Last of the Summer Wine at Mendip Spring

STRAINS of the theme tune from Last of the Summer Wine rang out at the Mendip Spring Golf & Country Club, when the new club captain and the new ladies’ captain arrived for their drive-in.

It has become a tradition at the club that the new club captain and ladies’ captain mark the occasion in special attire before the pair, flanked by many previous captains and members, mark the start of their year.

Two years ago, Noddy and Big Ears arrived in a specially decorated gold buggy and last year it was a Dads Army theme, with a 1950s-style Kaiser-Jeep cargo/troop carrier providing the mode of transport.

This time members may have been forgiven for thinking that Howard and Marina from Last of the Summer Wine were to take over the helm as the duo appeared through the early morning mist at the North Somerset club.

But instead of Howard and Marina it was the new captain Carl Cowling and ladies’ captain Jenny Roberts, who were making their grand entrance much to the laughter of the members gathered around the first tee.

“I am really looking forward to my year as captain, it’s exciting times under the club owners the Mikulla family who took over in June last year,” said Gowing. “But it will not simply be a case of hanging on to their shirt tails.

“I have two aims for my year in office with the first being to see the men’s and women’s section coming together more, we need more competitions that include the ladies, and hopefully to get more members participating in competitions or using the clubhouse.”

The chosen charity for the coming year is Macmillan Cancer Support with the money raised going to fund a lung cancer nurse, who has completed specialist courses in pain and symptom management, and psychological support, for the North Somerset Area.

THE Somerset Under-14 development assessment day held at Mendip Spring received an excellent response, with more than 50 juniors from different clubs taking part.