The Ledger

Match report:

DUGS assembled on Thursday evening at the Slieve Donard to find a Dermatologists Conference in progress but, notwithstanding 90% of conference attendees being female, DUGS maintained focus on Ledger preparation which, as usual, meant a long dinner followed by more than a few drinks.

Friday morning dawned with DUGS, QUGS, and UCDGS teams arriving at RCD. In a departure from past practice the UCDGS team had the correct number of players with the correct composition of handicaps. (Whether this follows the introduction of penalties for not so doing is a moot point.)

A lovely morning and a beautifully presented RCD links greeted the participants of the 33^rd Ledger. There could be no excuses for the sixsomes setting off from 8am. However by lunchtime excuses were needed as QUGS, dropping just 1/2 point in the morning matches, went into an overwhelming lead. DUGS took some little comfort, over a two-hour lunch, in having achieved more than three times the points of UCDGS.

Much fortified the afternoon sixsomes set forth, in more lovely weather, from 2pm. The long lunch clearly agreed with DUGS who staged a thrilling comeback. However QUGS morning lead proved too much to overcome and they emerged worthy winners, with DUGS a close second, and UCDGS a distant last.

There followed a long, very enjoyable, dinner which featured some fine speeches and, of course, the usual jokes. Later the RCD bar witnessed a budding ‘bromance’ as, arm in arm, Messrs (messers) Johnston and McNamara sang together – and this, allied to their earlier good performances, led to some speculation that (assuming future selection) the duo might constitute a ‘dream team’.

Some time later excited DUGS, QUGS, and UCDGS headed for the Slieve Donard in search of dermatologists. But alas, their conference having concluded, no dermatologists were to be found.