! Porters Park has never looked greener or the rough lusher than it did today. The fairways were allowing little run or bounce, the bunkers were soaked and the greens still quite fast. The weather, however, was reasonably bearable with a gusty wind but only a few spots of rain. The morning session had to be played as a single, with Colin Griffiths heading the charge, followed by five greensomes. It was a close affair with the match poised at 3 1/2 to 2 1/2 at lunch. 

During the break the heavens opened and although 41 matches at Wimbledon were cancelled the stalwarts decided to try to play 15 hole of singles in the afternoon. The LMEGA may have been trying to empathise with England's performance against Iceland, all but one of the singles going to the Stock Exchange, with the only LMEGA win going to James Clark, the one LMEGA player used to played in gusty rain, coming as he does from Aberdeen! 

With the final result going 13 1/2 to 3 1/2 this was one of the heaviest defeats the LMEGA has suffered at the hands of the LSE. We now have to play against the LSE again on 15th July in the annual City Quadrilateral competition at Effingham. Let's hope for better weather, better golf and a better result.

Once again, Moor Park GC hosted this 52nd match between these competitive teams and conditions were wonderful after the torrential downpour of the previous day.

The match kicked off with fourball better balls over 15 holes of the High Course. Unfortunately, due to absence and illness this was modified so that in two matches one player played two of the other side. The only accommodation by common consent was that the single took two drives and played the better one from there. At luncheon the scores were level at 2-2 with everything to play for in what would now be seven afternoon singles.

The singles were played over the West Course, the last six holes of which none of us had ever seen, as in previous years matches were only played over the first twelve. By common consent it was decided to retain the format next year.

As the results began to drift in the scores looked to be closer than the Brexit referendum. Dominic Boyle, Allan Kerr and Captain Ashok Singhania all won, but it wasn't enough and as the last results came in the LMEGA had failed to regain the trophy by a single point 6-5.

The annual match against LISEGS was played at Berkhamsted in steamy, almost tropical conditions, threatening thunder at any moment, although none came, thank goodness. Fortunately for many, Berkhamsted has no sand bunkers, sand not being native to the common. 

LISEGS brought with them the Beckermet Trophy, a magnificent lump of iron ore that came from the West Cumberland Iron Field that flourished between 1903 and 1973. 

The match opened with a Greensomes competition which ended 3 1/2 to 1/2 in favour of the LME, the half being a brilliant fightback by LISEGS from dormie three down. The other three matches were all won 4 and 3.

Sadly, this was in a losing cause, the afternoon singles falling to the LMEGA despite two victories by LISEGS and a half by Seamus O'Connell. in the other five matches Neal Avent (4&3), Derek Raphael (5&4), Allan Kerr (4&2), Steven Spencer (6&4) and your Captain, Ashok Singhania (6&4) all won convincingly making the afternoon score 5 1/2 - 2 1/2 and the final result 9 - 3 to the LMEGA.

The trophy thus returns to Finsbury Square where it may be gazed upon by and hopefully incentivise members to turn out for matches in future.