Royal Perth overcame long-time rivals Royal Fremantle to claim the Division 1 Men’s Pennants title at a wet and wild Cottesloe GC.

The capricious weather was a dominant factor from the get-go, with lightning activity causing a suspension of play just minutes after the matches commenced.

Heavy rains, water-logged greens and high winds also sapped energy levels and morale before a violent hailstorm and more lightning ultimately caused an early cessation of play.

It meant that finals of Divisions 1 and 3 (Wanneroo vs Lakelands) were decided on individual match scores after 27 holes rather than 36, and after just 18 holes for Division 2 (Bunbury vs Gosnells).

That notwithstanding, Royal Perth were excellent value for their victory. Having gone unbeaten all season, they had too much strength in depth for Royal Fremantle in the final as they ran away with a 5.5 – 1.5 win.

Their experienced trio of Andrew Brown, Peter Bennett and Craig Hoare led by example to put the first three points on the board for their team.

The dangerous Jamie Warman – back to something approaching his best after career-threatening injuries – made the match safe with a 3&1 win over Thomas Pyke, while a 1UP win for Aidan Hassan and a half for Corley McLernon added gloss to the score.

There was some consolation for Royal Fremantle, though, with Mitch Boorn overturning an early deficit in the top match against Jordan Jung to win 3UP.

Royal Perth’s victory was their first in Division 1 since 2015 and their 22nd overall in the history of the competition – equalling the record held by Royal Fremantle.

Despite the frantic conditions the final was played in, Royal Perth’s playing captain Peter Bennett had nothing but praise for his charges.

“We gelled as a team really nicely and went through the season undefeated, so you can’t ask for more than that,” he told GolfWA.

“They’re just a bunch of nice guys, who are so happy to hang out with each other and I think that camaraderie was the key for us this year.

“Myself and Brownie (Andrew Brown) are the stalwarts, but we’ve got some really good, young up-and-comers who contributed to the success, so maybe I can retire from playing now and watch from the sidelines on days like this!”

Weather wreaks havoc on finals day

Nine divisional finals were contested at Cottesloe, Lake Karrinyup and Melville Glades, with only two going the full distance.

Played over 18 holes, Divisions 5 and 8 went to WAGC and Hartfield respectively, but the inclement weather caused the postponement of the Division 6 and 7 finals, which will be completed at a future date.

In Division 3, Lakelands CC edged Wanneroo 4-3 based on the match state after 27 holes, while the Division 2 flag went to Gosnells in singular circumstances.

When play was suspended for a second time late in the day at Cottesloe, the match between Gosnells and Bunbury was delicately poised, with all but one individual match having completed 27 holes.

With lightning activity in the area and darkness falling, play was unable to resume. Given that not every match had completed 27 holes, the result was determined on the match scores after 18 holes, granting Gosnells the flag by a 4-3 margin.

Men’s Pennants Final results

Division 1: Royal Perth 5.5 – 1.5 Royal Fremantle Division 2: Gosnells 4 – 3 Bunbury Division 3: Lakelands 4 – 3 Wanneroo Division 4: Joondalup 4.5 – 2.5 Hartfield Division 5: WAGC 4 – 3 Melville Glades Division 6 North: Lakelands vs WAGC – match yet to be completed Division 6 South: Sea View vs Kwinana – match yet to be completed Division 7: Wanneroo vs Kwinana 2 – match yet to be completed Division 8: Hartfield 5 – 2 The Vines

You can view the season’s results to date here.