A hundred years ago John Beck, an Old Carthusian and GL ‘Susie’ Mellin of Malvern met for lunch at the Addington Golf Club and dreamt up the idea of an amateur golf tournament for old boys of British public schools. The first draw had 8 schools entered: Malvern, Charterhouse, Highgate, Mill Hill, Rugby, The Leys, Eton and Winchester (Downside joined 14 years later). According to the late, great Henry Longhurst (a member of the Old Carthusian winning team himself), after their lunch, Beck and Mellin then said now we just need ‘some bloody fool to present a cup…’ At that moment, in walked a chap called Halford Hewitt and the rest as they say is history.
Today The Halford Hewitt celebrates its Centenary year and is still the biggest amateur golf tournament in the world with 640 players thrashing away on the wonderful links of Deal and Sandwich (and Princes for those knocked out in the first and second rounds). For the last 10 years, the Downside team has been captained by Andy Borg (B91), one of the best players ever to play in the Hewitt and still playing off Plus 2 in his fifties. Mike Strickland (S72) deserves an honourable mention too as he has hardly missed a match since his debut in 1973 and is still good enough to make the team.
Christopher Grievson (Ra62), President of the OGGS who hosted the Downside table at the Grosvenor House Centenary Dinner said: ‘I was lucky enough to play in half a dozen Hewitts even though I didn’t make my debut until the age of 46 and it was always the highlight of my golfing year. I still go down every year to support the team and enjoy it now every bit as much as when I was playing. The standard is now so high – Loretto have won it three years running with a team exclusively made up of Plus handicaps so if you know of any OGs who have a category one handicap please let me or Andy know. I am delighted to hear we have at least 20 pupils playing golf every fortnight at the school so I look forward to seeing a few of them in future Hewitt teams.’
This year’s Halford Hewitt will take place from 11th to 14th April 2024. If you would like to join the OGGS (Old Gregorian Golfing Society), please get in touch with us via oldgregorians@downside.co.uk.
Mike McGann (Ra78)
In the photo are back row: Mike McGann (Ra78); Simon Stephens (S89); Dominic Hennessy (R90); Julian Walton (Ra64); Mike Strickland (S72); front row: Chris Manfield (U85); Phillip Stephens (S60); Chris Grievson (Ra62); Michael Liddell (B84); Stephen Reeve-Tucker (R69); missing from the photo are Julius Stephens (S64) and James Stephens ( 87) who also attended.