Farrington Park golf member and volunteer, Chris Liberty, has had the new bell on the 13th hole dedicated to him for all the work he has done for the club over the last twenty years.

The ‘Liberty Bell’ has been engraved in appreciation of Chris’ work with the Seniors’, Men’s and Juniors’ sections. His many years of work as Competitions Secretary is well-known at the club, but he is also on the Men’s and Seniors’ committee, as well as being both Men’s and Seniors’ Captain in the past.

Men’s Captain, Gary Prater, and Seniors’ Captain, Ray Guthrie, were on-hand to present the bell to Chris. Gary said: “Chris has been an outstanding volunteer for Farrington Park for many years, and it is really nice to show him our appreciation. The bell needed replacing and previous Captain, Rob Riccio, came up with the idea of the ‘Liberty Bell’.”

The final competition in the Seniors’ golfing calendar culminated in a sumptuous feast served in the Park Suite for over 100 Senior golfers at their annual Christmas Dinner and Trophy Presentation. The morning had seen seventy-plus members play for the Ray Dando Trophy, where only three clubs and a putter were allowed to be used.

All members were happy to stump up £5 each, with the proceeds going to Captain, Ray Guthrie’s South West Hospice Charity. There were a number of good scores and some may now question the need to carry a bagful, when three clubs seem quite sufficient! The winner on the day, with an impressive 31 points from thirteen holes played, was Mike Hedges.

The afternoon proceedings kicked off at 4 p.m. with the trophy and knockout presentations. Treasurer, Ian Clement, organised a raffle with more than fifty prizes – the majority, surprisingly, being of the bottle-shaped variety. A wonderful meal was served up by the Catering Staff, who are to be congratulated on their perseverance dealing with so many, under trying conditions!

The Trophy Winners in 2018 were: Ray Dando Trophy – Mike Hedges; Diamond Jubilee Trophy – Don Perry; Duchy Club Champion – Phil Thompson; Manor Club Champion – Phil Thompson; Wally Sage Trophy – Rob Thain, Steve Park and Bill Waddington; Eddie Jackman Trophy – Roger Stone; Captain’s Day Tantalus – Mike Hedges; Committee Cup – Rob Thain; Most Improved Player – Fred Grist.

Following the seasonal festivities, it was not surprising to see an array of new golfing jumpers and jackets on display. Some, however, were just a little snug in certain places! An excellent field of seventy-plus golfers ensured that the Bowmaker competition would be keenly contested, and they did not disappoint.

With five prizes up for grabs, four teams had identical point scores. The winners, however, were unassailable with a massive 91 points, eight clear of their nearest rivals. The annual handicap review is in the offing and Roger is already sharpening his pencil so look out, you know who you are!

Ladies

The Ladies had the chance to work off any festive extra calories and the post-Christmas blues with a 123 Waltz Bowmaker competition on Thursday; their first competition of 2019, over eighteen holes on the Duchy winter-shortened course.

Playing in teams of three, the Stableford scoring was best score-to-score on the first hole, two best scores counted on the second hole and all three scores counted on the third, before repeating the procedure with subsequent holes. The cold air temperature meant brisk walking was the best way to keep warm, and the scoring from the top five teams was equally hot!

Nadine Spong and Lin Papadopoulos had two spot birdies at the 15th hole, but the ‘Birdie Queen of the Day’ was Rosi Brown, who had three, at the 5th, 15th and the tricky 17th.

Three teams scored 71 points and had to be separated by countback to ascertain third place, with Jenny Howarth, Kay Clarke and Bridget Rylance winning through. In second place were Lally Gibson, Carol King and Margaret Seery with 72 points, but the winners by the wide margin of eight points were Clare Salter, Mandy Hobbs and June Symonds, with eighty points.

Juniors

A great start to the New Year, with 26 juniors playing in the nine-hole competition on Sunday. An impressive gross score of 28 from Frankie Dezis, which included three twos. Frankie also won nearest the pin on the 9th hole. In Division Two, it was very close, apart from a personal best by Oscar Matthews who looked to be on a mission! Well done all.