Recalling the Addington Foursomes Golf Tournament

The Addington Foursomes was a team tournament played in London, England, in the 1930s. The tournament paired one pro with one top amateur golfer, and they played foursomes match play against other such teams.

First played: 1933

Last played: 1939

The Addington Foursomes' only multiple champion was the team of Bill Twine and J.A. Flaherty, Twine being the pro. Twine/Flaherty claimed the title in 1936 and 1938.

The team of Abe Mitchell/Rex Hartley came close, winning in 1934 and reaching the championship match in 1935. But in that title match in 1935, Mitchell/Hartley were beaten by Auguste Boyer/Francis Francis (yes, both his names were "Francis"). Boyer was the French golfer who won more than a dozen national championships in the 1920s and 1930s, but this was his only significant win on British soil.

In the 1937 tournament, Max Faulkner (who went on to win the 1951 British Open) earned his first pro tournament victory of note. Mitchell's 1934 win here was one of his last pro wins of note.

Winners of the Addington Foursomes

These are the final scores from the championship matches:

1933 — Charles Whitcombe (pro)/Cameron Anderson (amateur) def. Fred Robson (pro)/Cyril Gray (amateur), 5 and 4
1934 — Abe Mitchell (pro)/Rex Hartley (amateur) def. W.E. Peters (pro)/W.E. Brownsell (amateur), 5 and 3
1935 — Auguste Boyer (pro)/Francis Francis (amateur) def. Abe Mitchell (pro)/Rex Hartley (amateur), 2 and 1
1936 — Bill Twine (pro)/J.A. Flaherty (amateur) def. Arthur Lacey (pro)/Gerald Micklem (amateur), 4 and 3
1937 — Max Faulkner (pro)/Stanley Anderson (amateur) def. Bill Cox (pro)/Cyril Gray (amateur), 2 and 1
1938 — Bill Twine (pro)/J.A.Flaherty (amateur) def. Alf Perry (pro)/Andrew McNair (amateur), 3 and 2
1939 — Dai Rees (pro)/Alfred Critchley (amateur) def. Henry Cotton (pro)/Max Aitken (amateur), 3 and 2

Golf course: The tournament was named after the golf course where it was played: Addington Golf Club in Addington, London, England.