Sometimes Red Kite raptors can be seen soaring over the fairways of

Farrington Park but this week a rarer form of birdie in the guise of an eagle visited.

The occasion was the Biddle Flags competition, a medal with a twist. Each player was given a “white flag” with her name written on it. The object of the competition is to complete the Duchy course below each players’ individual handicap i.e. with shots to spare; anyone doing so then has to continue around the course again until all their shots are used up and places her “flag” where her golf ball comes to rest after the last shot.

Most players were playing over their handicaps and were placing their “flags” in the ground long before the 18th hole was sighted, before continuing on to finish the round and record their scores as being over par.

Isobel Panton and Dawn Stacey had good rounds, both finishing at one over par with nett 73 each.

Second placed Lin Papadopoullos had a steady game and finished the 18th hole with what she thought was a nett 73. However, Lin said “When finishing the 18th hole, my playing partner said I had one shot left, which is very nice but I was very hot and just wanted to sit down with a nice cold drink. I soldiered down to the first hole, teed off and my ball curled round and down the slope, but I thought it was safe. I walked down, found my ball and marked it. I started to plod back to the club house, but oh no, with deep regret my playing partner informed me that I had one more shot, so I had to play another shot and then walk back up the hill.” Lin eventually finished with a nett 71.

The winner of the Biddle Flags was Lally Gibson, with six pars in her round of nett 67. Lally said: “I didn’t know my total score until we finished on the 18th then realised I had to play the first hole again as I still had six shots left. I finished up these shots just six inches from the first hole’s flagstick. “

And the eagle? It was played on the par 4 fourth hole by Jackie Willcox who struck a long drive nearly to the end of the fairway, a good second shot with her 7 iron found the right hand bank and her golf ball rolled down onto the green. Jackie said: “The flag wobbled and the ball flipping well disappeared!” An unlikely but well deserved eagle two, the only two spot of the day. Jane Ball