Last Thursday, the Farrington Park Ladies played in an inaugural Greensomes Stableford Pairs competition called ‘Betty Beadle’s Bake’.
It was a sad day for the Ladies when they met on 22nd March 2018, to learn that one of their best-loved members, 88-year-old Betty Beadle, had died the day before. Betty was one of those rare people who seemed to touch and enhance the lives of anyone she met. She played golf regularly into her eighties and was always in demand as a team player.
Betty may have been short of distance with her fairway shots, but when it came to putting on the green, few could equal her skill. She was also a keen skittle player, and it was not unknown for Betty to play a round of golf and then leave to play an evening of League skittles, leaving her younger peers to marvel at her energy and competitive spirit.
Betty had a great sense of humour, many a time the changing room would be full of peals of laughter, because of some little comment from Betty! One Christmas, she dressed up as Santa’s little helper at a Christmas competition. On another occasion, she arrived to play wearing a builder’s safety helmet and goggles, because the previous week she had had a playing partner’s wayward golf ball fly just past her head. Her playing partners were always treated to her delicious homemade cakes or biscuits as they finished the first nine holes and headed to the Halfway Hut.
Her family have generously donated a trophy in her memory, fittingly topped with a realistic-looking cupcake. The best way the Ladies could celebrate Betty’s contribution to their section was in the form of cake and biscuits; pausing at the 10th tee to eat their goodies and share their memories of a very special lady.
Betty’s spirit carried through to the competitive nature of the day, with the 8th hole yielding two-spot birdies for Clare Salter and Jane Tucker, Jacky Walker and Tracy Grist, Pauline Young and Christine Jukes, and Suzanne Young and Jayne Brown with a two-spot birdie at the 5th hole.
The final scores in the competition were very close, countback had to be employed to separate the second to fifth-placed teams after they all scored 34 points.
Gail Proctor and Chris Dinardo took second place ahead of Jane Ball and Bridget Rylance (third), Jacky Walker and Tracy Grist (fourth) and Lin Papas and Lo Dallocco (fifth). However, the winners, way out in front with a fine score of 39 points, were Pauline Young and Christine Jukes. They received the trophy from Captain Pat Roscow and went down in history as the first-time winners of ‘Betty Beadle’s Bake’!
Jane Ball