WINNERS!
Exeter Golf & Country Club Crowned 2026 East Devon League Champions
Exeter Golf & Country Club’s East Devon League Team have been crowned 2026 League Champions after a thrilling final round against Honiton at Exminster Golf Club on Saturday 3rd October.
Going into the final round, Exeter were in a strong position at the top of the table, knowing that a positive result would put them within touching distance of securing the title.The team delivered when it mattered most, pipping Honiton 3-2 in the final round to secure the 2026 East Devon League title by three points.
It caps off an outstanding season for Exeter, who have already lifted the Hamish Marshall Trophy earlier in the campaign. With the League Title now added to their collection, the team have their sights firmly set on completing an impressive treble.
Captain Jamie Broom was understandably delighted with the achievement. “I am over the moon with this result. It has culminated in a great season for our whole squad, having already won the Hamish Marshall Trophy and now bagging the League Title too. it’s given us a great chance of completing a clean sweep and doing the Treble, with us competing for the Dartington Trophy on our home course. That’s our next target!”
With the Dartington Trophy now firmly in their sights, the Exeter team will be hoping to finish the season in style when they compete for the final piece of silverware on home turf on Sunday 18th October.
Back Row from Left : Neil Whittaker (VC), Bobby Wickes, Jeff Densham, Jamie Broom (C), Justin Powlesland (Club Captain), Adam Hull, Matt Arnold.
Front Row from Left : Badder Alfaresi, George Burningham, Dave Roddick, Kev Cole.
Exe League Champs - Three Years Running
The final match of the season at Woodbury Park was set to be a cracker, with three of the four teams still in contention for the league title going into the final round. Having won the previous two years Exeter were aiming to complete a historic triple and an unachieved “Threepeat”.
At the start of the final day, Exeter were level in second place with East Devon on seven league points, following a tie for second with Tiverton in the penultimate round. The task was clear, Exeter needed to finish at least two places above Tiverton and one place above East Devon to retain the title. With strong performances from a wide range of players across the season selection was far from easy. With a few players narrowly missing out on selection the results for the team on the day were:
Wayne Chant & George Burningham 30 points, Kev Cole & Gavin Roberts 35 points, Jack Parry & Mark Crouch 31 points. That gave Exeter 96 points at halfway, sitting third in the table but with only a handful of points separating all four clubs. The 4BBB pairings then produced some excellent scoring. 37 points from Iain Crombie and Ross Hollingdale, and a brilliant 45 points from Guy Durant and Jeff Densham moved Exeter right into contention.
With one pair from each club still out on the course, Exeter and Tiverton were tied at the top on 178, while East Devon were on 176 and Woodbury Park on 167. With every team gathered on the terrace awaiting the final scores, it came down to a tense finish. Exeter’s final pairing, James Delve and Patrick Williams, returned 39 points. Woodbury Park’s last pair then delivered a superb 49 points, which pushed Woodbury ahead of Tiverton and gave Exeter the result needed.
Exeter won the day by a single point from Woodbury Park, while Tiverton finished third—confirming Exeter as Exe League Champions for the third consecutive year.
Ian Crombie, Team Captain, expressed a huge thank you to everyone who played in the four fixtures this season and commented ‘It has not always been easy to get a full side out during a busy summer of golf, but all 22 players who represented Exeter Golf & Country Club played an important part in this achievement and should be proud of their contribution. Special thanks also go to Justin Powlesland and Mark Crouch for their help and advice with selection throughout the season. Here’s to attempting a fourth consecutive win in 2027!’
Wooden Spoon
Our annual men versus ladies golf challenge took place in early October and proved to be a wonderfully enjoyable and closely fought occasion, played in excellent spirit with plenty of great golf on display.
With the score tied at 3½–3½ and just one match left to finish, everything rested on Sal Rimmer and Adele Needham, who—blissfully unaware of the pressure—secured the decisive final point for the ladies. Ladies Golf Captain Claire Baillie then presented the Wooden Spoon to the men’s captain, Justin Powleland, amid warm cheers from all the ladies in the room. The spoon will proudly carry a blue ribbon until the teams meet again next year.
Congratulations to everyone who took part and helped make the day such a happy and memorable one.
