The Captains’ Drive-In event attracted a full field of 136 players, who, after the shotgun competition, saw new Club Captain, Paul Smith, Ladies Captain, Marian Speed, and Junior Captain, Ellen Reakes, drive in, in the traditional way.

Mid-round refreshments were very welcome on a cold and blustery day. A full clubhouse enjoyed hot food and beverages before the traditional Jacket presentations. Marian and Paul both gave short speeches thanking all the members for their support, and they both looked forward to a very successful year, hopefully being blessed with good weather.

Prize-giving then followed. The overall winners were Mark Necker, Andy Laing, Andrew Wells and Chad Patel with 85 points, after countback. This left Jim Mallon, Duncan Offer, Martin Myers and Andy Parfitt as the winning Men’s team, with Marian Speed, Bron Cooper, Edwina Willis and Anne Collins winning the Ladies’ prize with 81.

The Qualifying round for the Hodder Cup saw 94 entrants. This is a better ball competition with the top 32 pairs moving onto a K.O. competition. The course is playing so well that despite the strong easterly wind and fiery fairways, the scoring was very low, with 22 pairings carding net-69 or better.

Third place went to Thomas and Craig Richardson with 64, beaten on countback by Malcolm and Wayne Srawley. However, the best score of the day went to Jack Hayes and Tom Lowe with a nine-under par score of 62, and when you realise that Jack is playing off five and Tom off three, that really was some achievement.

The Avalon B Team had two home fixtures and won them both. A win against Wheathill, 3½-1½, was followed by a 5-0 victory over Cannington. Winners in the first match were Shaun and Liam Robertson, Colin Davies and David Williams and Simon Wynn and Rob Ware, with James Herniman and Richard Clifford gaining a half.

In the second match, wins came from Liam Roberson and Phil Vowles, Mark Necker and John Ellis, Simon Wynn and Rob Ware, David Williams and Richard Clifford and Shaun Robertson, playing with newly-appointed Club Captain, Paul Smith. This was the day after the Drive-In event, and despite feeling a little under the weather, the new Club Captain played extremely well!

The Avalon C Team gained a hard-fought-for draw when playing Orchardleigh. Successful for Mendip were Tom Lowe and Chris Butland and Scott Butland and Phil Leadbeater, with a half coming from Peter Kivi and Duncan Bratt, whose opponents sank a twenty-foot putt on the last to gain the half.

The Ladies have had two friendly matches this week. Firstly, against Farrington, a 3½-2½ win was recorded. A convincing win for Eileen Masters and Elaine Richardson was followed by wins for Caroline Simper and Team Captain, Allison Rumming, and Pauline Williams and Wendy Norman, with a half gained by Carol Mosley and Ann Padley.

Then, the Team visited Yeovil. Firstly, Yeovil could not match our request for five pairs, raising only four. On arrival, Team Captain, Allison Rummings’s plans and pairings were rather thrown when Yeovil announced that the match would be Foursomes! Then it was discovered that their ‘Friendly Team’ had a six-handicapper and an ex-County Champion playing! In the end, it was a most-friendly affair, with Mendip picking up just one match, the pairing of Margaret Allen and, playing in her first ever match, Suzy Rudkin.

Stuart Disney, Mendip’s Golf Professional, is setting up his next round of lessons under the ‘Get into Golf’ scheme, which is supported by Sport England. This is a Course of six lessons of ninety minutes, covering all the main skills needed to play golf as well as experience on the golf course.

The next course commences on Saturday, 18th May at 4 p.m. and is specifically focused on a family involvement. There is no age restriction, just the requirement that you are related in some way. To book your place, either email: [email protected] or telephone the Pro Shop on: 01749 840570, option 1.

Tony Williams