Brean name Andrew as new director of golf

BREAN Golf Club has named Andrew March as their new director of golf.

Andrew has worked as head PGA professional at the club for more than six years and steps up following David Haines’s decision to move on after 20 years at Brean.

Andrew said: “I am very pleased that the House family have given me this opportunity to help them realise the potential of the golf facilities at Brean and will have a tough act to follow.”

To mark the changeover and also the fact that May is the National Golf Month,

the club are offering a pound to play promotion to try out the course during the lighter evenings.

You could pay as little as a £1 per hole to play after 4.30pm each day for a minimum of six holes and for just £10 you can play unlimited holes that evening. This offer will run until May 23.

The Avalon League team hosted Enmore Park in a Division 2 clash at the Leisure Park. In glorious weather, the two team locked horns with the result being decided on the final green of the final match.

Steve Bateman and the recalled Steve Jones held their nerve to give a 3-2 victory to the home side.

The seniors bowed out of the Somerset Bowl in the second round at Weston. The final game went the way of the opposition on the final green to seal a 3-2 result for Stockwood Vale.

Brean’s points came from Barrie Tucker and Tony Roper and Pete Lock and Barrie Yearsley.

In another busy week of fixtures, the team bounced back from the previous day’s defeat to record a comfortable home win over Fosseway.

In the first leg of the two-legged annual tie, they won 5-1 and take a sizeable lead across Somerset for the second leg later in the summer.

The team of the day selected by the captain Allen Fellingham included himself on this occasion as he and partner Dave Benjafield won the top match by 6&5.

Phil Barry won the county golfer challenge qualifier sponsored by Brittany Ferries at Brean. His scorecard of 39 points was one clear of a trio of players on 38. He now moves forward to represent Brean in a regional final at Honiton in early August.

The 38-point scorers were led on countback by Roger Phillips, ahead of Andy Chapple, while Mike Porter had to settle for fourth spot.

Two Tony’s led the way in the Super Series on the following day. Both Tony Romeo and Tony Richards thrived in the pleasant sunshine to score 41 points and were only separated following a countback. Romeo just got the nod with a better back nine to take first prize.

Early riser Simon Baunton edged out the later starting Mark Hatfield after both scored 40 points for third position.

FRED Donbavand shot a three under nett 69 to win the Weston seniors’ annual St George’s Trophy.

Conditions were favourable for good scoring and Terry Marnock and Geoffrey Seaman came in two shots behind.

The ladies’ section was blessed with glorious sunshine for their invitation day competition. With an incredible 48 Stableford points in a four-ball betterball competition, Diney Costeloe and visiting partner Karen Drake, had a six-point lead over runners-up Gay Long and guest Julia Paul.

Gay and Julia, who won this competition last year, scored a respectable 42 points. In third place also with 42, were Joan Jenkinson and guest Pat Rowland from Burnham.

Nearest the pin on the third hole was member Gay Long and Tegwen Hopkins from Lansdowne. Longest drive on the 18th fairway was hit by member Pam Hudson and Rowland from Burnham.

Lady captain Tessa Williams welcomed Eileen Binding, president of Somerset Ladies Golf Association to the club and congratulated all winners with their prizes in what was an enjoyable day.

Eighteen ladies travelled to Trevose Golf Club near Padstow for their fifth annual Rose of Trevose weekend.

A challenging links course in a spectacular setting, the ladies came in with some excellent scores. The overall winner and taking the trophy was Sally Irlam with 35 and 34 points over the two rounds.

WORLEBURY’S first team entertained The Kendleshire in the Bristol and District League and registered a fine 4.5-0.5 victory.

They looked elegant in their new team shirts, thanks to the generosity of local firm, Reelfix Construction Products Ltd.

The team, with an accent on youth, are captained by former junior member, Harry Rowlands. Eight of the 10 who played against The Kendleshire have graduated through the club’s junior ranks.

Making up the side were new boys, Ross Coyne and Jim Walton, the latter making his debut. The match was played in heavy rain and strong winds making life difficult for the players.

The Coronation Cup was also played in foul conditions with gale force winds and squally showers resulting in many competitors failing to complete their round.

Bucking the trend was Mark Burland, who took the honours with a nett 68, beating his nearest challenger Terry Bradley by two shots. Danny Marshall came third with a 71, pipping Zac Shelford and Dick Gorton on countback.

Conditions improved for the seniors, who competed for the Bill Eynon Cup. Colin Hicks won this comfortably with an excellent nett 65. Clive Rides was runner-up with a 68 and Bob Saddler third on 69.

After a faltering start, the Avalon team recorded a creditable draw away to Mendip Spring, giving captain Tony Westren optimism for the remaining league fixtures.

MATT Kippen from Enmore Park Golf Club won the Burnham & Berrow Challenge Salver with gross scores of 70 and 74.

The 36-hole scratch event which is played from the championship tees at Burnham is the first counting event towards the Sumara Salver, which is the Somerset Golf Union order of merit.

However, local knowledge helped Kippen compile the two most consistent rounds of the day and a three-shot victory over previous winner and Burnham member Thomas Burley.

Playing in benign conditions and glorious sunshine n the morning round, Kippen reached the turn in a one under par score of 35, against Burley who got off to a slow start finding himself trailing by seven shots after reaching the turn in 42.

Burley rallied on the back nine coming home in two under to pull back two shots on Kippen, who maintained his steady golf with a first round score of 70 and a one-shot lead over last year’s winner Charlie McLean from Brickhampton in Gloucestershire.

McLean faded away in the afternoon with a 78, but Burley maintained his fightback and managed to get within one shot of Kippen following birdies at the second and sixth holes.

However, dropped shots at seventh and ninth and birdie by Kippen at the eighth gave past county champion Kippen a four-shot cushion at the turn, coming home in 37 blows to close out his first Challenge Salver victory.

The Fred Love Salver, which is a nine-hole Stableford competition for Burnham members on the testing Channel course was won by club junior organiser Stewart Jones with 21 points. This gave him a one-shot victory over Stuart Taylor, Andy Fisher and his son Gareth Jones.

Burnham and Berrow moved into the quarter-finals of the Somerset Bowl following a 3.5-1.5 victory over Wincanton at Wells. They now wait to play the winners of the match between Frome and Weston.

The Berrow Manor Cup was won by Simon Nuttall with a nett score of 72 to beat Gordon Mackay on a countback over the last nine.

Like most of the field, Gordon dropped shots over the back nine which was playing tough into a stiff breeze. However, this did not deter Nuttall who, despite the difficulty, scored better on the homeward half than the down wind front nine.

THE ladies at Wedmore held their first open bowmaker of the season, with 69 visitors from 14 different clubs joining more than 40 local players in a day of two halves.

Rain plagued the morning starters before the sun came out for the afternoon starters. The visitors got at least their fair share of the prizes. Alison Leatt (Bristol & Clifton), Sandy Hill (Clevedon) and Julie James (Mendip Spring) took the visitors’ prize with 69 points, just one behind the fourth-placed team consisting of locals Wendy Lucas and Ronnie Follenfant with Kath Lane from Wells.

Third place with 71 points went to Denise Barwell, Ollye Simpson and Sue Collins from The Bristol. The only wholly Wedmore team in the prizes were Trish Phelps, Chris Simpson and Cathy Olive, also on 71 points, but just taking second place on countback.

Perhaps rightly in an open, the winners were a team of visitors, Betty Norman and Pam Berry from Taunton Vale teamed with Sheila Bowden from Enmore, who took first place with 72 points.

The club medal had a reduced field, but there were still some tight finishes. Tightest of all was in Division 1 with four players all finishing on 71. A strong finish from Tim Harris saw him just pip Rich Vowles on countback, with Jeremy Richards third with the same score.

Best score of the day came from Tei Newman winning Division 2 with a nett 70, one better than Paul Sloman with Jim Grey a shot back in third. David Coggan won Division 3 with a respectable 73 and a two-shot margin over John Barrett with Chris Monks a further two shots away in third.

The seniors enjoyed a friendly match against Clevedon and were delighted to emerge 5-3 winners with some hard fought matches just going Wedmore’s way to clinch the victory.