Weston Ladies celebrate a highly successful season

Weston Golf Club Ladies Alliance team celebrated a highly successful season coming top of the second division and gaining promotion.

The division winners’ trophy was presented by the BDLGA to A team captain Zena Balcombe and the ladies celebrated with a dinner in the clubhouse.

Congratulations go to Pat Murray, Jean Cooper and Lynn Perry on gaining their Alliance team badges and thanks were given to all players and reserves whose support helped the team to promotion.

The BDLGA also presented runners-up salvers to Jade Cope and Glenda Latham-Creasey for the scratch foursomes and to Balcombe and June Phillips for the handicap foursomes.

The ladies battled unpleasant conditions with heavy rain and blustery showers to compete in the Daily Mail Foursomes competition.

Winning by a margin of five shots were Glenda Latham-Creasey and June Phillips with 75. Cath Preston and Wendy Thomas were runners-up with 80 and Sue Andow and Julie Ward third with 83.

The second qualifying round for the Alan Holt Trophy was the latest competition for Weston seniors, with the first two going forward to the knockout stages in 2018.

Weather conditions were advantageous with sunny periods and little or no wind, but scoring was surprisingly modest. Steve Thomas and David Andow qualified for the latter stages with nett scores of 68, with Martin Booth also scoring 68, but losing on countback.

David Rowland was fourth on 69, followed by Phil Eastman, John Stokes and Rob Filer all on 70,

Worlebury members turned out in force for the club’s annual trophy night. It was a wonderful evening as the club celebrated the season’s successes.

Presentations were made to individuals or pairs in internal competitions and mention was made once more of the great success that all sections of the club have had this year in county competitions.

Awards – men’s section - Presidents Cup (club champion) and Jubilee Shield (gross): Josh Freeman; Papworth Cup (runner-up club championship) and Pro Trophy winner: Andy Cooper; Bisdee Cup (nett winner club championship): Rob McMillen.

Scratch Salver: Matt Blackman; Mike Tilke Putter (scratch): Simon Dempsey; Jubilee Cup (nett): Rich Godwin; Centenary Trophy: Paul McAdams; RNLI Shield: Andy Collard; Coronation Cup: Rich Exon; Battle of Britain Cup: Dick Gorton; WD Payne Flag Cup: Nev Horne; Murphy Cup: Andy Taylor; Petty Cup: Dean Hooper; Founders Cup: Declan Dorrington; Tolladine Cup: Adrian Heeney; Bert Dunston Memorial Cup: Dave Collard and John Melwani; Commemoration Cup: Peter Phillips and Paul Gardiner; Foursomes Championship: Graham Hewlett and Paul Marsh; Glover Cup: Alex Chandler and Sean Spearing.

Ladies - club champion Marshall Salver (best nett club championship) and Hon Sec Cup: Sue Sokol; Papworth Cup (club Championship gross runner-up): Helen Clarke; Prunier Cup, Babs Shaw Rosebowl and Jackson Barstow: Janet Fear; Bindon Salver and Vets & Grannies Cup: Angela Bagley; Daisy Payne Flag Cup: Lisa Griffiths; Kelson Cup: Diane Millar; Margaret Dunstan Cup: Emma Bourton; Centenary Trophy: Eunice McAdams; President’s Salver: Ginette Bright; Vi Dunstan Cup: Carole Miles.

Mixed - Princess Diana Salver: Jill Hobbs, Colin Chandler and Alix Kew; Philpott Trophy: Emma Bourton and Steven Roberts; Fred Crawford: Cheryl and Barry Saunders; Gertrude Johnson: Sam and Graham Hewlett; Stella Hammond Salver: Angela Bagley and Tony Westren; St Dunstans Cup: Lauren and Ken Hanson; CD Lock Trophy: Amanda Cook and Ken Hanson.

Seniors – club champion and winner of Wally Hartree Cup: Pete Gilpin; Cyril Morgan Cup (best nett): Pete Hagendyk; Les Marston Cup (over 19 handicap): Dave Brimfield; Malcolm Simpson Tankard (over 70 years): Malcolm Ham; Bill Eynon Cup: John Ratajczak; Cliff Harrison Cup: Gary Freeman; Centenary Cup: John Jones; Centenary Vase: John Hobbs; Bernard Oldfield Cup: Alan Hartree; Bernard Oldfield Salver: Paul McAdams; Sayer Shield: Tony McDonald; George Taylor Memorial Bowl: Kevin Fudge; winter greensomes knockout: Tony Evans and Pete Gilpin; fourball betterball summer knockout: Keri Allchurch and Gary Freeman.

Juniors - Phillips Maggs Shield for junior gross club champion: Dylan Xanh; Praill Cup for nett club champion, John McGrath Cup and Knockout Shield: Mikey Nicholls; Burnell Shield for player of the year; Chesney Shield, Comms Plus Cup, H&H Alarms Shield, Eric Waghorn Trophy, best nett and gross in Worlebury open: Alix Kew;Simon Lunn Memorial Trophy for most improved handicap, Eric Snow Trophy and Centenary Cup: Callum Tucker; Hammond Millenium Cup: Alex Chandler; Collier Cup: shared by Alex Chandler and Mikey Nicholls.

The seniors held their November Stableford which saw 23-handicapper Gareth Richards top score with 42 points to comfortably win Division 2. This fine round saw two shots being cut off his handicap. Tony Evans took second place on countback from Brian Maidment, both scoring 38 points.

The performance of the day however, came from the lowest handicapper in the field, Pete Gilpin, who plays off five. Pete’s 41 points included five birdies. The evergreen, Brian Mathews, was runner-up with 38.

Frank Hopkinson’s stronger finish saw him pipping John Ratajczak, Pete Cornish and Bob Webber on countback to win the third prize, each player notching 37 points.

The SGU annual dinner was held at Worlebury with 140 guests in attendance, including dignitaries, both locally and nationally. The guests heard of the great success of the county teams before the presentation of the season’s trophies.

The highlight of the evening for Worlebury was the Somerset Bowl being presented to team captain Mark Otterburn.

The first two annual meetings took place at Wedmore, leaving two new captains in place.

First up were the seniors with outgoing captain Tom Bennett able to look back on another successful year before handing over responsibility to David Taylor.

He announced his charity for the year to be Avalon Camps, a charity providing support to disadvantaged children in the local area.

To make time for the meeting, the morning competition was an abbreviated 15-hole match between the captains and vice-captains teams which resulted in a comfortable win for the captains team by 593 points to 554.

Highest scoring pair on the day were Martin Olive and Brian Kidd, the latter for the second year running, with 36 points.

The ladies held their meeting in the evening so were able to play a full 18-hole bowmaker before Saybria Sims was able to pass the reins over to Shirley Gooding who has chosen the Musgrove Park Breast Cancer Unit as her chosen charity for 2018.

There were some strong groups in the bowmaker as the first three teams demonstrated. Leading the way on 72 points were Catherine Nicholson, Liz Hill and Hazel Gough.

This was four points better than both second and third teams. Rachel Lockley, Gina Falcon and Marlyn Jackson just beat Ange Webber, Cathy Olive and Deidre Wheadon on countback.

With the cancellation of the weekend Stableford due to the overnight rain, the only other competitive golf saw the last of the summer knockouts completed with Gordon Summers and Tony Biggs just getting the better of Tony Hoskings and Bob Cotgrove in the senior pairs, winning a topsy-turvry game 3&2.

Dave Morgan was the only player to top the 40-point mark John Smiths Trophy at Brean, as he returned a superb 42 points in some wet and windy weather.

He became the player that everyone wanted to be drawn with in the blind pairs draw, which ultimately decides the recipients of the silverware. Morgan’s card was drawn with Russell Shaw who carded 36 points to give the duo a winning total of 78.

Neil Barker had the next best individual score of the day with a 39-point haul and saw Les Byrne (35) drawn out with him which secured second spot on 74.

After being part of the winning partnership seven days earlier in the turkey greensomes, Murray Parsons was again top of the pile in the turkey betterball event.

This time he partnered Russell Shaw to top spot with a 45-point total. This was one point clear of Nigel Ellis and Brian Read, with Tony Higgins and Adam Cox just missing out on a back nine countback and having to settle for third.

Don Edmondson went under the knife in the summer for a hip replacement, but his recovery was swift and he is already back on the golf course and enjoying success with a win in the November seniors Stableford.

His 41-point total gave him top spot in Division 1 ahead of his twin brother Ron. Five-handicapper Ron continued his recent steady run of form as he defeated Barrie Yearsley after a countback on the back nine to separate the two 39-point cards.

Scoring in Division 2 was not as high with 35 points being good enough for the victory. That scorecard belonged to Colin Roberts and he also enjoyed a two-point cushion over his nearest challengers. Another countback was required to decide the outcome with Mike Drayton taking second and leaving John Hale settling in third.

Club professional Andrew March enjoyed his best result of the Gloucester and Somerset PGA season so far when he finished fifth on a day of low scoring at Stinchcombe Hill.

He carded a round of 65 which was three under par and the result saw him move into the top 10 of the Total Triumph Order of Merit for the first time this winter.