Farrington Park held its Men’s Club Championship in fantastic summer weather, with the course playing in links type conditions. This made shot selection very difficult.

A good field of players were competing for the Men’s Club Championship Trophy for the best gross score over two days and the Brimble Trophy for the best nett score.

The first day saw some great scores on the leaderboard. There was good scoring from Liam Copp and Lee Bruton on gross 78, third place was Lee Swain with gross 76, second place was Craig Adams on gross 74, but the round of the day belonged to Jack Broadway, with a gross 72. The top three players for the nett trophy were Jake Russell 84/68, Lee Swain 76/67, and leading at the halfway stage was Jack Broadway, 72/67.

The second day’s play started a little earlier, as all the players were eager to finish before the World Cup final began. In scorching weather, some great scores were obtained. In the battle for the Brimble Trophy, the three top scores of the day were Lee Bruton, 71/68 in third place, Craig Adams, 67/68 took second place and the best round of the day came from Mark Chandler, with a 77/65. This score took Mark’s total over the two days to 161/137, making him the winner of the Brimble Trophy.

The Club Championship competition was very exciting, with six shots separating the leading players. Liam Copp and Lee Bruton both scored gross 71, and Craig Adams shot an impressive gross 67. This settled the final places: third place went to Jack Broadway, 72 and 77 = 149, second place on countback was Lee Bruton, 78 + 71 = 149. The winner was Craig Adams, with 74 + 67 = 141. Many congratulations to Craig on becoming the 2018 Men’s Club Champion.

Captain, Shane Phelps, thanked everyone for their participation in the competition. Special thanks were due to Andy Grabham and his green-keeping staff for all their fantastic work preparing and presenting the course; to the bar staff for keeping the drinks flowing in the very hot weather; to Chris Liberty in charge of the scoring logistics, and Bobby Appleby as the time-keeper and starter on both days.

Ladies

The Wild West came to Farrington Park last Thursday, when ‘Sheriff’ Rosi Brown held her Lady Captain’s Day. The competition on the 18 hole Duchy course was a Step Aside Texas Scramble Stableford, with teams of three consisting of one low, one medium and one high handicap competitor playing off a combined reduced handicap. The Coppers (ladies who are new to golf) had their own Texas Scramble competition on the nine-hole Manor course. The format for both competitions meant that everyone in a team could contribute to their team’s overall score; and players found themselves making new friends because they were playing with ladies they may not have played with in the past. Everyone entered into the Wild West spirit by dressing up. The Halfway Hut became the Saloon, manned by demon barber, Garth Pusey and cowboy, Rob Porter, ably assisted by photographer, Cynthia Miller, who provided welcome refreshment, including glasses of Pimm’s to the players toiling on a very hot day. Many thanks to them for their hard work.

The course conditions showed in the results, with only nine points separating the top and bottom teams: Step Aside Texas Scramble on Duchy course – first with 44 points: Lena Warren, Tracey Watts and Maureen Goodsir, second with 44 points: June Symonds, Margaret Seery and Peggy Edwards, third with 44 points: Rosi Brown, Carol Redman and Sandra Hares, fourth with 42 points: Bobby Appleby, Carol Jones and Debbie Jones, fifth with 42 points: Mandy Hobbs, Fiona Hassard and Maureen Tayler. Nearest the pin on 5th: Debbie Jones, 8th: Rosi Brown, 10th: Karen Wills and 15th: Lena Warren. Straightest drive on the 14th, a bare half inch away from the rope marker: Sue Barnes.

Manor Course Texas Scramble – 1st with a nett 44: Pitti Morris, Sue Milford and Gwyn McDonald, second with a nett 45: Chris Dinardo, Sue Garrett and Marianne Bull, third: Marilyn Cole, Jane Tucker and Christine Jukes. Nearest pin on 8th/17th: Christine Jukes. The most thanks must go to Rosi for organising a superb day’s fun. She was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Vice-Captain, Pat Roscow, on behalf of the ladies, in appreciation of her efforts.