The last trophy competition of the Farrington Park Mixed Section’s year is the Sanders Challenge Bowl, an American Greensomes format played off a combined handicap.

Twelve pairs battled for the title over the Duchy course on a day when the weather had threatened heavy rain, but turned out to be sunny and almost warm.

Several holes had been shortened because of the previous day’s storm, and the players took advantage of the distances and the extra Stableford points on offer on these holes.

Scoring for the winning places could not have been closer. Countback was required to separate the fourth to second places, because the three teams all scored 39 points each.

Jane and Tim Waller secured second place ahead of Steve and Jane Ball, with Corrina Bates and Jon Coates taking the fourth spot. Seven pars and a birdie in their round led to a score of forty points for the winners, Pierce and Terri O’Shea; the first time they had won a competition as a pair.

Pierce and Terri were not the only pair to receive a trophy on the day. Steve and Pauline Brixey were the winners of The Davis Cooler, a season long matchplay knockout competition. They beat Phil and Julie Toogood in the final match after both pairs won through against other pairings over several rounds throughout the summer.

The Ladies held a non-qualifying Stableford competition on Thursday, 7th November; the Duchy course holes 1, 7 and 12 being shortened to preserve the fairways after all the rain that had fallen over the previous days.

Thirty-six players meant that the field was divided into two divisions and scores were very close in both. Jane Tucker won Division Two with 33 points; in second place, was Sue Barnes, with 32 points, and Christine Jukes was third, with 29.

Countback had to be used to separate the top places in Division One. Carol King secured second place on countback, ahead of Lin Papadopoullos and newcomer, Hayley Bullock, after all three scored 35 points. Top spot went to June Symonds with a fine 36 points.

Two spot birdies were scored by Corrine Durbin on the fifth hole and Margaret Seery at the eighth, both par three holes, and a special mention for ‘hole of the day’ goes to Jenny Ahlberg, who birdied the long and difficult par four sixteenth.

Jane Ball