In testing conditions and almost all of the course open, Division One was won by Phil Thompson, with 38 points, followed in second place by Kris Broadway, on 36 points and Seamus Ivory, on the money in third, with 35 points. In Division Two, the in-form John Cox took top prize, with an excellent forty points, with Clive Perry taking second on 38 points, beating Jon Gregory on countback with the same score.
The Saturday Stableford also included the Captain’s Drive In which Men’s Captain, Rob Riccio, teed off from the ninth tee. Players had to guess with a marker where his tee shot would come to rest with the adjacent sixth and eighteenth fairway in range. There was wide scope to where the Captain’s ball would finish. The winner was Eric Hogg, with the nearest peg. £110 was raised for the Mens’ and Ladies’ Captains’ chosen charity, Rainbow Trust Children.
Woodland avoids cut
With the weather reminiscent of a cold, wet and windy January morning it was hard to believe that Spring had already sprung and Summer was lurking round the corner! Hollow sanding of the greens was not conducive to a qualifying competition, so thankfully it was deemed a ‘non-qualifier’, ensuring no handicap increases or cuts. Division Two player, Bev Woodland, shot the round of the day with an excellent nett 69.
Results – Division One: Barry Hall 75, Alan Elkington 75, Brian Brown 77, John Ward 81, Mike Ashwin 81.
Division Two: Bev Woodland 69, Terry Thatcher 76, Bob Earney 77, Bob Baker 80, Philip Michael 80. Division Three: Steve Banfield 70, Richard Collier 72, Tony Edwards 73, Steve Gay 79, Nigel Savage 80.
In the Friendly home match result Farrington Park Seniors beat Stockwood Vale 5.5–1.5. Next match is at home to West Wilts on 26th April.
Ladies
Farrington Park Ladies’ Mail on Sunday team travelled to Dewstoke Golf Club near Chepstow on 2nd April to play in the third round of the national golf classic. This was a battle of the giants, as both ladies teams reached the sixth round last year. The five Farrington Park team members anticipated a tough match on an away course which has suffered the effects of the harsh winter weather. Maureen Charlton, first out, proved too strong for her opponent and romped home with a 6–4 victory. Her remaining team members fought hard in their matches on the unfamiliar course, but despite a gallant effort, no-one else could emulate Maureen’s victory and the home side came out victors, 3½ points to 1½ points.
The Somerset Ladies County Fowler Brooches, a Foursomes Stableford competition, was held on Monday, 4th April, at Weston-super-Mare Golf Club. A total of 56 teams from golf clubs in Somerset took part, with nine coming from Farrington Park Golf Club alone. The winning pair from Burnham and Berrow Golf Club were Kay Beaumont and Gill Barry, with forty points. The top Farrington Park pair were Maureen Charlton and Pauline Young, fourth with 36 points. The Bath Shield, which is run alongside the Fowler Brooches, is awarded to the club whose top two teams have the most points. Farrington Park Ladies missed out, retaining the shield they won last year by one point to Burnham and Berrow Ladies.
On the domestic front, the first Medal of the year took place on Ladies Thursday morning, 7th April. With the weather reports for the day not looking good, 35 ladies took the risk with trepidation and played in the qualifying competition. The weather was mainly dry, if not a little blustery at times. The winning scores were excellent. In the Silver Division, first was Lin Papadopoullos, with a nett 71, second was Terri O’Shea, with a nett 72 (lowest gross of 85) and third, Maureen Charlton with a nett 78. In the Bronze Division, first was Jane Ball with a nett 73, second was Heather Woodland with a nett 76, and third was Lally Gibson, with a nett 77.