There are 4–1 victories that feel like processions. Prince’s latest Bradley Cook Trophy was emphatically not one of them.

By the time the scorecard was complete at Sene Valley Golf Club, Prince’s had secured their ninth title with four points from five against Sundridge Park. Yet for much of the afternoon, with matches reaching the closing holes and momentum refusing to settle in one place for long, the trophy remained decidedly homeless.

The five-a-side women’s scratch knockout reached its conclusion in bright, breezy conditions, with Chislehurst and Knole Park contesting the Consolation Plate alongside the main final.

Prince’s eventually had the silverware. They had certainly been made to earn it.

Mitchell Gives Prince’s the Early Advantage

Ally Mitchell and Tita McCart provided a suitably tight opening act.

They were all square after six holes and still level through 15, leaving what had effectively become a three-hole match. Mitchell then found the decisive gear, taking both the 16th and 17th for a 2&1 victory and the first point of the final.

Sundridge Park’s response came through Kim Morris against Prince’s youngster Teagan Ford.

Ford had edged 1 up after six, but Morris squared the match after 13 and neither player could establish control as they arrived at the 18th. Morris won the final hole, and suddenly the team contest was level.

That was rather more representative of the afternoon than the eventual scoreline would suggest.

Herd Restores the Lead Before Hallet Turns Her Match Around

Jo Herd gave Prince’s some breathing room with the most clear-cut result of the final.

She moved 2 up after four holes against Sarah Jordan and stretched that advantage to four after 14. A hole later it was finished, Herd closing out a 4&3 victory to restore Prince’s lead.

Elsewhere, however, the mathematics remained uncomfortable.

Sundridge Park’s Lelia Roche-Kelly had gone 2 up after six against Sandy Hallet and still held a one-hole advantage approaching the end of their match.

Then came the swing that effectively decided the trophy.

Hallet won the 17th to draw level and took the 18th as well, turning a match she had trailed for much of the day into the point that guaranteed Prince’s the 2026 Bradley Cook Trophy.

For a knockout final, that is about as efficient a time as any to produce your best two holes.

Martin Adds the Final Point on the 18th

The title was secure, but the final match had its own unfinished business.

Pam Martin and Jude Mackenzie went all the way to the home green before Martin edged the contest at the 18th, giving Prince’s a fourth point and completing a 4–1 victory.

The margin will sit neatly in the records. The manner of it was rather less tidy.

Three of the five matches reached the 18th, Mitchell needed 17 holes to secure the opener, and the decisive point came only after Hallet overturned her deficit across the closing two holes.

Prince’s ninth Bradley Cook Trophy was therefore a victory built as much on finishing as superiority.

Knole Park Take Control of the Consolation Plate

Knole Park had rather less appetite for suspense in the Consolation Plate.

Dottie Constantin put the first point on the board with a 4&2 victory over Sue Smollett before Annabel Dalton defeated Jo Palmer on the 17th to make it two.

The decisive result came from Viv Graham, who secured her match against Tracy Lancaster on the 13th and put Knole Park beyond Chislehurst’s reach.

With the outcome settled, the remaining matches between Mary Wootton and Sue Trasler, and Kath Buckley and Steph Parry, were declared honourable halves.

It gave Knole Park the Plate and ensured both finals produced different winners from a day in which the margins, at least in the main event, were considerably narrower than the numbers implied.

Royal St George’s Awaits in 2027

Sene Valley hosted the conclusion of the 2026 competition, with Kent Golf thanking Jo and the club team for their hospitality, Women’s Captain Sue for welcoming the players and referees Cheryl and Angela for assisting with the matches.

Prince’s will now carry the Bradley Cook Trophy into a particularly notable defence.

The 2027 finals are due to be staged at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich for the first time.

Prince’s will arrive there as nine-time champions. After the way they closed this one out, anyone hoping to take the trophy from them may wish to keep something in reserve for the final two holes.