Kent had a foot in both England camps at Royal St David’s, and by the end of three days in Wales it had also acquired a share of a rather satisfying piece of silverware.

Anne Wheble, a member of Dartford Golf Club and Kent Golf’s Golf Manager, and Sundridge Park’s Danny Holmes were part of the England Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s teams as the country regained the Senior Home Internationals title.

The arithmetic was pleasantly uncomplicated: three matches, three victories and an England double.

Scotland swept aside on opening day

England set the tone against Scotland, winning 11.5–6.5 on the first day.

In a format where an uncertain opening can turn three days into a rather exhausting exercise in scoreboard mathematics, the margin gave England precisely the sort of start required.

For Wheble and Holmes, it also meant Kent representation on both sides of an England campaign that quickly gathered momentum.

Wheble combined her international playing role with a particularly close connection to the county game through her position as Kent Golf’s Golf Manager. Holmes, meanwhile, is a member of the Kent Senior Men’s Team as well as Sundridge Park Golf Club.

Their involvement gave Kent Golf a direct interest in events at Royal St David’s beyond the usual pleasure of seeing England get off to a flyer.

Wales beaten as England take control

The second day brought hosts Wales and an even larger winning margin.

England recorded a 12–6 victory, leaving the title to be decided in the final encounter with Ireland.

There are various ways to arrive at a decisive final day. Doing so after two convincing wins is generally preferable to spending the evening studying permutations over dinner.

England had placed themselves in control. What remained was to finish the job.

Ireland test ends with a third England victory

Ireland provided the final opposition with the championship at stake, but England again emerged on top.

A 10.5–7.5 victory completed an unbeaten three days and secured the Senior Women’s and Men’s Home Internationals title.

Across the week, England had beaten Scotland, Wales and Ireland by an aggregate match score that reflected the consistency of the campaign: there was no recovery act required and no defeat to repair.

Instead, England took command on the opening day and never surrendered it.

For Kent, the result carried an additional significance. Wheble and Holmes had each stepped from the county golf environment onto the international stage and returned as members of successful England teams.

A Kent contribution to an England double

Senior international golf does not always command the noise surrounding the professional game, but there is nothing casual about representing your country against the other home nations.

For Kent Golf, having players involved in both successful England teams offered a neat reminder of the strength of the county’s representation within the amateur game.

Wheble’s connection stretches from Dartford Golf Club to her day-to-day role with Kent Golf, while Holmes remains part of the county’s Senior Men’s set-up at Sundridge Park.

At Royal St David’s, those separate paths arrived at the same destination.

England left Wales with the Senior Home Internationals title restored after three wins from three. Kent returned with two of its own having played their part.

That is a decent few days at the office, even when one of you happens to work for Kent Golf.