Stoke Rochford’s ladies' section may be fairly small but they are definitely determined, coming through seven rounds to book their place at the Kyocera Annodata National Matchplay finals.

Stoke Rochford Golf Club, situated just off the A1 near Grantham, Lincolnshire, is about to kick off its Centenary year celebrations in 2024. This includes a trip to Spain in early March after the ladies' team qualified for the Kyocera Annodata National Matchplay finals.

Pictured above Left to Right - Lesley Perrin, Debra Wright, Lara Manton (team Captain), Hannah Thorold (2023 Ladies Captain, non playing), Pam Watson, Pauline Haggerty (2024 Ladies Captain).

Out of about 30 ladies that play regularly, 11 of the 13 that met the handicap criteria represented the club through the seven knockout rounds. This included a rare away win at local rivals Toft and a nail-biting away win at Northamptonshire County that came down to a last putt which only just dropped.

In the quarter-finals, the team travelled down to Puttenham in Surrey and came away with a great 1-4 win, with none of them having played the course before the practice round. Throughout the matches they were well supported by the Lady Captain and members of the section and club, driving their determination even more.

Some of the team have been members of the club since before the team captain was born and have a wealth of club and county matchplay experience. They were joined by ladies who have only been at the club a couple of years and played for the club in competitive matches for the first time. A mix of ages, experience and handicaps, they expected nothing but gave everything. Never giving up, several crucial matches had deficits overturned in the back nine.

The team hopes that the undulating lies and difficult greens that make Stoke Rochford challenging will hold them in good stead for the finals held at Montecastillo Golf Resort in Cadiz. Either way, everyone knows it will be a great week, with a group of supporters heading out to Spain to cheer on the team.

Good luck to Stoke Rochford, led by captain Lara Manton, on their Spanish adventure in a few weeks.