Bramshaw Golf Club, near Lyndhurst, has been crowned National Team Matchplay Champions at the Academia Golf Club Classic this weekend. They beat Yorkshire club Malton and Norton by 4 ½ points to ½ in the grand final, held at Montecastillo Golf and Country Club in Spain.
The Bramshaw G.C. team of Mike Evans, Clayton Phelps, Dan Murphy, Ray Nother, Nick Thorne, Andy Macey and Andy Redman, flew out to Spain to compete in the semi-finals, having progressed through six rounds of competition, including the defeat of the 2024 losing finalists, Farnham G.C.
Taking on Middleton Golf Club from Kings Lynn in the semis, Bramshaw powered to victory with a convincing 4-1 win, setting up Finals’ Day against Malton & Norton G.C.
From the first tee shot, Bramshaw were on top, with Andy Macey, who has represented Bramshaw for five decades, setting the early pace. With pressure on to lead the team on a path to victory, Andy secured the first point with a 4&3 exhibition. And the points continued to come Bramshaw’s way. Ray Nother secured the championship on the 16th green as the team headed towards a stunning 4 ½ vs ½ point victory.
Following the win, team captain Mike Evans said, “For Bramshaw to have qualified in the first place was a huge achievement so to walk away as 2025 Academia Champions surpassed all our expectations. The team played some superb golf, and we couldn’t be happier returning the trophy to Hampshire.”
In addition to the seven who flew to Spain for finals weekend, Gary Anderson, Jeff Vanderman, Bruce Lawrence, Mark Ruth, Wayne Noble and Jon Maloney all contributed to the team’s progress through the competition, making this a great success story for the club as a whole.
This victory follows on from the team’s win at the Hampshire County 7’s, at the end of 2025, the first time in 48 years that the club had taken that title.
