27th December 2024
To all Hon Secretaries and Team Captains,
2025 HALFORD HEWITT CUP AND HEWITT CENTENARY BOOK
I am writing to outline the arrangements for the playing of the 2025 Halford Hewitt Cup and to communicate about the Centenary Book – “A Touch of Class.”
Hewitt Centenary Book – “A Touch of Class” by Richard Norris
Richard has covered every year of the competition including a detailed result; how it grew from a single figure number of entries to 64 by 1952; how the first ever match was played at St. George’s Hill between The Leys and Harrow with the final at The Addington – before establishing its home at Royal Cinque Ports and almost 30 years later, inviting Royal St. George’s to assist with the hosting. It uniquely also tells the fascinating story of the founding of each participating school.
Limited, at the time of writing to 1,000 copies, 320 A4 pages with over 300 illustrations and photographs of many Society teams that have reached the final stages of this 101 year old tournament. It includes mini-biographies of those who have, over the years, made significant contributions towards the success of the Hewitt from the founders up to the present day.
Inevitably ‘A Touch of Class’ will follow ‘A Festival of Foursomes’ as a collectors’ item and one to be treasured. Should demand exceed 1,000 copies , as we expect, by the end of January 2025, the initial print run will be increased accordingly.
Copies will be sold for £45 each. In order to fund the cost of the initial print run, £450 will be added to the entry fee for the 2025 Halford Hewitt and will entitle each school to 10 copies of the book. These can then be sold for £45 and the money recouped.
Halford Hewitt 2025
The date of the AGM and Draw is confirmed for Wednesday 15th January 2025 at the East India Club, 16 St James’s Square, London beginning at 6.00pm.
The Committees of the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club and the Royal St. George’s Golf Club have kindly agreed to the Competition being played on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10th – 13th April 2025.
The Members and Committees of the host clubs have generously allowed the Society the courtesy of their courses as free of charge practice days for the selected Halford Hewitt team players only on Tuesday 8th April (when Club Members also have allocated starting times) and Wednesday 9th April. There are conditions of play on each of the two days, and in particular on the Tuesday, which Society Members must ensure they observe.
Society supporters who have not been selected to represent their Society team in the Halford Hewitt are not allowed to use an allocated practice starting time not taken up by their Society on either day although they may do so on payment of a green fee.
Society Secretaries and team captains are requested to stress that any Member of their Society Hewitt team wishing to avail themselves of the free practice rounds is fully conversant with the conditions which apply to the day in question and under which play is permitted. These conditions will be circulated to all Society Secretaries who in turn must please advise their Team Captain, whose responsibility it is to circulate the other Members of his team.
Practice times for Tuesday will be allocated by the Hon Secretary and not the Secretaries of the host Clubs, as near as possible to your requested times. Bookings for Tuesday times will not be taken before Thursday 16th January 2025. Initially not more than two starting times will be allocated, although reservations for additional times will be taken following the draw and then confirmed a few weeks before the Hewitt.
The Wednesday practice rounds are allocated to Schools in draw order. Please note that ALL the Wednesday practice rounds are now limited to 3 balls in play i.e. 4 balls are not permitted. Practice times for the Tuesday and Wednesday will be published on the Halford Hewitt website. The Committee requests that any team not taking up their practice time should notify the Hon Secretary as soon as possible so that their time may be reallocated.
Green drawcards, brown Plate drawcards and the poster-size draw-sheet will be available from both clubhouses from the Tuesday practice day onwards.
Matches will be played by foursomes with each School providing 5 pairs. Each round will be over 18 holes knock-out, and any halved match must immediately continue playing until one School has won 3 matches outright. Each School’s order of play (including the name of the team Captain) must be handed in to the Secretary’s office at the Club at which the match takes place, at least half an hour before the start of the match.
The Prince’s Plate competition for all teams that have been beaten in the first round of the Halford Hewitt, is regarded by the Committee as an integral part of the week. Team Captains are requested to field a full team of six players for each round in which they play. Please remember that players in the Plate do not have to have played in the Halford Hewitt.
Please note the following non-retrospective guidelines for eligibility in the competition:-
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The Hon Secretary of each Society should return the attached entry form to me at the above address together with a payment for £1,710 to cover green fees for all competitors, entry for the Princes Plate Competition, staff gratuities, and general expenses as well as the cost of 10 copies of “A Touch of Class” that can be collected from the Clubhouse at Royal Cinque Ports during Hewitt Week and sold on for £45 each, reducing the entry fee per school to £1,260.
Payment would be preferred by electronic transfer to the PSGS, account number 01723503, sort code 30-98-26. Please ensure you put the school name as a reference, initials are not a unique identification. Cheques should be made payable to the Public Schools Golfing Society and sent to me at 1 Bruce Grove, Orpington, Kent BR6 0HF.
Please ensure that your entry form details your accommodation arrangements, including a telephone number and the full name and address of your Hewitt team Captain. The entry form can be found here.
Please submit entries by Tuesday 14th January 2025 and payment of entry fee by Friday 31st January.
The 2025 Annual General Meeting, followed by the draw, will be held at the East India Club, 16 St James’s Square, London, on Wednesday 15th January 2025.
NICK OWEN
Hon Secretary, Public Schools Golfing Society
