A bitterly cold morning awaited the Seniors at Farrington Park, competing in their annual take on the Ryder Cup.

Past Seniors’ Captain, David Elliott, put up the trophy, unsurprisingly known as the Elliott Cup, where English players take on a combined Irish, Scottish and Welsh team of twelve players. The validity of some of the Celts nationalities is a moot point, with claims varying from ‘been on an Irish Ferry’ to ‘had a postcard from Snowdonia’!

The format of nine holes each of Foursomes and Better Ball was played out on the Duchy Course, with the English contingent leading by a solitary point after the morning session. With the luxury of a nine-hole facility, we were able to play twelve singles matches on the Manor Course.

There were some keen encounters, but, as in last year’s competition, the Celts fell just short of the mark, losing the singles matches by 7-5, meaning the English were once again victorious with a closely-fought 13.5-10.5 win. Many thanks to Fred Grist, who organised the event, and to all of those who participated and played the game in the right spirit.

Men:

It was one of those days when no matter how many layers of clothing you wore, it was never enough – bitterly cold and a harsh wind penetrating the tiniest unprotected area. Thankfully, as the morning wore on, the skies cleared and the welcome sun burnt off the remaining low-laying mist. So, here we are – winter golfing at its majestic best.

First place in the Bowmaker was Don Perry, Pierce O’Shea and Mel Field, with 83 points. Nearest the Pins on the 5th was Ray Wilkinson; the 8th was David Brown; the 14th was Richard Dancey, and the 15th was David Metcalfe.

Ladies:

Friday, 16th November was BBC Children in Need appeal day, but the Ladies supported Pudsey one day earlier, with all proceeds from their Thursday competition, ‘Three Clubs and a Putter’, going towards this good cause. The large field of players ensured that nearly £200 was raised for the charity. Many entered into the spirit of the day by wearing fancy dress or dressing up in Pudsey-style spots and stripes attire.

The competition was a non-qualifying Stableford, with each player having three clubs of her choice, plus her putter. Given that the maximum number of clubs allowed in a golf bag is fourteen, many of the Ladies must have wondered why they carry so many clubs each time they play, when they can get around the Duchy course in winter conditions with three clubs, and still finish with a decent score. Two spot birdies were made by Lin Papadopoullos (5th), Clare Salter (8th), Margaret Seery and Lena Warren (10th).

Top ‘Pudsey’ in Division One was Margaret Seery, beating Carol King on countback after both scored 33 points. Top ‘Pudsey’ in Division Two was Lesley Stone with thirty points. Corrina Bates was second with 28 points. Nadine Spong’s 27 points beat Jayne Brown and Brenda Michael on countback to take third place.

After Thursday’s silliness, the last qualifying Stableford of the year was a more sedate affair. The weather was sunny, but a stiff, cold wind and several “tucked in a corner” pin positions made scoring difficult. Two spot birdies were scored by Liz Thomas (5th) and Mandy Hobbs (8th).

Jackie Walker continued her consistent run of top places on a Saturday, with 33 points to win Division One. Jane Ball was second on countback from Clare Salter, after both scored thirty points. Tracy Grist took the Division Two honours with 25 points, beating Jayne Brown by one point and was five points ahead of Lo Dallocco.